11-05-2021

In the Music app on your Mac, click in the search field in the top-left corner of the Music window and enter a word or phrase. As you type, Music displays a list of items that match the search text you entered. To choose where you want to search, click iTunes Store in the top-right corner of the window. Do either of the following: In the iTunes app on your Mac, choose an option (Music or Movies, for example) from the pop-up menu at the top left, then click Library. Do one of the following: Find out where a file is stored: Select the item, then choose Edit Item Info. The path to the file is shown at the bottom of the File pane (next to Location). TV (also known as Apple TV, the Apple TV app, and the TV app) is a line of media player software programs by Apple Inc. For viewing television shows and films on consumer electronic devices. It can stream content from the iTunes Store, the Apple TV Channels a la carte video on demand service, and the Apple TV+ original content subscription service. On iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, and tvOS.

macOS Catalina’s new media apps – Music, Apple TV, and Podcasts – are the replacement for the older iTunes app, which handled most of these media types in a single application. And while iTunes may have a reputation with some users as being a poor performer, the Music, Apple TV, and Podcasts apps may not be off to a stellar beginning, either, at least as indicated by the comments received on our various articles.

One area that’s a bit of a mixed bag is the ability to manage the various app libraries. The normal location for all of the media libraries is on the Mac’s startup drive. If your primary Mac is one of the laptop models, there’s a reasonable chance that you don’t have a lot of available space on the startup drive. Many MacBook models only have a small SSD, or if you’re using an old MacBook, a slow rotational drive.

The point is that if you have a large media collection that you’re using with Music, Apple TV, or Podcasts, you may run up against the limited space on the startup drive.

One way to manage this problem is to move the media apps libraries to a new location that has plenty of free space to house your ever-growing collection of music and videos.

About User Space

For the most part, the media apps allow you to move their libraries to just about any place on your Mac, to an external drive, or even a network drive. A network drive can lead to a few issues, though, so for this article, we’ll concentrate on moving the media libraries to an external drive.

If you’re moving a media library to a new location on the startup drive, that’s possible, too, with the following restriction:

You must choose a location within the User space and not within the various system directories or at the root level of the startup drive. You may have heard references in the past to system space and user space. While it’s beyond the scope of this article to delve too deeply into the concept, macOS Catalina forces a distinct separation between the two spaces, which wasn’t as robustly enforced in previous versions of the OS.

You can find out a bit more in the Rocket Yard guides:

  • How macOS Catalina Improves Mac Security
  • 10 Non-Intrusive Security Changes in macOS Catalina

In this guide, we’re going to consider User space as any file location within the User directory; this includes all of the User home folders and shared folders. If you’re targeting a library move to an internal or external volume that also contains a Mac OS, you may need to place the libraries within that drive’s /User folder.

If the volume doesn’t contain a Mac system, you should be able to place the library files just about anywhere.

Manage the Media Library

The new macOS Catalina media apps will upgrade your old iTunes library to the new format that each individual app (Music, Apple TV, and Podcasts) needs. The upgrade process pulls the appropriate media files from iTunes and places them in the corresponding app’s library. All of your music, including music videos, will end up in the Music app. Movies, but not music videos, end up in the Apple TV app, podcasts end up in the Podcasts app, and audiobooks have moved to the Apple Books app.

Each app manages its own media library once the upgrade is performed.

Tip: Launching either the Music or Apple TV app is required to generate the new media libraries. If you open the Podcast or Books app before the Music or Apple TV app, you’ll likely not see any media files in the apps.

Tip: You’ll be copying, moving, and deleting files in this guide. We highly recommend that you have a current backup before proceeding.

Moving the Music App Library

The Music app’s library is normally located in ~/Music/Music. That’s the Music folder within the Music folder of your home directory. Moving the Music folder to a new location, such as an external drive, is a simple process that requires you to copy the music folder and all of its content to the new location, and then let the Music app know where the library is located.

