At times you might update to the latest version of iTunes but find that it has more problems than you expected and then decide to roll back to the previous version. Now the sinking feeling comes when you try to open iTunes only to find an error indicating that iTunes Library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes which prevents iTunes from launching. This issue brings the need to restore a previous version of your iTunes library to fix the problem and access your media once again. Here is what to do.
Method 1: Restore from the Previous iTunes Library Folder. During every update, iTunes modifies its library to make it compatible with the newer version. The good news is, before doing any major changes iTunes works hard and creates a backup of your library in “Previous iTunes Libraries” subfolder. Aug 16, 2015 Here is what I do when restoring iTunes library from backup: 1.Quit iTunes. 2.Copy your iTunes folder from your external hard drive to whatever location you desire on your internal hard drive. 3.Open iTunes while holding down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (Windows). 4.In the resulting dialog, click the Choose Library button.
During every update, iTunes modifies its library to make it compatible with the newer version. The good news is, before doing any major changes iTunes works hard and creates a backup of your library in “Previous iTunes Libraries” subfolder. You can then use these backups to revert to any previous version of iTunes library you wish. To do so follow the following steps:
Step 1: Go to the iTunes library folder.
- For Mac OS X: go to Users > Username > Music >iTunes
- For Windows 10/8/7/Vista: go to C:/Users > User Name >My Music > iTunes
- For Windows XP: Documents and Settings > User Name > My Documents > My Music > iTunes
Step 2: Locate the “iTunes Library.itl” and then move it to the desktop. Instead of moving it to the desktop you can also choose to rename it to something like “Damaged iTunes Library.itl”.
How to un hide library on mac. Step 3: In the iTunes folder locate a subfolder “Previous iTunes Libraries” and open it.
Step 4: There you will find all the versions of iTunes libraries that have ever been backed up with their dates “iTunes Library YYYY-MM-DD.itl.” Find the most recent file and copy it then move back to the iTunes folder and paste it there.
Step 5: Rename the newly copied file to iTunes Library.itl.
Once you do that, you will have restored a previous version of your iTunes Library, and now iTunes now should launch without any issues. If it does not work still, repeat the process with the other previous libraries until you find one that works.
Rebuilding your iTunes library from an older one manually, despite being effective way, has some few flaws. Any changes that you had updated after the library was created might be missing entirely. Now how do you avoid this? Well, iMyFone TunesMate iPhone Transfer. It is a third-party iTunes library management tool that is highly spoken of by users and well-known media. You can use to get back your damaged/missing iTunes library ensuring no loss of data, backup media files from any device to your iTunes library, restore your previous iTunes library with the backup on any device and at any time.
Key Features:
Step 1: Launch TunesMate on your computer and plug in your iDevice via a USB cable.
Step 2: From the home interface click “Transfer iDevice Media to iTunes”, select the entire library to retransfer it back to iTunes and then click “Transfer” button to start the process.
Step 3: Once the process finishes click “Complete.” Once done this will effectively restore a previous version of your iTunes Library.
How to open photo library on mac different users windows 10. Apr 22, 2015 When you first set up Photos for Mac, it asks you to choose a library. This becomes your default library, or the System Photo Library in Apple's parlance. You might logically conclude that Photos always opens the System Photo Library unless otherwise instructed, but the app instead opens the Last Opened library. Apr 01, 2020 Follow these steps to designate a System Photo Library: Quit Photos. Hold down the Option key and open Photos. One of the photo libraries is already designated as YourLibraryName (System Photo Library). Choose the library you want to designate as the System Photo Library. After Photos opens the.
Step 1: Launch TunesMate on your computer and plug in your iDevice via a USB cable.
Step 2: From the home interface click “Transfer iTunes Media to iDevice”, select the entire library then click “Transfer” button to start the process.
Step 3: On the top bar tap on the “Music” tab to go to the music window. You will find all your previous data is on your iPhone now.
Step 4: Tap “Export > Export to iTunes” to retransfer your previous data to iTunes which will restore your iTunes library.