Guide: Share your iTunes library between Mac OS X and Windows

[loc[a]lhost]

Things Needed:

1. Windows and Mac OS X installed on the same computer.

2. MacDrive installed in Windows.

3. Enough free space on your OS X boot partition to store your iTunes library.

4. Temporarily, enough space on your Windows boot partition to store your iTunes library.

5. This guide assumes you have an iTunes Library is in Windows only. Your Mac OS X iTunes library will be deleted during this guide.

6. Your Windows boot partition must be formatted using NTFS.

 

Limitations:

1. If you start iTunes just after you switched your OS, it will update your library. It could take a couple of minutes if your library is very large.

2. You must let iTunes organize the music folder for you.

 

Instructions:

 

MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR LIBRARY BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!

 

In Mac OS X:

1. Open iTunes.

2. Go to Preferences and then to the Advanced tab.

3. Go to the General tab (inside the Advanced tab) and click Reset.

3. Check the Keep iTunes Music folder organized and the Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library.

4. Reboot to Windows.

 

In Windows:

1. Open iTunes and go to Edit->Preferences (or press Ctrl+,), and go to the Advanced tab.

2. Go to the General tab (inside the Advanced tab) and click Reset.

3. Check the Keep iTunes Music folder organized and the Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library.

4. Click OK, go to Advanced->Consolidate Library. This will copy all the music in your library to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_WINDOWS_USERNAME\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music and change the directory stucture and file names as necessary.

5. IMPORTANT: Close iTunes.

6. Go to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_WINDOWS_USERNAME\My Documents\My Music.

7. Copy the iTunes folder there, and go to X:\Users\YOUR_MAC_USERNAME\Music (X:\ is your OS X boot partition).

8. Delete the iTunes folder found there, and paste the one you copied earlier.

9. Go back to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_WINDOWS_USERNAME\My Documents\My Music.

10. Rename the iTunes folder found there to iTunes2, and create an empty folder called iTunes.

11. Download Junction Link Magic (http://www.rekenwonder.com/linkmagic.htm).

12. Open it, and create a junction point from C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_WINDOWS_USERNAME\My Documents\My Music\iTunes to X:\Users\YOUR_MAC_USERNAME\Music\iTunes.

13. Open iTunes and see that you can still play all your music.

 

That's it, now Mac OS X and Windows share the exact same iTunes library.

You can delete the iTunes2 folder if everything went well.

 

NOTE: Never delete the C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_WINDOWS_USERNAME\My Documents\My Music\iTunes folder before removing the junction point! deleting it will also delete the real folder that it's linked to!

[gigabyte_land]

Thank you very much!

Works like a charm and saved me a lot of disk space.

 

BTW, is there any way to do the same trick with Thurderbird?

[Jason Dax]

In fact, Thunderbird is more easy to share.

 

1- Put your thunderbird profile folder in a shared drive/partition (fat32)

2- in Windows open Thunderbird profile manager, an create an account. Make sure to point this user to the folder you copy in step 1. Open Thunderbird, check everthing is ok.

3- Close Thunderbird, and rename the profile folder to anything you want. (if the folder is named "name" rename it to "name1".

4- in the same folder you have "name1" create another one named "name". (the original name of you folder profile).

5- Boot OSX. Run thunderbird profile manager. Create the same account, an point it to the empty folder you create in step 3. Open the profile, an create one account in it.

6- Close Thunderbird. Delete the empty folder an restore the name to the original one.

7- Enjoy Thunderbird in both OSes!!!

[narsaw]

Limitations:

1. If you start iTunes just after you switched your OS, it will update your library. It could take a couple of minutes if your library is very large.

2. You must let iTunes organize the music folder for you.

!

 

Does this mean if you switch OS's (From OsX86 - > XP, Vice-versa) and wait a while iTunes will NOT try to update your library. Does iTunes have something that runs in the background so when an OS starts it does the 'updating' behind the scenes. I've seen the 'itunsehelper.exe' my XP task manager.I have about 36GB of music and the updating takes quite a while.

[vbetts]

If you have your HDD open on the network, or just the folder that the songs are all in, you can just set itunes to make a playlist out of those songs.

[asstastic]

nice guide, tho it doesn't seem like preserves playlist information. the best solution would be a program that converts between apple and windows itunes library files and edits the file location while it works.

