Windows – iTunes’ music sharing disconnects when Macbook sleeps

itunesNetworksleep-wakewindows

My Macbook Pro, OSX El Capitan 10.11.1, disconnects from my Windows PC's shared iTunes library whenever it (my Macbook) sleeps.

To reconnect it I have to restart music sharing from the Windows machine.

This is a pain, and I'd like to stay connected all the time.

For those who enjoy reading…

I've turned on music sharing with iTunes on my Windows PC by following these steps:

  1. opening preferences (Edit > Preferences)
  2. Going to the sharing section
  3. Checking the box "Share my library on my local network"
  4. Checking the box "Home Sharing computers and devices update play counts"

which I got from here. At the end of the process I follow, my preferences screen looks identical to the one shown in the article.

Then, when I open iTunes on my Macbook Pro Retina, 15", OSX El Capitan 10.11.1,

My device specifics

I can see my Windows Computer's iTunes library and access it and play songs from it.

However, when my macbook falls asleep, it seems to somehow disconnect from the Windows machine, and I can no longer access the remote library.

I have to restart music sharing from my Windows machine in order for my macbook to reconnect.

How can I keep my Macbook connected?

Best Answer

Try the following. On your Mac, click System Preferences > Security&Privacy > Firewall > Advanced > Deselect Log out after xx minutes of activity. This will stop iTunes switching off even though your Mac is in sleep mode. If the number of minutes in the prior selection equals the time at which the connection is lost, this is probably your problem.

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