Introduced about four years ago, Home Sharing in iTunes is a feature that allows for multiple computers, regardless of their operation system, to share iTunes contents together. This has been helpful for everything from sharing content between computers within the house (hence, home sharing) or even when transferring between an old computer to a new one. This article will discuss how to set up Home Sharing in iTunes and dive into sharing content (music, apps, movies, and more) between computers.
- Turn on Home Sharing in iTunes.
Launch iTunes, then go to the advanced settings of the iTunes app (Advanced -> Turn on Home Sharing). Once active, after logging in, you should see a Home Sharing tab on the left side of the main screen of iTunes.
- Start Adding Computers.
On the computers you want to share with, repeat the first step. Go onto one of these additional computers, activate Home Sharing in iTunes, and log in with the same Apple ID you used in step one. Choose your computers wisely, as an iTunes account can only be shared with five computers.
- Check the Connections.
By now, all computers sharing the same Home Sharing account will also see the other connected computers there. When clicked, you can view the music they have, along with applications and multimedia.
- Begin Transferring.
You will be able to add some of the songs found on those libraries onto your own. To do so, you have two options. If there’s one or two songs you want to add, you can simply click on each one, and drag into their respective section in the “Library” region of iTunes. If there are more, it may work better to click “Command” + each song you’d like to transfer. From there, drag the highlighted songs or multimedia to their final destination.
- Let iTunes Take Care of the Sharing for You.
If you find that you and the computer you are sharing with repeatedly have similar tastes in music, or even if you want to automatically have any other future content sent to your Mac, you can easily activate “Automatic Transfer.” Just go to “iTunes -> Preferences -> Store”. Select which content you’d like to automatically download based on devices connected to the same account.
Home Sharing in iTunes is a great way for your content to easily get transferred to your Mac, whether it’s at home or in an office. If you have used this method before, let us know in the comments how this has allowed for a more streamlined transfer of iTunes content.
Ari Simon has been a writer with Make Tech Easier since August 2011. Ari loves anything related to technology and social media. When Ari isn’t working, he enjoys traveling and trying out the latest tech gadget.
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