 

if i have time later i'll try making an automator script that will automaticaly scan a folder or set of folders, add new files in it to iTunes and then update all the iTunes playlists from a playlist text file. why apple doesn't just use xml for their default library file is beyond me.

[Swad]

Moved to the Genius Bar.

[Jedisinclair]

another option would be to have a third partition FAT32 and put your tunes there... then you have access to that drive from Mac side or windoze... (You have to go into preferences and uncheck the box that copies tunes into the itunes folder... unless you want them there too... I'm not a big fan of itunes organizing things... I like to do it myself)...

 

 

Running Mac OS X (10.4.6) Jas - dual boot using Darwin boot loader

(after using dilnalomo's dual boot guide - fabulous, btw)

My Hackintosh Specs:

Intel P4 3Ghz (sse3)

Asus P5GV-MX motherboard with Intel i925g chipset

GMA900

1GB of DDR RAM (dual channel)

onboard sound

320GB (75GB MacOsX partition) - SATA hard drive

Lite On DVD Rom and Lite On DVD BURNER

 

Everything works: USB, Video, Sound, SATA, DVD drives... it's all good.

(I have not tried "sound in" but don't generally use it)

[vijmal]

another option would be to have a third partition FAT32 and put your tunes there... then you have access to that drive from Mac side or windoze... (You have to go into preferences and uncheck the box that copies tunes into the itunes folder... unless you want them there too... I'm not a big fan of itunes organizing things... I like to do it myself)...

Running Mac OS X (10.4.6) Jas - dual boot using Darwin boot loader

(after using dilnalomo's dual boot guide - fabulous, btw)

My Hackintosh Specs:

Intel P4 3Ghz (sse3)

Asus P5GV-MX motherboard with Intel i925g chipset

GMA900

1GB of DDR RAM (dual channel)

onboard sound

320GB (75GB MacOsX partition) - SATA hard drive

Lite On DVD Rom and Lite On DVD BURNER

 

Everything works: USB, Video, Sound, SATA, DVD drives... it's all good.

(I have not tried "sound in" but don't generally use it)

 

 

Is there a known guide on how to have a 3 partition iMac

[asstastic]

I'm experimenting with copying over my windows xml library file and creating a symbolic link in OSX between /Volumes/WinDrive and /C:

 

iTunes finds the files no problem. it just takes ages to rebuild the library. next i'll test and see if I can just copy the library file from windows over.

[Joelho]

Here's another approach, without third party applications:

 

hXXp://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20070424081346722

(didn't know if external links were allowed, so I crippled the 'http', copy it to your address bar and, well, I don't have to explain it in a hack forum, do I?)

 

It suggests sharing through a Linux Server, but I'm doing it on a 3rd partition, hfs formatted, since I use macdrive in windows.

 

Cheers!

[weaksauce12]

Here's another approach, without third party applications:

 

hXXp://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20070424081346722

(didn't know if external links were allowed, so I crippled the 'http', copy it to your address bar and, well, I don't have to explain it in a hack forum, do I?)

 

It suggests sharing through a Linux Server, but I'm doing it on a 3rd partition, hfs formatted, since I use macdrive in windows.

 

Cheers!

 

Nice, thanks for the link! I use FreeNAS, a free server operating system, on my file server. I wrote up a guide here:

 

http://www.orionmods.com/blog/?p=5

 

Since it has an AFP server built-in, you can actually use it with Time Machine too! (at least in 10.5.3)

[cheapthirllz]

another option would be to have a third partition FAT32 and put your tunes there... then you have access to that drive from Mac side or windoze... (You have to go into preferences and uncheck the box that copies tunes into the itunes folder... unless you want them there too... I'm not a big fan of itunes organizing things... I like to do it myself)...

 

I am using this approach too very successfully. I have a dual boot system and am able to share the iTunes library file with Vista, XP & OS X. When I first installed iTunes and let it index my library, also without letting it change my preferred directory structure, I did it from the OSX and when I booted to Vista I renamed the iTunes Library file giving it the >.itl< extension and vista was able to open it and make changes and OSX is able use the same file. Too easy, I have come a small hitch though and need some advice, please read on.

 

I have just turned on to iTunes after being introduced the to fantastic cover art flow feature and am only now revising all my meta data and embedding the cover artwork into a few 1000 tracks. Its a big job and requires refreshing the library multiple time to iron out errors and changes I've made. Winamp can refresh the database simply but with iTunes I find it best to just delete the iTunes directory and let it build a new one. Now what is happening lately is that in OSX iTunes stalls a few minutes into the adding folder process and never finishes so I do it with Vista. Surprisingly Vista does it quite quickly, it's the only thing Vista has ever done well for my, not my favourite OS. Now my problem is that iTunes in OSX won't recognise and open the 'ITunes library.itl' file until a 'file type' attribute is changed in it's properties. The only way I have learnt to do this is with a program called 'File Buddy' which is trail ware and can only be used 10 times or one month before needing to buy it. Does anyone know how I can change this attribute of the 'itunes library.itl' file in any other way? I don't want to buy an app that I only use for a tiny little function that I will only need to do very occasionally once I have my library tuned to perfection. If I find an alternative way I will write up a tutorial on the details of what I did because the ones I have read on web about sharing iTunes with Windows & Mac don't have the solution without letting ITunes organise your files.

[InteliMac Pro]

I am successfully sharing iTunes between Leopard and Vista using a FAT32 partition. move your itunes library folder (i copy my entire iTunes folder from OSX) onto the FAT partition. then create aliases of the xml and library files (only one of these is necessary i believe, but if you do both iTunes will replace one) and copy the aliases (in OS X) and the short cuts (in Windows) into your OS's corresponding iTunes folders. Then delete tbe "alias" appendages (it has to be named the same as the original). Do this in both OS's and iTunes should in one OS should reflect all changes made in the other OS. The one thing i've noticed is a lot of beachballs in OS X when adding and deleting files (usually podcasts). If anybody else has done this and notices anything i forgot (it's early morning here) or anything that should be clarified, please do.

 

I also use this method (substituting the users shared folder for the FAT partition) to keep iTunes synced between users in OS X. It's a great solution for saving HDD space too by only needing 1 iTunes library.

[nadnerb]

I am successfully sharing iTunes between Leopard and Vista using a FAT32 partition. move your itunes library folder (i copy my entire iTunes folder from OSX) onto the FAT partition. then create aliases of the xml and library files (only one of these is necessary i believe, but if you do both iTunes will replace one) and copy the aliases (in OS X) and the short cuts (in Windows) into your OS's corresponding iTunes folders. Then delete tbe "alias" appendages (it has to be named the same as the original). Do this in both OS's and iTunes should in one OS should reflect all changes made in the other OS. The one thing i've noticed is a lot of beachballs in OS X when adding and deleting files (usually podcasts). If anybody else has done this and notices anything i forgot (it's early morning here) or anything that should be clarified, please do.

 

I also use this method (substituting the users shared folder for the FAT partition) to keep iTunes synced between users in OS X. It's a great solution for saving HDD space too by only needing 1 iTunes library.

I think that's basically how I had mine setup last time I had Leopard installed.

Everything seemed to work ok, except for the album art.

If I added it in Windows it wouldn't show in OSX.

If I then added it in OSX it wouldn't show in Windows even though I had already added artwork with Windows first time around.

 

Have you got artwork showing correctly in both Win and OSX?

[InteliMac Pro]

I think that's basically how I had mine setup last time I had Leopard installed.

Everything seemed to work ok, except for the album art.

If I added it in Windows it wouldn't show in OSX.

If I then added it in OSX it wouldn't show in Windows even though I had already added artwork with Windows first time around.

 

Have you got artwork showing correctly in both Win and OSX?

 

I don't use vista enough to have noticed, but the artwork folder is kept in the local OS's iTunes folder so i'm sure it isn't. An easy way would be to have a shared partition to transfer files between the OS's, then update the Artwork in your iTunes folder in one OS, copy the Artwork folder to the shared partition, and then copy it (and overwrite) the Artwork folder in the other OS, although i'm not sure if it would update in iTunes on the second OS. It also probably wouldn't work if you updated Artwork in each OS. One would have to be a "master" folder so it always has the most updated artwork. Does that make any sense?

