Can I transfer playlists from an iphone/ipod to my Mac?

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
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I cannot figure out how to do it without buying an app. Since I only will need to do it once, I rather find a free option.

MotionMan
 

TheBiggmann

Senior member
Aug 9, 2006
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0
Depending on how many songs, senuti will work. Otherwise if you just want the playlists to be the same and don't actually want to copy music to your computer, i've been trying to do that for like a year and haven't figured it out.
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
Originally posted by: TheBiggmann
Depending on how many songs, senuti will work. Otherwise if you just want the playlists to be the same and don't actually want to copy music to your computer, i've been trying to do that for like a year and haven't figured it out.

I am just looking fort he playlists.

Google has been no help, either.

I guess it is impossible, which is funny because it is very easy to move the music.

MotionMan
 

sjwaste

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2000
8,757
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81
My dad was asking me the same question, since I moved his music onto his laptop. The only solution was to export each to a txt file and reimport it.
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
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91
Why aren't the playlists syncing back to iTunes?

Next question is, do you just want the songlist, or do you want the playlist plus contents?

I still am not sure of the solution, but I might be able to track something down when I get home.
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
Originally posted by: TheStu
Why aren't the playlists syncing back to iTunes?

I got a new computer. I copied everything having anything to do with iTunes to the NAS, I started the new computer and imported everything. NO joy on the playlists. I searched online and found no solution.

Next question is, do you just want the songlist, or do you want the playlist plus contents?

I still am not sure of the solution, but I might be able to track something down when I get home.

I already have all the music. I just want the playlists.

Thanks.

MotionMan
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
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Are the playlists still accessible from one of the other systems on your network? If yes, then you can export them from there.

If no... I am not entirely sure what to do here. I have no experience with running the library off a NAS, so I am not sure how much will still be stored locally (I would hope that the library.xml file would be one of those things).

What I do anytime I reformat, or transfer my library to a new system is to actually run iTunes once (or however many times it takes to update it) with no library, quit iTunes and then copy the stuff over.

How exactly did you set up the library? Just point it to the NAS or did you drag and drop the files?
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
Originally posted by: TheStu
Are the playlists still accessible from one of the other systems on your network? If yes, then you can export them from there.

If no... I am not entirely sure what to do here. I have no experience with running the library off a NAS, so I am not sure how much will still be stored locally (I would hope that the library.xml file would be one of those things).

What I do anytime I reformat, or transfer my library to a new system is to actually run iTunes once (or however many times it takes to update it) with no library, quit iTunes and then copy the stuff over.

How exactly did you set up the library? Just point it to the NAS or did you drag and drop the files?

On the old machine (Windows), iTunes was pointing to the NAS.

When I got the new machine (Mac), I copied everything form the old machine that seemed to be iTunes related into a folder with the other iTunes stuff on the NAS. Then I imported from the NAS folders to iTunes on the new machine.

I seemed to get everything EXCEPT the playlists.

MotionMan
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
That's it then. I don't think that playlists go with an import... I also am not sure, but I think that play counts and ratings get left behind as well.

Since it was going from Windows to OS X, I am not sure about this. If it was Mac to Mac I would say just copy the old iTunes library.xml file over from the NAS and drop it onto your new mac since the file paths would be the same.

The playlists are inside the XML file, but the way they are handled is annoying and will take you forever to reconstruct. If you still have the Windows machine, i really think you should just export the playlists directly and put them on your mac.
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
Originally posted by: TheStu
That's it then. I don't think that playlists go with an import... I also am not sure, but I think that play counts and ratings get left behind as well.

Since it was going from Windows to OS X, I am not sure about this. If it was Mac to Mac I would say just copy the old iTunes library.xml file over from the NAS and drop it onto your new mac since the file paths would be the same.

The playlists are inside the XML file, but the way they are handled is annoying and will take you forever to reconstruct. If you still have the Windows machine, i really think you should just export the playlists directly and put them on your mac.

How do you export playlists?

MotionMan
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
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Select the playlist in the sidebar, then File -> Library -> Export Playlist...
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
Originally posted by: TheStu
Select the playlist in the sidebar, then File -> Library -> Export Playlist...

OK, I reinstalled some stuff on the PC, exported the playlists, copied them to my Mac, and imported them into iTunes.

All is well.

Thanks!!!

MotionMan