How To Back Up Your iTunes Library

  • February 8, 2008
  • 15,513 Views
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You’ve spent months, years, decades updating your music collection from vinyl to 8-track, from 8-track to cassette, from cassette to CD, from CD to this new-fangled digital format.

Don’t let all that hard work disappear with one fried circuit—back it up.

You Will Need

  • An iTunes library
  • And recordable CDs or DVDs
How To Back Up Your iTunes Library: Open iTunes

Step 1: Open iTunes

Open your iTunes.

How To Back Up Your iTunes Library: Choose "Back up to disc"

Step 2: Choose "Back up to disc"

Under File, choose the option “Back up to disc.”

How To Back Up Your iTunes Library: Choose back up option

Step 3: Choose back up option

Choose one of the three options given: “Back up entire iTunes library,” “Back up only iTunes store purchases,” and “Only back up items added or changed since last backup.”

How To Back Up Your iTunes Library: Insert disc

Step 4: Insert disc

When prompted to do so, insert a blank CD or DVD to begin the process.

How To Back Up Your iTunes Library: Insert new discs

Step 5: Insert new discs

Wait for the disc to finish burning and continue inserting new discs as prompted until your entire library is burned.

It will take some time for each disc to burn, so don’t eject it until the computer tells you it’s finished.

How To Back Up Your iTunes Library: Store discs

Step 6: Store discs

Store the completed discs. Remember, they cannot be played; they are for restorative purposes only.

More than a million iTunes are downloaded every day.

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Comments (9)

aifans007

This is a guide shows How to backup you itunes library and transfer iTunes Library to Another Computer. http://dvd-video-soft.com/dvdvideoguide/how-to-transfer-itunes-library-to-another-computer.html

over 2 years ago by aifans007

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Thompa

Hi there, I backed up my 80 gB iPod, had a crash which necessitated a reboot and couldn't restore from the backup because the software reported that my iPod had somehow changed the size of its disk! That made the 5 disks pretty useless. Haven't tried since. Use a different method from my compute not using iTunes.... and the original tracks... much more secure.

over 3 years ago by Thompa

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Jimphson

This is a clever way. Hello, as long as your songs are still on your iPod, you can get them onto your computer and iTunes easily. The most convenient and secure way is to use an iPod-to-computer transfer program to help you, like this handy one called Tansee iPod Transfer http://www.gutensoft.com/Utilities/Tansee-iPod-Transfer.htm Many of my friends are using it for its easy and safe transfer

6 months ago by Jimphson

Reply
brainiac

Ouch. Maybe we need a video for how to back up an iPod in addition to just the iTunes Library.

over 3 years ago by brainiac

Reply
RoDoWoBo

Okay; see if you can help me with THIS: I followed these steps exactly (I even set the advanced preferences to Maximum Allowable Speed so it would read/use any speed of VD-R, and set the preference to Data Discs as well), and it worked just fine... at first. Mt 160g library is going to take something like 40 DVD-Rs... luckily, I had a bunch of them! And it worked fine for the first 20 DVD-Rs (which were 4.7GB 4X), BUT it would NOT work with the next package of DVD-Rs, which were 4.7gb 2X! It just kept spitting them out in seconds, telling me to insert another disc instead. So I went out and bought 50 brand new DVD-Rs (they were 4.7gb 8X) and it spit THEM out, too! What gives? additionally, now that I am roughly halfway through the back-up, even if I got it working again, will it just start all over again? Help! RDWB

over 3 years ago by RoDoWoBo

Reply
iPodGuru

Hi Brainiac, If you wish to back up an iPod and not just iTunes, give a try to CopyTrans.

over 3 years ago by iPodGuru

Reply
smileflower

There is a step by step guide remove the DRM protection and to burn DRM protected iTunes videos/movies/TV shows to DVD playable on home DVD player and enjoy on the widescreen TV. What you need to do are just two steps: 1. Remove DRM protect from purchased iTunes video/movie/TV show to unprotected video.2. Burn the non-protected video to DVD. http://www.dvdtoitunes.net/itunes-to-dvd.html

over 2 years ago by smileflower

Reply
michaelll

hey dont worry to backup and restore all of your iPod/iPhone/iTouch content; including your favorite songs, videos, photos, playlists and more. I notice only Cucusoft iPhone/iTouch/iPod to Computer Transfer can do us this favor. Here i am sharing it with you and hope it will give you a fresh air. For free download, go to: http://www.ipod-copy-transfer.com/ipod-iphone-to-computer-transfer-cucusoft.html more resources to share: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGkwvRkQxLgHIAOIxXNyoA?p=site%3Awww.ipod-copy-transfer.com%2Fipod-iphone-to-computer-transfer-cucusoft.html&;fr2=sb-top&;fr=siteexplorer&;sao=1

over 2 years ago by michaelll

Reply
Billman

Use iPod Copy or iPod Backup Software. One of the easiest ways to transfer iTunes library is by use software to copy the contents of your iPod to a computer. It helps you a lot to transfer itunes library to a new computer/laptop,transfer itunes library form mac to pc,transfer itunes library form pc to mac, etc.. There are a number of these iPod copy or iPod to computer transfer programs. Please refer to this howcast step by step guide: http://www.howcast.com/videos/335754-How-To-Transfer-iTunes-Move-iTunes-Library-To-a-New-Computer

over 2 years ago by Billman

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