High 3 strategies to again up iTunes to an exterior exhausting drive safely

Only a pleasant reminder: Ensure you again up your recordsdata after which again them up once more! Severely, you’ll be able to by no means be too protected.

Based on IT Governance, roughly 21% of customers have by no means created a backup folder, which implies dropping your iTunes backup location falls inside that statistic. If you wish to keep away from being a part of that share, learn on to discover ways to again up iTunes to an exterior drive.

What’s iTunes?

iTunes is a media participant and library app that was once utilized for organizing, buying, and managing digital media, together with music, motion pictures, and apps. In 2019, after the macOS Catalina launch, Apple discontinued iTunes and changed it with Apple Music, Apple TV, and Podcasts.

So, with out iTunes media folder, how do you sync or again it as much as an exterior drive? Let me present you — it is tremendous easy, identical to it was once.

Why again up iTunes Library to an exterior exhausting drive?

Cloud storage has proved to be a dependable place to backup knowledge; nonetheless, backing as much as an exterior drive offers you peace of thoughts, particularly relating to essential recordsdata (in my case, a playlist of my fav audiobooks that I maintain these occasions after I must unplug and unwind). 

Listed below are the advantages of utilizing exterior space for storing for backups: 

• No dependency on an web connection
• Minimized dangers of cyberattacks
• On-the-go backup entry
• Massive storage for one-time buy solely

If you happen to’re not eager on utilizing an exterior exhausting drive (or simply haven’t got one), there are another choices for backing up iTunes which may work even higher. Try Get Backup Professional — it is a stable app that’s robust sufficient to deal with any {hardware} points which may come up. It even syncs your backups routinely with the assistance of the Stealth Mode function, nearly like an iTunes backup extractor. This fashion, everytime you add new music, TV reveals, or podcasts, you don’t have to fret about doing a handbook backup once more.

To make sure your MacBook knowledge is protected, discover ways to again up your Mac to an exterior exhausting drive.

Put together your iTunes Library for backup

Earlier than beginning backup, ensure that to arrange your media recordsdata to allow them to be simply positioned on an exterior exhausting drive. For instance, if you wish to arrange your Music app, observe these steps:

1. Go to Finder > Purposes > Music.
2. Click on File on the menu bar > Library.
3. Select Arrange Library.
4. Choose Consolidate recordsdata.

With a consolidated library, you’ll be able to simply maintain monitor of all of your recordsdata earlier than and after backup. Observe the identical directions to do the identical with Apple TV or Podcasts.

What are the steps to securely backup iTunes to an exterior exhausting drive?

Backing up your media recordsdata is fairly easy, and all of it comes all the way down to which methodology you favor. It doesn’t matter what you select, every possibility is protected to make use of, so simply decide the one which works greatest for you.

Be taught extra about the most effective Mac backup software program to do this 12 months.

Methodology 1: Handbook backup utilizing Finder

If you happen to select this methodology, don’t overlook to consolidate your recordsdata first. This makes positive that every one the recordsdata are saved within the Music folder.

To again up iTunes through Finder:

1. Open Finder and click on Go within the menu bar.
2. Select Go to Folder and sort  ~/Music/iTunes for macOS Mojave and earlier or ~/Music/Music/ for macOS Catalina and later.
3. Join your exterior drive to the Mac with a cable.
4. Drag and drop the media folder into the exterior drive.

Methodology 2: Utilizing Time Machine backup

If you happen to’re working macOS Ventura or later, you are able to do backups utilizing Time Machine. First, it’s essential to arrange the storage system as your backup disk. To take action:

1. Click on the Apple menu> Select System Settings.
2. Click on Normal > Time Machine.
3. Click on Add Backup Disk > Select your related storage system > Set Up Disk.
4. Select Again Up Now from the Time Machine menu bar icon.

Picture supply: help.apple.com

Time Machine routinely backs up your stuff each hour, and it additionally saves any updates you make to your iTunes library.

Methodology 3: Utilizing Terminal

If you happen to’re a complicated person, this methodology is for you. It requires you to know tips on how to use instructions, so simply be careful while you sort the fallacious one.

To again up utilizing Terminal:

1. Open Finder > Purposes > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Kind cp -R ~/Music/Music /Volumes/ExternalDriveName and press Return. Substitute ExternalDriveName with the precise identify of your exterior drive.
3. To again up solely new or modified recordsdata, use the rsync command. Kind rsync -av ~/Music/Music /Volumes/ExternalDriveName and press Return.
4. Examine if recordsdata had been efficiently backed up in your exterior drive.

Are you able to save an iPhone backup to an exterior exhausting drive?

If you wish to save native storage in your system otherwise you misplaced entry to your iCloud, you too can retailer iOS system backups on an exterior drive. 

Observe these steps:

1. Join an exterior drive to your Mac and create a separate folder, akin to “iOS backup.”
2. Join your iPhone to your Mac with a cable and open it through Finder’s sidebar.
3. Underneath the Normal tab, click on Handle Backups.
4. Proper-click on the wanted backup > Present in Finder. You must see a listing of all system backups.
5. Drag and drop recordsdata out of your system backup to an exterior drive.

Bonus tip: The right way to defend your backup recordsdata from knowledge loss.

Regardless of the way you again up your stuff, issues can go fallacious, and also you may find yourself dropping your essential knowledge or by accident deleting it (which occurs to me sometimes). That’s why I all the time have Disk Drill on guard. The software can restore almost any form of file from Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android gadgets, in addition to exterior drives and SD playing cards, in a number of clicks.

To get well recordsdata:

1. Set up and open Disk Drill.
2. Select the drive from the sidebar.
3. Click on Seek for misplaced knowledge.
4. As soon as positioned, you’ll be able to both get well all or seek for the recordsdata you’re lacking in your system.

The right way to backup iTunes to an exterior drive? [Solved]

Despite the fact that iTunes has been discontinued with the macOS Catalina launch, you’ll be able to nonetheless again up media recordsdata externally. It may be through Finder, Time Machine, or Terminal — every methodology is protected and dependable.

Backing up my recordsdata is tremendous essential to me, and I like having completely different choices. One software I actually like is Get Backup Professional — it has been nice for managing native backups of my important recordsdata. If you happen to occur to lose your knowledge out of your pc, exterior drive, and even your iPhone, Disk Drill is a stable selection that can assist you get well it rapidly. The most effective factor about these instruments is you could attempt them, in addition to 250 macOS and iOS different instruments on Setapp. The platform gives apps for various functions, akin to productiveness or creativity, and you may entry all apps underneath a single subscription. Don’t wait and get a 7-day trial to check all instruments that may turn out to be useful!