Automatically Add To iTunes Folder Location?

[mwheelerk]

Where should the "Automatically Add To iTunes" folder be located?

I am on Mac. In Finder I can trace my path from the external HDD my library resides on to Music>iTunes>iTunes Media along with Album Artwork folder, three additional files and the file iTunes Library.xml. From iTunes Media the folders Automatically Add To iTunes, Music, Books, Downloads, Mobile Applications and Tones along with the same iTunes .xml as in the previous column are present. Following the Music folder are all of my artist folders with the individual albums under each artist but also listed within the Music folder with the artists is another Automatically Add To iTunes folder.

Everything has been working flawlessly when I add to my iTunes library and maybe the answer is if it works leave it alone. But, I wonder why there are two folders for Automatically Add To ITunes and also the iTunes Music Library.xml file? Where is the proper location for these and can the other be deleted?

Thanks for any help.

[decafjava]

Well before an epxert chimes in I suggest that leaving it alone is the best course of action-that's kind of the whole point of itunes management.

[Jesse Hollington]

The short answer is that the actual Automatically Add to iTunes folder will always reside in the iTunes Media folder, alongside other folders like Music, Movies, and TV Shows.

By default, iTunes creates your library in a folder named "iTunes" under your home folder's Music folder ("My Music" on Windows XP, "Music" on Windows Vista/7 or Mac OS X). Your iTunes Media folder is a sub-folder named "iTunes Music" within that parent "iTunes" folder.

You can tell iTunes to place the iTunes Media folder anywhere you like simply by going into your Advanced preferences in iTunes and choosing a new location from there. This will not move your existing media or folder structure, however -- merely tell iTunes where to put things going forward. As a result, the old Automatically Add to iTunes folder will be left in its original location, albeit it as an inert folder that no longer does anything.

Similarly, you can reload the iTunes library database to a new location or drive as well, although the steps for doing this are a little bit more complicated -- you have to copy the folder structure yourself and then start iTunes while holding down the SHIFT key (Windows) or OPT key (Mac) to point it at the new location.

You can find more information on all of this in our tutorial on Transferring your iTunes Library.