iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X 10.6, Windows, iTunes, iTunes Store, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000
Symptoms
Follow steps in this article if you are missing music or other media that you expected to appear in iTunes. You may see an exclamation point to the left of items in your iTunes library, or they may not appear at all. Exclamation points appear when iTunes is unable to locate the media file, or if a purchased item hasn't completed downloading.
Resolution
Follow the steps below to locate your missing iTunes media.
- Resume any interrupted downloads
- Check your iTunes media folder
- Open Finder.
- From the Side Bar click on your Home folder. (the folder named after your user account).
- Go to Music > iTunes > iTunes Media.
- Open the corresponding folder for the file type you are looking for.
- The contents of the folder will be listed in alphabetical order. Depending on the folder, the files will be sorted by artist, author, or title.
- If you weren't able to locate your lost media in the iTunes Media folder, you can check your preferences in iTunes to see if your media is located in another location. To do this, see Where is my iTunes media located?
- Open Windows Explorer from the Start Menu.
- From the left-hand column click Music located under Favorite Links.
- In main window to the right, double-click iTunes.
- Then double-click iTunes Media.
- Double-click the corresponding folder for the file type you are looking for.
- The contents of the folder will be listed in alphabetical order. Depending on the folder, the files will be sorted by artist, author, or title.
- If you weren't able to locate your lost media in the iTunes Media folder, you can check your preferences in iTunes to see if your media is located in another location. To do this, see Where is my iTunes media located?
- Open Windows Explorer from the Start Menu.
- From the left-hand column double-click My Music.
- In the main window to the right, double-click iTunes.
- Then double-click iTunes Media.
- Double-click the corresponding folder for the file type you are looking for.
- The contents of the folder will be listed in alphabetical order. Depending on the folder, the files will be sorted by artist, author, or title.
- If you weren't able to locate your lost media in the iTunes Media folder, you can check your preferences in iTunes to see if your media is located in another location. To do this, see Where is my iTunes media located?
- Check your Trash/Recycle Bin
- Mac OS X: Control + click (or right-click) on the item and choose Put Back.
- Windows 7 and Windows Vista: Right-click on the item and choose Restore.
- Windows XP: Right-click on the item and choose Restore.
Choose Store > Check for Available Downloads from the iTunes menu. Click Resume if any downloads are listed as unfinished. For more information see How to resume interrupted iTunes Store downloads.
For Mac OS X
Note: You may need to go to Music > iTunes > iTunes Music if the iTunes Media folder is empty.
For Windows 7 and Windows Vista
Note: You may need to double-click on the iTunes Music folder if the iTunes Media folder is empty.
For Windows XP
Note: You may need to double-click on the iTunes Music folder if the iTunes Media folder is empty.
Check the Trash (Mac) or the Recycle Bin (Windows). If you're able to find any of your missing items, you can re-add them back to your iTunes library.
If after restoring the item from the trash your media doesn't reappear in your iTunes library. You will need to locate the restored file in your iTunes Media folder and drag the item into your iTunes library window.
Still can't find your media?
- If the missing media is on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, (and you purchased the media from the iTunes store), you can transfer them back to your computer using iTunes.
- If the missing media is on another computer, you can transfer your iTunes media between your authorized computers on your local network using the Home Sharing feature in iTunes.
- If the missing media is an app, a song, an album, a music video, or a book, you may be able to download it again free of charge.
If you're still unable to locate your missing media, you may need to restore from a backup if possible. Instructions on how to restore from a backup can be found in the following articles:
- iTunes: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive (Use steps in this article only if you backed up to an external drive. If not, use the next article.)
- How to back up your media in iTunes
If a backup is not available, your media may be lost, and you may need to purchase replacements.
Best Practices to avoid losing your media
The best way to avoid losing your media is to make regular backups of your media files. For instructions on how to create a backup including subsequent incremental backups see How to back up your media in iTunes.
You can also change the default iTunes Media location in the Advanced tab of iTunes Preferences. You can also change the preferences to have iTunes copy files to the iTunes Media folder when adding them to your library:
If you've changed either of these preferences, you may need to edit the iTunes Media folder location, or re-enable the option to "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library." You would need to do this before adding your missing files back into iTunes if you want your media files to return to their original location, in the iTunes Media folder.
Additional Information
Software not manufactured by Apple may potentially damage your iTunes library on Windows. iTunes may create a new empty iTunes library if this happens. If your iTunes library appears to be empty and you didn't misplace or delete the files, see iTunes creates an empty library file in Windows.
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