Windows – Move iTunes folder outside Music folder

ituneswindows

iTunes by default stores its settings, the iTunes Library.itl file, and the music library audio tracks, inside the \Users\username\Music\iTunes folder.

I don't want my Music folder polluted with program settings, especially because I'm synchronizing that folder on the cloud.
Via the settings panel I can only change the path of the audio tracks, but the settings remain in the default position.

Is there a way to completely move the iTunes folder to another path?

PS: I've looked at the answers to What is the safest way to move the iTunes Library from one hard drive to another?, but the focus there is on moving the media library only, not the whole iTunes directory.

Best Answer

Yes. Quit iTunes. Move the iTunes folder to the desired location. Then, make a symbolic link to the moved iTunes folder, drag that symbolic link to the Music folder, rename the link to be exactly "iTunes" and you are done.

An alias won't work. It has to be a Symbolic Link.

I made my symbolic link using an Automator Service. Automator is not set up to make Symbolic Links out of the box, so you have to get something third-party to enable it. Here is a link to a good article on how to get the piece you need and also how to make and use the Automator Service. Here is the link:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/automator-create-symbolic-links-dropbox-mac/

There are other ways to make a Symbolic Link but you only need one, so here you go.

You don't have to change anything at all in iTunes. That's the beauty of this method. The symbolic link satisfies iTunes' need to have an iTunes folder in the Music folder, while pointing to the real iTunes folder somewhere else. Just be sure you name your Symbolic Link "iTunes" after you move it (don't try to rename it before you move it-- you will be trying to name it the same thing as the real iTunes folder).

You can always throw away the Symbolic Link and put the iTunes folder back in the Music folder if you'd like, so you really have nothing to lose. Try it!