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.
- App That Manages Mac Storage Manager
- App That Manages Mac Storage Manager
- Manage Storage On Mac Yosemite
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. Aug 16, 2014 I have 1Password for my Mac, iPhone, iPad. And it's the best app that I have purchased. All my logins, passwords, other stored details (credit card info, registration details for software I've purchased) is kept in sync over my devices. Alter or add something on one device and it's instantly updated or added on all the other devices, it does. When Time Machine backs up a portable Mac, some of the free space will be used to make local snapshots, which are backup copies of recently deleted files. The space occupied by local snapshots is reported as available by the Finder, and should be considered as such. In the Storage display of System Information, local snapshots are shown as.
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.
App That Manages Mac Storage Manager
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
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.
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If you’re in the habit of backing up or sharing your data, chances are that you’re using more than one provider. And if you’re using multiple providers, chances are that a Cloud storage manager might come in handy too, to help you keep everything in check.
If you’re keeping files safe in Backblaze whilst sharing docs via Dropbox, or collaborating with colleagues in Google Drive while keeping track of work files with Box, you’ll know how it feels to juggle multiple storage accounts; searching through different logins to find a lost file, and never being quite sure which accounts are up to date and which aren’t. It can all end up feeling like more trouble than it’s worth.
Enter the Cloud Storage Manager. These handy services let you aggregate all of your online backup solutions in one place – allowing you to manage them all via a single convenient login. You can also do useful things like upload content directly from Facebook, move files quickly between different accounts, and upload files to multiple locations at once for an extra layer of protection.
Perfect for time saving and staying organised, these programs can be a lifesaver – so keep reading to find out which we think are the 5 best Cloud storage management systems for 2018!
Best Cloud Storage Manager Services – Summary
Rank | Company | Score | Price | Link |
1 | $0.99 / month | |||
2 | $4.99 / month | |||
3 | $20.00 / month | |||
4 | $5.60 / month | |||
5 | $9.90 / month |
Winner
- PROS
- 25+ supported providers & apps
Move files between providers
Access multiple backup accounts
256-bit AES encryption
- CONS
- Nothing much!
Otixo has the great benefit of supporting more personal backup services than any of its competitors – making it a must for anyone that’s strayed beyond OneDrive and Dropbox to keep their files safe. While you’ll still need to check whether your chosen providers are included, this diversity is a big plus in our books.
There’s plenty more to recommend Otixo, too. A simple interface lets you drag and drop files easily between providers, file sharing is available via Otixo Workspaces, and you can choose to protect your files and folders with a private, 256-bit AES encryption key if you’re concerned about keeping your data safe.
On top of this, you’ll also find a very good deal for free users, with Otixo’s basic subscription letting you transfer as much data as you like (although files must be under 250MB), encrypt up to 25 files, and set up limited file sharing. For a little more, a Secure plan will set you back just $0.99 per month, and features a maximum file size limit of 1GB, unlimited access to encryption services, and the ability to add extra Workspaces for less than $1 each. Finally, a Pro account costs $9.99 per month, and features more space all round – as well as WebDAV for local access. Phew!
On the whole, then, Otixo is a great choice for file management and sharing alike, with some strong security features and a free plan that’s well worth investigating.
Supported services
Amazon Cloud, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Picasa, Facebook, Yandex, Flick, Evernote, 4Shared, OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, Web.de, GMX.DE, TrendMicro SafeSync, MagentaCLOUD, SugarSync, ADrive, Alfresco, OwnCloud, LiveDrive, MyDrive, FilesAnywhere, Cubby, Huddle, CloudMe, Online FileFolder, Fabasoft, HiDrive, DriveOnWeb, Digital Bucket, Skeegle.
Amazon Cloud, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Picasa, Facebook, Yandex, Flick, Evernote, 4Shared, OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, Web.de, GMX.DE, TrendMicro SafeSync, MagentaCLOUD, SugarSync, ADrive, Alfresco, OwnCloud, LiveDrive, MyDrive, FilesAnywhere, Cubby, Huddle, CloudMe, Online FileFolder, Fabasoft, HiDrive, DriveOnWeb, Digital Bucket, Skeegle.
Want to keep your files organised with Otixo? Head to their website by following the link below.
2nd place
CloudFuze
4.5/5- PROS
- Easy to use
Reasonably priced
Access multiple accounts
File sharing
App That Manages Mac Storage Manager
- CONS
- No free plan
CloudFuze does a great job of ticking all of the Cloud storage management boxes. From their main dashboard, you can browse through all of your documents; sorting by provider, file type, or personally-determined custom categories. There’s file sharing too, with the option to customise read/write access, set passwords, add link expiry dates, and determine a maximum number of downloads for each file – not to mention CloudFuze Workspaces, which provide a place for multiple team members to upload, download and synchronise file changes.
