Updating library with more recently ripped CDs

i suppose i am an unusual user. but I contend still deserve to know how to update my library.


I use predominantly CDs. Mainly classical music so i talk in CDs, not songs.


My library was created using my 2010 MBP, with over 300 CDs in it. I still use it occasionally although I now have an external CD player to rip new CDs. Obviously I moved on from using that MBP as my main computer some years ago!


Recently I had a string of bad luck with hard drives dying, including having a MBP with an SSD die!! Although I did manage to restore from a backup and didn't lose any other data, I did wind up with a slightly updated ancient music library. I now need to 'update' it by merging its library with the 'updated' music library from the 2010 MBP!


But while doing this, I managed to screw up my library: I imported my older, more complete library into my current library, thinking that it will recognise albums that are already there and either not re-write them or it will overwrite what is there with older versions of exactly the same albums.


Instead it imported over 200 old CDs and just duplicated files/directories so that now I have 60 GB of albums in BOTH my Music/music/music directory AND my music/itunes directories!


  1. How can I use my last Time Machine backup of my current MBP to restore the sole 60GB music directory thereby getting rid of all the space-wasting duplicates?
  2. How can I just import to my music directory the 15-20 more recently ripped CDs that are on the 2010 MBP?
  3. OR: Is there a way of repairing a music or ITunes directory to remove duplicate albums?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.5

Posted on May 22, 2025 07:27 AM

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Updating library with more recently ripped CDs

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