ITunes collates media from all over your computer and it's easy to end up with multiple copies of albums, let alone tracks. Once the iTunes library has consolidated, the whole iTunes folder can be copied and moved to a temporary location whilst you work on your default location. Use File>Library>Organise Library and check 'Consolidate files', and click 'OK', depending on the size of your library this may take a while to complete. The first step is to consolidate the library to ensure that copies of all media files are stored within the iTunes folder. Backing up your iTunes libraryīefore making any changes to iTunes and your music collection it is always a good idea to back it up first. To upgrade the iTunes library select file>Library>Organise library and check 'Upgrade to iTunes Media organization' and click 'OK', depending on the size of your library this may take a short while to complete. Since iTunes 9 the folder structure has been reorganised to take into account the variety of media stored within iTunes.

Just to complicate things a little further, the organisation of the iTunes folder varies depending on which version of iTunes you are running.įor iTunes 8.2.1 and earlier, music files are kept within Music/iTunes/iTunes Music. your Apple ID, your playlists, ratings and layouts. The iTunes folder also contains a library file which holds all the information personal to you e.g.

On a Windows machine this would be found in Computer>My music>iTunes. On a Mac, this folder would be found in home folder>Music>iTunes. iTunes is a database that links to the media files stored within the iTunes folder. Understanding the iTunes Structureīefore you reorganise the media stored within iTunes it's key to understand how it works. When I do finally get tackle my 100GB collection, I had better get to know some of the tools I'll be using. If you're anything like me, your collection has just got messier as it has grown! I always intend to sit down and tidy it up, but never quite get around to it. Whether you're a Mac or a PC, it's quite likely you have at least some of your music collection stored in iTunes.

Where is my itunes music stored