While not as pretty as some of its competitors, CloudFuze is nonetheless pleasantly straightforward to use, with a simple drag and drop system letting you move files between backup providers. There’s just one subscription available to individual users, which costs $4.99 per month, and includes support for ten Cloud storage management services including Dropbox, Egnyte and Box, and eight content management services – featuring Sharepoint and Documentum, amongst others.
You can also opt for a Business plan, with details available upon request, and there’s a free CloudFuze trial on offer if you’d like to take it for a spin before signing up.
Supported services
Google Drive, Box, OneDrive Personal, Dropbox, Citrix ShareFile, SugarSync, Amazon S3, Egnyte, FTP, Yandex, Azure, Orange, Eucalyptus, Cloudian, Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox for Business, OneDrive Business, Axway, Alfresco, Documentum, SharePoint, Salesforce, CMIS, NFS, ObjectStorage, CIFS. WebDAV tested: 4shared, Avira Secure Backup, CloudSafe, DropDAV, Dump Truck, Memopal, MyDrive, Mysecurebackup, Online File Folder, OpenDrive, Oxygen, PowerFolder, SafeCopy, Storage Made Easy, HiDrive, Yandex.
Google Drive, Box, OneDrive Personal, Dropbox, Citrix ShareFile, SugarSync, Amazon S3, Egnyte, FTP, Yandex, Azure, Orange, Eucalyptus, Cloudian, Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox for Business, OneDrive Business, Axway, Alfresco, Documentum, SharePoint, Salesforce, CMIS, NFS, ObjectStorage, CIFS. WebDAV tested: 4shared, Avira Secure Backup, CloudSafe, DropDAV, Dump Truck, Memopal, MyDrive, Mysecurebackup, Online File Folder, OpenDrive, Oxygen, PowerFolder, SafeCopy, Storage Made Easy, HiDrive, Yandex.
Want to know more? Hit the button below!
3rd place
4/5
- PROS
- Good free plan
Cloud storage for Premium users
Scheduled backups
End-to-end encryption
Incremental backups available
- CONS
- High prices
Limited storage capacity
Merge files between 2 providers only
Mover.io is designed along the same lines as cloudHQ – with its main focus on synchronising files between two accounts, in order to merge both sets of files into one single service.
Although it’s less useful as a tool for simply browsing through multiple accounts’ worth of data, Mover nonetheless offers some very interesting features – including Mover Vault (providing paid subscribers with unlimited personal Cloud storage space) and the option to schedule processes at the time of your choice. Mover.io is also able to save snapshots, and upload files in .zip format – a feature not offered by many of its competitors.
As well as accommodating standard subscriptions, Mover also gives you the option to purchase a one-off file transfer for $20 – allowing you to move up to 20GB of files between different providers. If that’s not enough, you can even add more space for just $1 /GB.
If you’d like to subscribe for longer, there’s a great Free plan available – with scheduling available and no caps imposed on the size or number of files transferred, although you’ll only be able to access files from free backup accounts. To access files from paid services as well, Mover’s paid Backup plan will set you back a fairly hefty $20 per month – granting you a monthly transfer allowance of 15GB (also extendable for $1 per GB), as well as access to Vault.
Supported services
Amazon S3, Box, Dropbox, Dropbox for Business, Egnyte, FTP, Google Drive, Google Drive for Work, Hightail, MySQL, Office 365, OneDrive, OpenStack, Rackspace Cloud Files, SFTP, SharePoint, SmugMug, SugarSync, WebDAV
Amazon S3, Box, Dropbox, Dropbox for Business, Egnyte, FTP, Google Drive, Google Drive for Work, Hightail, MySQL, Office 365, OneDrive, OpenStack, Rackspace Cloud Files, SFTP, SharePoint, SmugMug, SugarSync, WebDAV
If Mover.io takes your fancy, there’s plenty more to learn by heading to their website at the link below!
4th place
3.5/5
- PROS
- Simple and easy to use
Great for saving & viewing media files
Reasonable price
Good navigation options
- CONS
- No additional encryption offered
Limited free account
Relatively few supported services
Jolicloud is an excellent user-friendly Cloud storage manager, with media streaming and an easy-to-use backup consolidation feature. A good search function and the ability to favorite files for immediate access come in handy too, and paid subscribers can transfer as many files between as many providers as they like – although free users won’t be able to move documents between different services.
As well as managing your Cloud storage subscriptions, Jolicloud has recently introduced a number of media playing options, including a video player with subtitles and full-screen capacity, an e-reader and the ability to save files directly from Facebook, SoundCloud and Instagram. On the downside, there is no encryption available to protect your files during transfer – a service offered by many other providers.
