Finding and using existing libraries

If you have accidentally removed or lost track of one of your iTunes libraries, you can use the "Find Libraries" command in the File menu.

PowerTunes will use Spotlight to search your computer for any stray iTunes libraries that are not in your PowerTunes library list. PowerTunes will display any libraries it finds in the Find Libraries sheet, with a couple exceptions:

• Libraries that are already in your PowerTunes library list will not be displayed
• Older copies of an iTunes library backed up by Time Machine will not be displayed. You will need to restore such a library using Time Machine first before you can add it back into PowerTunes

Once PowerTunes has found all the library files that it can, you can use the Add Library button to immediately add a library to your PowerTunes library list. The library file will be left in its current folder on the hard drive, and PowerTunes will refer to it directly there. If you want to use the library, but store in in a different location, you will need to manually move it to where you want it. You can also use the Move to Trash to delete the library file if you don't need it anymore.

You will probably see a fair number of libraries with names that look like "iTunes Library 2008-02-15". Whenever you upgrade iTunes, iTunes makes a backup copy of your library file and gives it a name like this, with the date corresponding to the date the backup copy was created. These can be helpful if you experience a problem after an iTunes upgrade, since it lets you revert to a previous version of your library from before the upgrade. However, you may want to make a copy of this backup library file before using it, to make sure you still have a spare copy in case something goes wrong again.