If you want to move the Music app library, follow these instructions:

Confirm the current Music app library location: This step isn’t required if you haven’t made any changes to the Music app, other than opening the app and playing its content. But if you’ve opened multiple libraries or moved music libraries around, it’s a good idea to confirm the current working library:

Launch the Music App, located at /Applications/Music, or click the Music app icon in the Dock.

In the Music app, select the Preferences item from the Music menu.

Select the Files tab in the Music preferences window.

The Music media folder location will be displayed.

This is the current folder containing the Music app library and the one that will be copied to a new location. Make a note of the current Music folder pathname; you’ll need it later.

Consolidate the Library: Before you copy the music library it’s a good idea to allow the Music app to consolidate all of the music media into the library. This helps ensure that music you may have stored elsewhere on your Mac is copied to the current library, ensuring it will be included in a subsequent move.

With the Music app active, select File > Library > Organize Library from the menu.

A dialog box will be displayed. Place a checkmark in the “Consolidate files” box. This will place a copy of all media files in the Music app within the Music folder. Click the OK button.

Depending on the size of your music library, the consolidation process can take a while. Once it completes, you’re ready to copy the music folder to a new location.

Quit the Music app.

Copy the Music folder to a new location: If you’re moving the Music library to an external drive, make sure the drive is connected to your Mac and mounted on the desktop.

Open a Finder window, and navigate to the location you wish to copy the Music folder and the library it contains.

Open another Finder window (Command + N) and navigate to the current music folder. This will be the pathname you made a note of in the above step. If it’s still in the default location, you can quickly get there by selecting the Music item in the Finder window’s sidebar.

With two Finder windows open (or Finder tabs, if you prefer) drag the Music folder to the external drive where you wish to move the Music library.

The Finder will start copying the files to the new location, presenting a progress bar as files are copied. The time it will take to make the copy is dependent on the size of the music folder; it could take a while.

Once the copying is complete, it’s time to tell the Music app where the new library is located.

Let Music Know Where the Library is Located: The Music app needs to know where you moved the library.

Hold down the option key, and launch the Music app by clicking on its Dock icon.

A dialog box will appear, saying:

Choose Music Library: Music needs a library to continue. You may choose an existing music library or create a new one.

Click the Choose Library button.

In the standard Open dialog box that’s displayed, navigate to the new music folder and select the Music Library item within it. Click the Choose button.

The Music app will finish launching and display the content of the new library.

Change the Music Media folder location: Now that the library has been moved, you should also change the Music Media folder location. This folder is where new songs are imported. If you don’t change the Music Media folder location, the Music app will continue to work, but new songs you add will be stored in the original location.

Launch the Music app if it isn’t already open.

Select Preferences from the Music menu.

Select the Files tab.

Click the Change button in the Music Media folder location area.

In the dialog box that opens, navigate to the Music folder you copied to its new location. This time, make sure you select the Music folder and not the Music Library item contained within the folder. Click the Open button.

The Music app is now configured to use the new library and the new Music folder to store new songs you import.

Go ahead and use the Music app. Make sure that the songs play correctly, and all the information they contain is present. Once satisfied, you can delete the original Music folder and the Music Library it contained.

Moving the Apple TV App Library

Macos

Moving the Apple TV library is very similar to moving the Music library, as explained above. So much so that we’re going to use the same instructions and just highlight the differences here.

The Apple TV library’s default location is ~/Movies/TV. A shortcut to access the Apple TV library is to open a Finder window and select the Movies item in the sidebar. Once you do that, you should see the TV folder that contains the TV library, as well as a Media folder.

Consolidate TV media files: Start the move process by consolidating the Apple TV media files using the instructions in the “Consolidate the Library” section above. Be sure to substitute the Apple TV app for the Music app in the instructions.

Copy the Apple TV media files: Use the instructions in the “Copy the Music folder to a new location” section above. Be sure to use the Apple TV app’s TV folder located at ~/Movies as the folder to copy to a new location.

Tell the Apple TV app where the new TV library is located: Use the instructions in “Let Music Know Where the Library is Located.” Be sure to change the reference from Music app to Apple TV app, and the Music Library file to the TV Library file.

