How in the Tech

Using multiple iTunes libraries on one account

By Adam Myers ⋅ July 22, 2009 ⋅ Tags: Apple, Multimedia

Were you aware that it is possible for iTunes to use multiple libraries under the same computer account? I wasn’t – but then again, I never had a reason until lately. iTunes creates and stores it’s library database in your user profile folder so it makes sense that one profile = one iTunes library. This proves not to be the case, it is possible to tell iTunes to use a different library upon launch but it is in no way obvious for some reason.

There are many reasons why multiple iTunes libraries would be welcome. If you share a computer and profile with someone else, you may have radically different musical tastes. As one who obsesses over properly tagged and organized music, I wouldn’t want to see the other person’s pop music infiltrate my play lists. Even if you don’t share a computer with someone you may still have a reason to wish for multiple libraries. Perhaps you could have a different library that hosts all your Christmas music. Sure, it is possible to use tags and smart play lists to filter out those tunes in July, but why add that extra layer if you can keep them cleanly separated?

Whatever you reasons may be, it’s actually quite easy to create and use a second library. Ready? All you need to do is hold down the Shift key as you launch iTunes. iTunes will present a dialog that allows you to choose or create a new library. Every subsequent launch will use the library of the previous session – so if you want to switch to the first library just hold down Shift again.