This article explains how to export music from iTunes to a computer and back up your media to your hard drive. With macOS Catalina, Apple renamed iTunes to Music. We'll use the terms interchangeably throughout this guide.
How to Save Your Music to an External Drive
The media files that make up your iTunes library may not be in the same folder; they may be spread across multiple folders. This can complicate matters, as you need to make sure that all folders on your hard drive are backed up, in addition to the iTunes music folder.
Fortunately, you can use the consolidation feature in iTunes to copy all of your media files into one folder. This process will not delete the original files found in other locations and will ensure that all of the media in your library is copied.
Here's how to consolidate your iTunes library into one folder before backing up. Make sure iTunes is running and follow these steps:
