Rebuilding the Loop Index in GarageBand 6 or earlier

In certain situations the Loop Index may become unusable and need to be rebuilt.

If this happens, you may see these symptoms:

• A "No Apple Loops Found" message appears when you open the Loop Browser.

• Loop Browser buttons are dimmed, and no loops appear in the Browser.

• There are other issues involving the Apple Loops.

To rebuild the index files, follow these steps:

1. Log in with an administrator account.

2. If GarageBand is open, quit it.

3. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.

4. From the Go menu, choose Go to Folder.

5. Type directory location: see this article.

6. Click Go.

7. Drag all "Search Index" files from the Apple Loops Index folder to the Trash. (These files will be rebuilt later.)

8. Open GarageBand.

9. Click the Loop Browser button. You may see the "No Apple Loops Found" message.

10. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.

11. From the Go menu, choose Go to Folder.

12. Type the directory location: see this article.

13. Click Go.

14. Locate the Apple Loops folder and drag it from the Finder into the Loop Browser in GarageBand.

15. Be sure to repeat steps 11-14, checking all the possible locations for loops, as described in this article.

The last step will reindex the Apple Loops folder. If you have installed the GarageBand Jam Pack, repeat the last step for the Apple Loops for GarageBand Jam Pack folder.