# iTunes Playlist Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724 "2018-04-19T18:13:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724/1 "2018-04-19T18:13:12Z")
iTunes has seen fit to delete the content of playlists on my Phone. The names of the playlists still show up. If you open the playlist, you either see an option to download from the cloud or to add songs. if you click the option to download from the cloud, nothing happens. On my computer, when I open iTunes, the playlists are completely gone. I have none apparently, despite spending years building playlists for different situations, moods, types of music. All of the music itself is still there from what I can see, if I go to albums or artists. Does anyone know what the heckity-heck it going on, other than sheer fuck-wittery on Apple’s part? Is there a way to get my playlists back or am I just screwed? Bastards. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724/2 "2018-04-19T19:25:14Z")
You should be able to restore the playlists from your backups. Have you recently upgraded to a new version? Sometimes Apple won’t let you go backwards (“this file was created with an older version”) but if you haven’t updated it might still work. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724/3 "2018-04-19T21:22:10Z")
Nothing to add but condolences. I hate losing music! :mad: Good luck on the restoration. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724/4 "2018-04-19T21:35:16Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > You should be able to restore the playlists from your backups. Have you recently upgraded to a new version? Sometimes Apple won’t let you go backwards (“this file was created with an older version”) but if you haven’t updated it might still work. This, right here, is why I resist upgrading until they force it (this goes for MS too btw - pretty much any system update). Because upgrades always, always, always break things. If I wanted to run music from the cloud, I would use Pandora. I don’t. I want to have music on my device because I am not in Cupertino where high speed Internet is wafted from the wings of the fairies to every soul, and connections are never a problem. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724/5 "2018-04-20T04:48:54Z")
Try this. Quit iTunes. Open the “iTunes” folder that is inside your “Music” folder. Drag the files called “iTunes Music Library.xml” and “iTunes Library.itl” out of that folder and place them somewhere easy to find like the desktop or where ever. Then open iTunes. In the menubar, go to File \> Library \> Import Playlist… and choose the “iTunes Music Library.xml” file you just moved. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724/6 "2018-04-20T15:00:48Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > This, right here, is why I resist upgrading until they force it (this goes for MS too btw - pretty much any system update). Because upgrades always, always, always break things. > > If I wanted to run music from the cloud, I would use Pandora. I don’t. I want to have music on my device because I am not in Cupertino where high speed Internet is wafted from the wings of the fairies to every soul, and connections are never a problem. > > :mad: I am with you. I haven’t updated in quite a while. Maybe if I updated, they might have fixed the problem where I can’t watch iTunes purchased copyright-protected videos on the Apple computer I purchased them on because my monitor isn’t the right type. But then, they probably screwed up something else. Best stay where I am. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724/7 "2018-04-20T18:37:54Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Try this. Quit iTunes. Open the “iTunes” folder that is inside your “Music” folder. Drag the files called “iTunes Music Library.xml” and “iTunes Library.itl” out of that folder and place them somewhere easy to find like the desktop or where ever. Then open iTunes. In the menubar, go to File \> Library \> Import Playlist… and choose the “iTunes Music Library.xml” file you just moved. Didn’t work. I hates them, I do. All of my downloaded songs from my CDs are gone too. I surmise that this is meant to make me use Apple Music. Oddly, I’m going to use Amazon Music instead, and try to restore most of ripped music from an old iPod I have lying around. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-playlist-question/812724/8 "2018-04-20T21:37:42Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > All of my downloaded songs from my CDs are gone too. Are the files still on your computer or are they only missing from the iTunes Library? > [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > I surmise that this is meant to make me use Apple Music. It’s not. It’s either a bug or user error.