iLoungeiLounge
  • News
    • Apple
      • AirPods Pro
      • AirPlay
      • Apps
        • Apple Music
      • iCloud
      • iTunes
      • HealthKit
      • HomeKit
      • HomePod
      • iOS 13
      • Apple Pay
      • Apple TV
      • Siri
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
      • CES
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Font ResizerAa
iLoungeiLounge
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
    • Apple
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Follow US

How-to › Ask iLounge

Ask iLoungeiTunes

Recreating a lost iTunes library from existing media content

Last updated: May 16, 2021 4:20 pm UTC
By Jesse Hollington
Recreating a lost iTunes library from existing media content

Q: I have a question about rebuilding an iTunes library from an external hard drive when you have the library content but not the data. I have read your article on Recovering iTunes from an External Hard Drive which was very helpful. I have my library stored on an external hard drive but when my old laptop died I was unable to get the database from it to set up my library on my new computer. I understand that I can rebuild it from the files I have but what I am worried about is what effect this will have on my iPod and iPhone? You say in the article you will need to “reconfigure your iPod and iOS device sync settings again.” What does this mean? Will I lose any data from my devices? I should say that I do not automatically sync my iPod. Can you please clarify exactly what the implications of rebuilding my library will be? Thanks for your help.

Advertisements

Recreating a lost iTunes library from existing media content

– Louise

A: If you have lost your library database but still have your actual media content on an external hard drive, then what you are essentially doing is creating an entirely new iTunes library from scratch and importing your media content into that new library. In most cases this will result in all of your media content being basically back in place, but you will lose information such as playlists, ratings, and played status as this information is only stored in the iTunes library database file.

Advertisements

In most cases track information such as title, artist, album, genre, and so forth is stored within the actual media files, so that information will be read in when importing your media content into the new iTunes library and used to identify your tracks.

In terms of iPod and iOS device synchronization, the impact depends primarily on whether you have been using automatic or manual synchronization.  If you’ve been syncing manually, you basically have nothing to worry about as iTunes treats your iPod or iOS device as its own separate library, and you can continue to connect it to your new iTunes library, manage the content from iTunes, and drag-and-drop new content to it in the same manner as before. Keep in mind, however, that even in “manual” mode, some types of content such as podcasts, ringtones, iOS apps, and calendar/contact entries are still synchronized automatically.

Advertisements

On the other hand, if you’re using automatic synchronization for your media content, you will be prompted when you connect your device to the new iTunes library to “Erase and Sync” your device with the new library.

From here you can simply choose the “Cancel” option to leave your iPod or iPhone alone and then adjust your sync settings, such as changing to manual mode or choosing which specific media content you want to sync with your device.

Note that despite the implication of “Erase and Sync” button, iTunes doesn’t actually remove content from your device, but rather matches it up to what is in your library. The effect is the same as an “erase and sync” but the process is generally much faster as iTunes doesn’t bother removing and recopying content that’s already in both places.

Therefore, in most cases, connecting to a new library that already has all of your content in it won’t really remove any of your media content from your device, however since your new library won’t include any of the playlists from your old library, you probably want to avoid this process so as to retain the playlists on your device(s).

Advertisements

Latest News
M3 iPad Air
The 11-inch M3 iPad Air 256GB Wi-Fi is $70 Off
1 Min Read
iOS 19
iOS 19 to have AI-Powered battery management feature
1 Min Read
Apple TV+
‘Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars’ to arrive on Apple TV+
1 Min Read
Mac to School
New ‘Mac to School’ Video ads surface online
1 Min Read
M4 MacBook Air
The 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 256GB is $150 Off
1 Min Read
Folding iPad and Touchscreen Mac
Folding iPad and Touchscreen Mac might debut before 2030
1 Min Read
Fortnite
‘Fortnite’ App submitted again for review to the App Store
1 Min Read
Apple
Apple reportedly skirting around tariff with Brazil facility
1 Min Read
AirPods 4
The AirPods 4 is $30 Off
1 Min Read
Apple Smart Glasses
Apple smart glasses might debut late 2026
1 Min Read
Total War: Rome II
New ‘Total War: Rome II’ arrives on macOS
1 Min Read
Netflix
Netflix to add AI to user search
1 Min Read

iLounge logo

iLounge is an independent resource for all things iPod, iPhone, iPad, and beyond. iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

This website is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
iLounge © 2001 - 2025. All Rights Reserved.
  • Contact Us
  • Submit News
  • About Us
  • Forums
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?