Keep iTunes media folder organized - Can a user prevent this, Forever?

When the "Keep iTunes media folder organized" checkbox is checked, iTunes adds a Track Number prefix to the Windows file name of every song, based on the track number of the album in which the song resides. Since for personal reasons I do NOT want this to happen, I always keep the "Keep iTunes media folder organized" checkbox UNchecked.


However, in my experience, the checkbox can revert, unnoticed, to its default (checked) under mysterious circumstances. When this happens, I've found through bitter experience that iTunes carries out this process behind the scenes, completely ruining my own personal Windows song file naming scheme.


I wish there was an iTunes Windows Registry hack of some kind that could remove iTune's ability to "Keep iTunes media folder organized".


I always worry whenever an iTunes Update is issued, that the update will somehow return the checkbox to the iTunes default Checked setting, triggering iTunes to run amok and re-wreck all my song file names. Since I have thousands of songs, this becomes a monster problem.

Windows

Posted on Jan 14, 2023 08:22 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 18, 2023 08:56 AM

As above there is no setting to permanently prevent any unwanted change to this option. Note however that even with Keep organized disabled new content that iTunes downloads, rips, or converts, will still be set out in the default layout for the library, i.e. <Media Folder>\[Music\]\<Album Artist>\<Album>\## <Name>.<Ext>. If you want to enforce any other pattern then you might find my script CustomRenamer useful.


See also Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy - Apple Community and make sure that you have a complete backup of your library such that you could spot and unwind any unexpected change due to an iTunes update.


tt2

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 18, 2023 08:56 AM in response to autochthon

As above there is no setting to permanently prevent any unwanted change to this option. Note however that even with Keep organized disabled new content that iTunes downloads, rips, or converts, will still be set out in the default layout for the library, i.e. <Media Folder>\[Music\]\<Album Artist>\<Album>\## <Name>.<Ext>. If you want to enforce any other pattern then you might find my script CustomRenamer useful.


See also Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy - Apple Community and make sure that you have a complete backup of your library such that you could spot and unwind any unexpected change due to an iTunes update.


tt2

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Keep iTunes media folder organized - Can a user prevent this, Forever?

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