Change the Apple TV media folder location: The instructions in the “Change Music Media Folder location” can be used to tell the Apple TV app where its Media folder is located. Substitute Apple TV for the Music app in the instructions.

Once you’ve completed the TV folder move and have informed the Apple TV app of the changes, you should test the app out and make sure all the movies and videos are working correctly. Once you’ve confirmed all is well, you can delete the original TV folder.

Podcast Download Files

The Podcasts app doesn’t have a movable library file, though it does have a download folder where podcasts you choose to download to your Mac are stored. The download folder is located at:

~/Library/Group Containers/243LU875E5.groups.com.apple.podcasts/Library/Cache

The numbered partition of the folder name, 243LU875E5.groups.com.apple.podcasts, may change with future updates of the macOS or the Podcasts app, but the rest of the name should remain the same.

Each podcast in the Cache folder is in mp3 format, allowing you to use them on any device that can play mp3. The only real problem is identifying the podcasts since the files within the Cache folder use uniquely assigned names, and not the podcast title or episode name.

In a few cases, opening one of the podcasts files in QuickTime will reveal an episode title, but it’s far from always being the case. Never the less, you can open them directly in QuickTime, listen for a bit ‘til you identify the episode, then copy the file to a new location with an appropriate name.

Do not add or delete podcasts files directly to or from the Cache folder. The Podcasts app will manage the cache folder depending on preferences set within the app.

Library Studies

How have you been using the new macOS Catalina media apps and the associated libraries? Let us know in the comments below.

Be Sociable, Share This!

Prices, terms, and availability subject to change without notice. Not responsible for typographical, technical, or descriptive errors of products herein.
OWC is on-site wind turbine powered at 8 Galaxy Way, Woodstock, IL 60098 | 1-800-275-4576 | +1-815-338-8685 (International)
All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2018, OWC – Since 1988

MovieBoxPro is a very popular video streaming platform for iOS and now it is also available on Desktop for macOS users. MovieBox works only for verified accounts and it's hard to get in but if you use this service all your data will be synchronized automatically with the desktop app. Download MovieBoxPro for Mac.

Download

Changelog

Version 7.0

  • Overall improvments

What is MovieBoxPro?

MovieBoxPro is packed with the same features that you can find in MovieBox iOS version. The pirated streaming platform offers access to more than 10.000 movies and TV shows mostly in 720p and 1080p, but there are also available 360 videos. Google Account is used to save users' fav and play history. Also, download videos directly to the device, and you can select subtitles to display in the movie.

The desktop version of MovieBoxPro is also available for free, but with limited quality of videos 480p. If you like there is available a paid VIP membership that offers additionally higher streaming speeds, HD quality streams, no ads, and last but not least native TV versions of the app for Apple TV and Android TV.

What's more, the desktop version can also cast videos to nearby devices including AppleTV, download subtitles, manage favorites, and more. Everything is synchronized with the iOS version including watched videos, a list of favorites TV shows, etc. There is also an option to activate picture in picture mode on Mac.

What features offer MovieBoxPro?

  • Free to watch SD videos and with paid subscription also HD videos
  • Multi-language subtitle switching
  • Multi-audio switching
  • Daily database updates
  • Download files for offline viewing
  • CDN network for fast video streaming
  • H265 encoding

MovieBoxPro supports Apple TV 3rd generation (compatible with screen mirror function or AirPlay). To watch movies on those devices it's required to activate screen mirror function or AirPlay from the control center. The TV App for AppleTV and AndroidTV Box can be downloaded from the official website.

Apple TV is supported on 4 generations or 4K or newer, and only for VIP members.

Best MovieBoxPro alternatives

1. Popcorn Time SE

Popcorn Time SE is a free alternative for MovieBoxPro designed to stream torrented movies and the latest episodes of popular TV series. The program is aggregating links to torrent files with video. Download PopcornTime SE for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Cast videos to devices like Chromecast and Apple TV.

