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Why can't I add to iTunes library on a mid-2011 Mac mini from external hard drives?
1 Seagate @1Terabyte and 1 Seagate @2Terabytes
When I "Add To Library" and choose the music folders on the Seagates,
it looks good for about 30 seconds and then the "Processing" progress
window just goes away and nothing is added.
Are the drives just too big? I wouldn't think so.
Help, please.
Mac mini, macOS 10.13
Hello,
Is the amount of music data on the external drives more than your Mac's available storage? If so, the import settings could be the cause.
Change where your iTunes files are stored on Mac - Apple Support
"Add files to your library without adding them to your iTunes folder
When you add an item already on your computer to your iTunes library, iTunes places a copy of the file in your iTunes folder. The original file remains in its current location.
You can change this setting so that files are added to your iTunes library without being added to the iTunes folder. You might want to do this, for example, if you prefer to store video files on an external disk but still want to view them in iTunes.
on your Mac, choose iTunes > Preferences, then click Advanced.From now on, when you drag a file to your library or choose File > Add to Library, the item appears in iTunes, but the actual file isn’t copied or moved.
Tip: You can temporarily reverse this setting by holding down the Option key while you drag files to the iTunes window."
I hope this helps.
Hello,
Is the amount of music data on the external drives more than your Mac's available storage? If so, the import settings could be the cause.
Change where your iTunes files are stored on Mac - Apple Support
"Add files to your library without adding them to your iTunes folder
When you add an item already on your computer to your iTunes library, iTunes places a copy of the file in your iTunes folder. The original file remains in its current location.
You can change this setting so that files are added to your iTunes library without being added to the iTunes folder. You might want to do this, for example, if you prefer to store video files on an external disk but still want to view them in iTunes.
on your Mac, choose iTunes > Preferences, then click Advanced.From now on, when you drag a file to your library or choose File > Add to Library, the item appears in iTunes, but the actual file isn’t copied or moved.
Tip: You can temporarily reverse this setting by holding down the Option key while you drag files to the iTunes window."
I hope this helps.
Hmm,
The only other thing I can think of would be the library song limits. I don't know if this applies to an iTunes Library, like it does for an iCloud Music Library, but they can be combined, depending on which features you use.
Use iCloud Music Library on Mac - Apple Support
"In your iCloud Music Library, you can store:
Use iTunes and iCloud together on Mac - Apple Support
Maybe try creating a secondary library to see if that effects the ability to import the songs.
Use multiple iTunes libraries on Mac - Apple Support
"Use multiple iTunes libraries on Mac
You can have more than one iTunes library. For example, you could have a library of holiday music that wouldn’t appear in iTunes the rest of the year. Or you could keep your music in a library on your computer and your movies in a library on an external storage device."
See Repair security permissions for iTunes for Mac - Apple Community. Perhaps there is permissions issue?
What are your settings for Keep... & Copy... under iTunes > Preferences > Advanced?
What is the setting for the media folder?
tt2
Thanks so much for your response, Scott-he-him.
Your advise is not unknown to me and my intention was to leave the files on the 2 drives(they are both packed) and add to library in the very way you describe. My 500 G external drive, from an old '06 MacBook Pro, worked without a hitch while these 2 bigger drives seem to start out fine and then lose their "grip" after about 30 seconds and the dialog box disappears and nothing is added to the library. Any other ideas?
TIA
Why can't I add to iTunes library from external hard drives?
