Pem’s Tech Blog

Consolidate your iTunes library

Edit -> Preferences -> iTunes Media folder location –> [folder]\iTunes_Media
* check Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library
* check Keep iTunes Media folder organized

File -> Library -> Organize Library, check Consolidate files, OK
=> consolidates your files into [folder]\iTunes_Media, can take seconds or hours depending on how many files it has to copy
=> when it’s done, you can delete the original files

iTunes Database files will still remain here, including (for Windows 7): C:\Users\[you]\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl

This was the way to go when upgrading from (iTunes 8 to iTunes 9), since it used to be “iTunes Music” centric organizing, but now it’s “iTunes Media” (more generic). Or when moving to a new computer. Or when moving the location of your iTunes library. Let iTunes organize the files for you, and consolidate them.

Here’s a really long tutorial for this with iTunes 9, posted 2009/09/21 (for moving your files to a new location, or to a new computer): http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to-a-new-hard-drive