Level 1 (8 points)

How to open old Music library and preserve metadata on new Mac?

how to open old music library from outdated mac desktop onto a brand new mac desktop

i had a 2011 mac desktop and have all my music and library stored on an external hard drive. i have a brand new mac desktop with an M6 chip and i’m now learning .itl files dont open on this computer when you option-click to open it on here.

how do i get the music application to open my music library on my external hard drive while keeping all of my meta data such as plays, skips, playlists, etc.

i just want my old music library to open on this new computer exactly as it used to. thank you!

Posted on Nov 8, 2026 7:18 PM

6 replies

sooperfresh

Level 2 (377 points)

Nov 9, 2026 8:11 PM in response to blondest

Error 7002 is Music refusing a library file that old: it only converts libraries last saved by iTunes 12, so a 2011 one has to pass through iTunes 12 on a Mac running Mojave or earlier first, and that is the only route that keeps plays and skips. Without that Mac, look in the old iTunes folder for iTunes Music Library.xml and use File > Library > Import Playlist in Music: you get your tracks and playlists back, but not the counts. Once it's rebuilt, Katalog is an app that runs alongside the Music app and keeps its own copy of your ratings, play counts and playlists, so the next move doesn't cost you them again (I made it).

Limnos

Level 10 (462,771 points)

Nov 8, 2026 7:34 PM in response to blondest

I am in the same predicament as you. Modern Music app won't open my old iTunes library (I jumped from High Sierra to Sequoia). The media will play, of course, but I have to add them to a blank library and rebuild all my playlists. There was probably a transitional period when that worked but Apple may have decided that anybody wanting to do it would have done it years ago since you always run the newest macOS on the newest hardware, don't you? :-/

If you still have your old computer you can try exporting the playlists and then importing them in the Music app. Unfortunately Apple has removed the instructions for doing this on old computers but perhaps it hasn't changed much from what you can find here https://support.apple.com/guide/music/save-a-copy-of-your-playlists-mus27cd5060f/mac

blondest Author

Level 1 (8 points)

Nov 10, 2026 8:46 AM in response to sooperfresh

hello again! so i did use another mac as the middle man in this process. it created a music library on my external hard drive and contained all my metadata! success! thank you for the tip!

but now when i have a new issue. i choose that new file on my new mac desktop when i option-click. it opens but none of of the music shows up in the library. i’m not sure what’s going on here. please help. thank you in advance.

blondest Author

Level 1 (8 points)

Nov 8, 2026 7:41 PM in response to Limnos

hahaha thanks for the response. to be honest i’m 10x more worried about my “plays” “skips” metadata more than playlists. i love those stats! i wanna carry them over so badly.

blondest Author

Level 1 (8 points)

Nov 9, 2026 3:51 AM in response to blondest

whenever i try to option-click my .itl file i get this message: An error occurred reading the library (7002).

blondest Author

Level 1 (8 points)

Nov 10, 2026 2:39 AM in response to sooperfresh

the itunes on my 2011 computer is itunes 12.8.3.1 and the OS on it is High Sierra 10.13.6.

is there a way i can convert it on this 2011 computer i have? thank you

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256391107