7 Oct

Prevent iTunes 8 from adding track numbers to filenames

Posted by admin in mac.

As we’ve discussed in prior hints, iTunes 8 removed a number of preferences that were available in iTunes 7. In the Set some missing iTunes 8 preferences hints blog, I explained how to set four of the removed preferences—simulation genre when browsing, show links to the iTunes Store, play songs while importing, and load complete preview before playing. Today, I’m going to look at unit of the more wrangling omissions in iTunes 8—the removal of the preference to not add track numbers (and disc numbers, for multi-disc sets) to song filenames in the Finder.

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Now, I’ll admit that this particular preference modify was meaningless to me—I in reality don’t care, nor do I even know, what iTunes names my songs when it imports them. I use iTunes to make listening to music easier, and not having to care in regard to filenames is a key share of the “material it easier” bit. However, I know this is a very important topic for many people who take a more active role in managing their music collection. So in today’s blog, I’ll explain how to make incapable the addition of track and disc numbers to filenames—and more importantly, perhaps, how to reverse the effects if you’ve already imported a bunch of music and noticed the filename problem.

If you’d in preference not have iTunes add disc and track numbers to your filenames, quit iTunes, open Terminal (in /Applications -> Utilities), and type these two commands, pressing Return after each line:

defaults write com.apple.iTunes create-filenames-with-disknumber -bool FALSE defaults write com.apple.iTunes create-filenames-with-tracknumber -bool FALSE

From now on, iTunes will leave your track names alone when you import commencing melody. But what if you need to reverse a number of files that have already been renamed? It turns out that in that place’s a relatively simple make firm for that one, too—courtesy of a thread (which I can’t seem to find) in the Apple Discussions forums. Please memorandum that this will change the names of all your song files—I suggest formation sure you have a good backup before you try this, just in process it doesn’t do what you hope it behest do! With that said, here’s the suggested fasten.

After running the above two Terminal commands, launch iTunes and open its preferences. Click on the Advanced tab, remove the check sign next to Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized, then click OK. Open preferences again, and toggle the Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized option back on and click OK. That’s it; iTunes should now move through your entire library, removing disc and track numbers from your songs’ filenames. I found this fix in this thread on the Ars Technica forums, where a user has confirmed it worked for them, nevertheless I require not tested it for myself.

If you’re single in kind of those who pays close courtesy to your songs’ names in the Finder, the complot of the Terminal commands and iTunes estimation toggle will restore your filenames to their antecedent state, and make sure that iTunes doesn’t mess them up once more in the future.