In the main window, you have access to movies and TV-series bookmarks. There is displayed a list of all available items represented by nice-looking graphics. From this level, we can quickly see the film review on IMBD and add an item to a list of favorites. Videos are streamed from BitTorrent.

2. Leonflix

Leonflix is a free search tool for movies and TV shows that works on macOS and Windows. It scrapes video hosting websites and can find and return the videos hosted on those sites. Every time a video changes hands, from the host to the Putlocker-esque site that shows it, more ads are added. Leonflix supports also .torrent files.

By the time it gets to the viewer, the content has been 'stepped on' so many times that it is nearly unwatchable. Leonflix's novelty is that it extracts only the desired content that these sites provide, giving it an 'acetone wash' that filters out all the adware and pop-ups.

3. Stremio

Stremio is a free app to stream movies, TV shows, series, live television from your desktop. Discover, organize, and watch video from all kinds of sources on any device. There are also add-ons for Torrent streaming, YouTube, Netflix, and Twitch.tv support. Discover new films, TV shows, and channels.

Feature highlights from Stremio include an option to continue watching movies, series, or videos at a point where you left, get notified of new episodes, browse through the recommendations you will get based on your viewing habits. Stremio offers also an option to rent films.

4. Zona

Best Macos Apps

Zona is a free platform to stream torrent movies, TV Shows, broadcast TV channels in real-time, play music from social network VK, listen to online radio streams, and even watch live sports events. Download torrents with Zona and watch them before the download is complete.

Zona can stream or download movies, switch audio languages, offers support for subtitles, and an option to send videos to DLNA supported devices. You can easily navigate through categories, search for serials, movies, music, games, etc. You can choose quality, size, audio, and subtitles.

5. DuckieTV

DuckieTV is a software that helps you to not miss the next episodes of favorite TV-Shows. Download new episodes with subtitles automaticity. DuckieTV gives you an integrated torrent search to help you get to the right download. Use popular torrent providers to search for new episodes.

DuckieTV can also download subtitles for episodes. From the settings, you can choose which subtitle languages you want to search for. DuckieTV is using the most popular torrent providers to search for new episodes. There is an option to make a copy of the series, episodes, and watched list.

6. TeaTV

TeaTV software allows you to stream and download movies and TV shows in 1080p HD quality for free. Tea TV offers the fastest, easiest way to find and discover movies, actors, and shows. Download the newest version of TeaTV for Windows, Mac, and Android devices.

TeaTV features the option to watch trailers, read reviews, and get shows season details, including the latest information on upcoming movie releases. You can use the software also to track the movies you own, the movies you wish you had, the movies you saw, and the movies you want to watch.

7. WebTorrent Desktop

WebTorrent Desktop is a video and audio player allowing you to stream torrented movies directly from BitTorrent and WebTorrent networks on to go. There is even a great feature to stream videos to AirPlay (Apple TV), Chromecast, and DLNA compatible devices.

WebTorrent Desktop is an app designed to instantly stream audio and video files. WebTorrent fetches file pieces from the network on-demand for instant playback. There is an option to associate the player with magnet links, torrent files, and create torrent files.

8. Powder Player

Powder Player is a free great application allowing you to stream torrented movies and play videos directly from the BitTorrent network. Stream movies from YouTube and open video format supported by VCL media player. Download Powder Player for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Powder Player is a combination of a torrent download app and a video player. You can use also the app to download any torrent files as well. There is an option to control the download speed, check the history of viewed files, associate the player with magnet links, torrent files, and media files.

9. Soda Player

Soda Player software can stream torrent movies and play magnet links and .torrent files instantly. Soda Player offers an option to stream BitTorrent video files and watch movies on your Chromecast and Apple TV. Download and watch movies instantly. AceStream links are also supported.

Netflix Macos App

Stream movies to Apple TVs, all Chromecast, and all devices compatible like Android TV, modern TVs, etc. The smart TV engine will pass-through the video and/or audio tracks without transcoding when the codec is supported by your device. There is also support for 1080p and up to 4K videos.