HOW TO Create and use multiple libraries

1 Create a new library

If Music is already open, close it. Hold down the Option (å) key and relaunch the app. After a few seconds you should see this dialog box. As we only have one Music library so far, let’s create a new one with Create Library.

2 Name and save it

By default, the Music app will put your new library inside the Users > [Username] > Music folder; you can change that if you prefer. Choose a memorable name for the library so it’s easy to find when you look for it.

3 Start afresh

As you can see, our new library is completely empty. This gives you a blank slate not just for the music you want to add, but for the way iTunes handles it: you can have different parental settings and display settings for each library.

4 Open up

To open a specific library, switch to it by starting (or restarting, if it’s already open) the Music app with the å key held down. This time you’ll select the Choose Library option, open its folder and select the music library file it contains.

5 Set the location

If you go into Preferences, you’ll see that your library has its own Music Media folder. You can change its location here, as well as specify whether the Music app should copy files to that folder when you add them to the library.

6 Organise your TV

You can also manage your Apple TV content in much the same way that you did in Music. You might want one library for work and one for home, or like us you might want to keep your home movies separate from your downloaded ones.

7 Start anew

As with Music, the way to create or switch libraries in the TV app is to quit it and then relaunch it with the å key held down. Again, you’ll see this dialog asking whether you want to create a new library or access an existing one.

8 Name your creation

The default location for TV is in your Users > [Username] > Movies folder, but you can change that to another folder or external drive. Once again, it’s a good idea to choose a meaningful name so it’s easy to find in future.

9 See your stuff

In this image we’ve dragged some home videos into our newly created library folder and they’ve automatically been added to that Apple TV library; if we quit and restart with our original TV library, they won’t be there.