Video:Manage Your iTunes Library

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Transcript:Manage Your iTunes Library

Hi. I am Don Schechter for About.com Computing.

Today I am going to show you how to manage your music and video files iTunes.

Where Are iTunes Library Music and Video Files?

All the songs you've imported from CDs, videos, and podcasts are stored in the iTunes Music folder.

To see the default folder, go to Edit on a PC or go to the iTunes drop down-menu on a Mac and in both cases click on Preferences.

Click Advanced then click General. You can see your iTunes music folder location here.

Move iTunes Library Music or Video Files

If you'd like to change the folder, click change and make a new location.

Consolidate iTunes Library Music or Video Files

Depending on how you ve imported items into iTunes, your library can include files that are located in other places than the iTunes music folder

To bring all your files together you can copy all the files in your library to your iTunes Music folder with a few clicks. Go to Advanced, then select Consolidate Library. Click OK.

Music or Video Files from CD iTunes Library

When you import a song from a CD, or download a podcast, the file is automatically stored in your iTunes Music folder.

Music or Video Files from Drive iTunes Library

However, if you add a file to your library from, let's say an external hard drive, the file you see in your library is simply a reference or pointer to the item, NOT the item itself.

Manage iTunes Music and Video Library Imports

You can enable iTunes to automatically copy your added files to your iTunes library.

Go to Edit on a PC or go to the iTunes drop down-menu on a Mac and in both cases click on Preferences, Click Advanced, then click General. Select Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library.

The next time you add an item to your library, iTunes places a copy of the file in your iTunes Music folder; the original file remains in its current location. This is a good idea if you are thinking about transferring your library to another computer.

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