Edit iTunes track info
Mac Tip #225/21-December-2005
I download a lot of podcasts and often want to make small changes to the name of the track or the genre or other fields.
Edit track information in the Info window.
One way to do this is to select one or more tracks and choose Get Info from the File menu. Then click on the Info tab and make changes.
Another way is to use an AppleScript — see Mac Tip #222/30-November-2005, Add iTunes Comments.
The field is marked by a dark outline.
Click on the thumbnails of screenshots for larger versions.
Enter the new text into the field.
Another way is to stay in the main iTunes Browser window and click once on the text you want to edit. Then click on the actual word you want to change. If you do this correctly the words in that field should be highlighted and outlined with a dark line. Now type or paste in the new text.
Click at the extreme left end of the field.
If a field is empty you may think you can’t select it to edit the contents. The trick is that the target area is very narrow and at the extreme left side of the field. Click where the first letter will appear.
If you found this Tip useful you definitely need my ebooks Sizzling Safari Tips for Mac Users & 22 Tempting Timesavers for Mac Users. And remember to subscribe for regular Tips.
Is it possible to edit individual tracks in iTunes. Example; I would like to pull about :30 out of a cd track.
While iTunes can change the format of a sound file it can’t edit tracks. You should invest in QuickTime Pro for editing sound and movie files.
When I try to edit track numbers faster than to open up the song info box all the time what do I do? I tried to click on the extreme left side of the field. But i can’t change it that way.
Felix: Is the copy of iTunes running on the same computer as the one where you’re trying to edit? If not, editing may not be possible.
I can edit most information, such as Artist, Name, Album etc, but some fields cannot easily be edited, such as Play Count, Date, and others.
If you gave us more details of exactly what you’re doing and exactly what’s going wrong, we may be able to help.
Cheers,
Miraz
I just try to edit the track number which indicates in which order the songs follow up in an album. I can edit it when I open the Info box but not directly when I click on it like it is possible with album and track names. Because I got a bunch of numbers to edit – i didnt put my CD’s on my PC using itunes but Media Player and that didnt put them in the right order… :( Intros are in the middle of the albums and stuff….
thx
Hi Felix,
I tested this and found the same as you: I can’t edit the Track number while in the Browsing window, but only in the Get Info view.
I suggest you send your frustration as Feedback to Apple. Look under the iTunes menu for the Feedback item.
Cheers,
Miraz
Thanks so much for the tip on clicking the left side of the fields, what a relief. This has been killing me for months. Sometimes I was able to edit them by clikcing anywhere in the cells and sometimes I had to click “get Info” and edit it there, with no pattern as to why I could edit some and not others.
All I do now on stubborn cells is click the left target area and hey presto!
How insane is this that you have to click a target area, its like everything with Apple is one big game “see if you can find the hidden clues”. No thanks Apple I’ve wasted way too much time figuring this iTunes game out .
Now how to prevent duplicates and artists changing name automatically when I sync and how to stop and reverse track numbers starting with the highest at the top of the pile… Another 3 weeks on this me thinks!
Thanks again
Ian
Hi Ian,
I’m so glad this was helpful.
Re Track Numbers. Open iTunes and choose View menu – View Options. In the window that appears make sure Track Number is checked, then click OK.
Scroll sideways in the main window to locate the Track Number column you just added. Click on the header to sort on that field. Click again to reverse the sort order.
Does that save you a couple more weeks?
Hi Miraz,
Being honest i already knew about that and the “copy to play order” which seems to stick them in the order you decide. Correct me if I’m wrong on this.
My problem with the order is whenever i import a CD, copy in files, etc the order number is always upside down as default, so each time i need to click the header to get it reversed then click copy to play order. Is there anyway of having track 1, top of the list as default?
While I’m on, I’m currently moving all my docs over to a new laptop, any ideas on these?
What do i need to copy over from my existing PC to my new one to keep iTunes intact?
I see there is an iTunes folder within PCName/Music/iTunes. However not all audio that is in iTunes is there, plus no sign of video files in there too.
Also can i delete the folder “Previous iTunes librarys”?
Thanks
Ian
Hi Ian,
It’s been a few years since I imported any music or other CDs, I’m afraid. I hope another reader can help you with that question.
As for moving iTunes from PC to Mac – I suggest you use Google. There are various instructions out there for consolidating your iTunes library and moving everything across to a new machine. There should be something on Apple’s site too.
Good luck.
Add your Comment