While the Jolicloud Free account is fairly limited – capping file sizes at 50MB and only allowing users to access a restricted range of services, their Pro account is available for a very reasonable 5 Euros (around $5.60) per month, and includes unlimited access to the program’s full range of features. For people looking to manage their media or simply keep track of their files without having to struggle with complicated interfaces and poor navigation, then, Jolicloud is a great choice.
Supported services
Box, Dropbox, Facebook, Google Drive, Instagram, MediaFire, OneDrive, Pocket, Put.io, SoundCloud, Vimeo, Youtube.
Box, Dropbox, Facebook, Google Drive, Instagram, MediaFire, OneDrive, Pocket, Put.io, SoundCloud, Vimeo, Youtube.
Interested in Jolicloud? Try it for yourself by following the link below.
5th place
3/5
- PROS
- File sharing
Great for business services
30-day money back guarantee
OAuth security / 256-bit encryption
- CONS
- Not all services supported by standard account
Expensive Business plan
Can be confusing to use
Pitched squarely at the business market, cloudHQ nonetheless has plenty of applications for personal users too, although it lacks the ease of use that gives its main competitors their appeal.
Rather than just offering a neutral space in which to amalgamate multiple backup accounts, cloudHQ focuses more on synchronising files between different services. During setup, you’ll need to select one central provider that all of your other accounts will then be paired with – transferring their own data to that one primary location. This is useful if you want to shift all of your data into a single account, or if you want to save your files to multiple locations for an extra layer of security, although this will, of course, take up more storage space.
Although it only accommodates a limited number of personal backup services, cloudHQ does support an excellent range of business and productivity apps, including Salesforce, Evernote, Basecamp, Slack, OneNote and all MS Office programs – although you’ll need to pay $25 per month for a Business account to get the benefit of many of these services.
![App that manages mac storage center App that manages mac storage center](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126472173/319663809.jpg)
Personal users can sign up for a free account, which lets you sync between free backup accounts and apps, but requires an upgrade to the $9.90 /month Premium account if you want to access paid services after a 15-day trial period. There’s also a 30-day money back guarantee should you want a little longer to try it out.
Manage Storage On Mac Yosemite
Supported services
Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, Google Mail, Google Contacts, Google Calendars, Office365, SugarSync, Box (including Box Enterprise), Evernote, FastMail, Amazon CloudDrive, Salesforce, Evernote for Business, Office365 SharePoint, On-premise SharePoint, Podio, Basecamp Classic, Basecamp 2, Basecamp 3, Egnyte, WebDAV.
Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, Google Mail, Google Contacts, Google Calendars, Office365, SugarSync, Box (including Box Enterprise), Evernote, FastMail, Amazon CloudDrive, Salesforce, Evernote for Business, Office365 SharePoint, On-premise SharePoint, Podio, Basecamp Classic, Basecamp 2, Basecamp 3, Egnyte, WebDAV.
Like the sound of cloudHQ? Click the button to find out more.
Important note
While Cloud storage managers are excellent for keeping on top of the data you’ve got stored online, if you’re using a lesser-known backup provider, you may find it hard to find an aggregator that supports it – so make sure to check before signing up! If you’re struggling to find support for your backup of choice, it’s also worth checking out other Cloud storage managers, such as OwnCloud, Carrot.DV and IFTTT.
Are Cloud storage managers secure?
As with all online backup solutions, we sadly can’t promise that using a Cloud storage manager doesn’t have a few risks attached. For one, it would be very easy for a storage provider to block an aggregator from accessing their accounts – particularly in the case of powerhouse companies like Google and Dropbox – leaving a big dent in your organisational strategy, even though you’ll still be able to access your files via providers’ own websites and apps).
The other question is whether or not using a Cloud storage manager will compromise the security of your files. Can the company access your data? Is it extra vulnerable to hacking, or interception? The answer to this varies from provider to provider, as each offers a different range of security measures – typically based on 256-bit AES encryption, and designed to help you control who can and can’t access your data.
So never fear – while some Cloud storage managers don’t currently offer encryption of their own, there are plenty out there that hand the power directly over to you!
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking for a simple way to keep track of backed up files, want to merge data between a few select accounts, or like the idea of making an extra backup of your files just in case, Cloud storage managers are a significantly underused resource just waiting to be snapped up. So if you’re juggling multiple providers and keep losing your place, sit back, pick a provider and enjoy the new sense of personal administrative calm.
Best Cloud Storage Manager Services – Summary
Rank | Company | Score | Price | Link |
1 | $0.99 / month | |||
2 | $4.99 / month | |||
3 | $20.00 / month | |||
4 | $5.60 / month | |||
5 | $9.90 / month |