[nadnerb]

I don't use vista enough to have noticed, but the artwork folder is kept in the local OS's iTunes folder so i'm sure it isn't.

In my case, that is not true.

The artwork (and iTunes DB) is stored in the same place in each OS, on an external FAT32 drive.

For example:

i:\iTunes\Album Artwork\etc (for windows)

volumes\external\iTunes\Album Artwork\etc (for OSX)

 

The problem is that the OSX and Windows versions of iTunes seem to use a different track IDing convention.

Although the music databases can be updated to become compatible with that OS it seems the Artwork database structure remains different and cannot be 'fixed'.

After adding artwork to albums in both OS you end up with an artwork folder twice the size as it now contains duplicate artwork for every album, they're just named differently.

 

Considering Apple sell their computers stating that they can run both OSX and Windows I'm sure there are lots of genuine users (as opposed to us hackingtoshers) who would want OSX and Win to both read/write the same iTunes database. It seems crazy that Apple haven't implemented a solution to this problem.

[queglay]

perhaps if we keep both versions of itunes up to date on windows and osx it might help, but your right, im sure they must be onto it.

 

personally im keeping my itunes folder on a ntfs partition and using paragon ntfs 6.5 in osx. it should all work ok. has anyone had any problems sing paragon ntfs before?

[3Dman]

Thanks a lot this is very useful for me .

saved time and doubled space

[queglay]

well my method using an alias to the windows path and using paragon ntfs works but itunes can't save the library when im in osx. i wonder why that might be? i can get all my tracks and artwork up and running though.

[WestHej]

Hey

 

this is exactly the thread I've been looking for however I'm still having some problems. Here's my setup:

 

MBP: OS X Leopard 10.5.4 & Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 32-bit via bootcamp.

 

My iTunes library (including all the music, album artwork and library files which are rranged and copied to by iTunes) is located on an NTFS formatted external hard drive. Windows has MacDrive and OS X has NTFS for Mac 6.5.

 

Everything works fine in Windows iTunes. artwork and all. However when I try and select the library folder in OS X it creates a blank library i.e. it's not reading the iTunes library.itl and just starts its own iTUnes library in that same folder.

 

I can solve this by removing the .itl extension but it takes 2 minutes to update/rebuild the library again. When I do this all aspects of iTunes (including artwork) works fine. Obviously this isn't ideal and when I switch back to windows I have to do the same (add the .itl extension back).

 

I've tried aliasing in Mac OS X but it just says the alias fle is corrupted and creates a new library thgouh I suspect I'm doing this wrong (please clarify!).

 

I'm going to attempt using junctioning like in the original tutorial. In the mean time if you guys have any ideas how to get it working properly would be a great help! Thanks!

[WestHej]

No luck, using a symbolic link to the OS X version of the iTunes library and renaming the link iTunes Library.itl still causes iTunes in windows to recreate the library .

 

I've also noticed that the mac OS X library file and Windows library file are diferent sizes (5 MB difference!!! OS X version ebing the bigger one). Surely this means that the iTunes library files are not fully compatible hence have to be rebuilt everytime. This occurs when I rebuild from both the OS X side and the Windows side.

 

I'm still intrested in how you did this shortcut thing. Could you explain exactly how you guys did it? Thanks!!

[queglay]

ok i think im going well here now, both os's are using the same library without any trouble i think. i have my documents in xp on a seperate drive to my os. this is where my itunes library is stored always. you can change the location of mydocuments by right clicking on it and clicking properties. in osx (im running the same version of itunes on both systems, very important) i option click on itunes and it comes up with an option to select my itunes library file. i point it to the right .itl file and it build library and it works ok so far. art work is working too!

[WestHej]

Hmm I'm not sure they are using the same library file. In my iTunes folder there is iTunes Library, Itunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml. I checked that the play counts are the same after playing a song in each OS but they remain different.

 

There's also the issue of the 2 files being different sizes.

[WestHej]

Update with iTunes 8.

 

It seems that with iTunes 8, my library files can be read by both OS X and windows iTunes versions. However whenever I switch between them, they have to update the library. They also change the file sizes of each library on doing so and have different xml files OS X being iTunes library.itl.xml and Windows with iTunes library.xml .

 

Has anybody got it working so it doesn't upate the library everytime? Any ideas how to?