Migrating iTunes 2nd library and associated device backups

On my PC we have two iTunes libraries - one for me and another for my wife.

I have migrated mine and it is playing while I type this. This was a simple matter of copying the library and putting it into the Music folder under the name iTunes. No device backups to worry about.

I have copied the relevant files for preferences, media and the backup folder relating to my wifes library from Windows. The question is how and where to put them onto the iMac so the two libraries and backups remain as separate entities without some sort of cross contamination and corruption. This is all to happen in the one user!

Grateful for any suggestions and advice.

Thanks.

Mixing to users data in one user account is not ideal.

However, in this instance it's fairly straightforward. Just take your wife's entire iTunes folder (and all subfolders) from wherever it is on Windows and put it in a folder on your Mac. Perhaps /Music/wifesname/iTunes or similar. All music, video, iOS apps, iOS backups etc should be encompassed in this structure unless you have manually changed that).

Then just hold down the option key when starting iTunes and navigate to your wifes iTunes folder to load it.

mrplow said:

Mixing to users data in one user account is not ideal.

Click to expand...

Yes I know! But it is more convenient than having separate user accounts as most of our stuff is shared.

mrplow said:

However, in this instance it's fairly straightforward. Just take your wife's entire iTunes folder (and all subfolders) from wherever it is on Windows and put it in a folder on your Mac. Perhaps /Music/wifesname/iTunes or similar. All music, video, iOS apps, iOS backups etc should be encompassed in this structure unless you have manually changed that).

Then just hold down the option key when starting iTunes and navigate to your wifes iTunes folder to load it.

Click to expand...

Yes. On the PC I had moved both the libraries and backups to a hard disk as space was tight on the 128Gb SSD. With my 512Gb SSD on the iMac, I am quite comfortable with the libraries on the SSD (both are relatively static in size) but will place the backups on an external hard disk as they are possibly going to grow with two iPods and an iPad to cope with. I have seen how to do that on line using a symbolic link but just wanted to be sure that transplanting the new data into Mac would work properly for the 2nd library

There's no reason it shouldn't be fine so long as you keep that folder structure intact

OK. I have started iTunes with my wifes library OK. I have looked in preferences and it is showing her backups OK.

Unlike the Windows version, there is no heading for devices. Do I need to do anything to pass the info about them across or does it recognise them when they are connected? I haven't tried to connect any of them yet. Thought it best to check first.

Assuming the version of iTunes is up to date, when you attach the devices a little icon that looks somewhat like an iPhone will appear in iTunes on the bar just below the top bar of the iTunes window, on the left, where the icons are for the "Home," Music, Movies, TV shows, etc, show. If you have more than one device attached, if you hover over that icon, it will tell you how many are attached and if you click once, it will offer the option of which to view. If you are on the window to view the status of the device, and you have more than one attached, on that same bar just under the Apple logo in the center, you should see the names of the devices attached appear when attached. You can click on those names to view the device, too.

You can also show the sidebar from the view menu which is, I suspect, what you were used to seeing in windows

We have successfully synched one of her iPods. I guess the difference relates to different versions and the differences between PC and Mac.

Not that it really matters now it works.

Thanks for all your help