Using multiple iPods with one computer

Many families have more than one iPod in the home, and some individuals own more than one player for different functions (an iPod shuffle for jogging; an iPod touch for commuting, and so on). No problem: you can sync more than one iPod to the same computer.

Every iPod has a unique ID, so iTunes has no problem telling your player from your thirteen-year-old's. But there are some things you can do to make all your music transfers smooth and hassle-free:

• Give each iPod its own name, so you don't confuse the players. (Unless you don't mind accidentally loading your iPod with the Jonas Brothers, while your daughter gets stuck with your Miles Davis playlist.) Naming an iPod is easy: just select the player from the iTunes Source list at the left side of the screen, and type in the new name.
• Unless all the iPods in your household boast enough memory to store your entire music library, you'll probably want to set at least one to allow you to add songs manually. See our discussion on updating music manually for instructions. Fortunately, each iPod retains its own set of preferences, so you can have iTunes automatically update your 120GB iPod, but only transfer a specific playlist to your 8GB iPod touch.

Using one iPod with multiple computers

Chances are good that you've got a computer at home and one at work, both with iTunes. Or maybe you've got a couple of computers at home. Either way, if you want to sync your iPod to more than one computer, it's simple to do. Here are some tips:

• Song management. On at least one computer, you'll probably want to set iTunes to let you manually update the songs on your iPod (see our tips about updating music manually below). This will keep each computer's version of iTunes from overwriting all your music files every time you sync your iPod.
• Switching between Mac and Windows. When you first get your iPod, you can format it for either a Mac or a Windows PC; it's not designed to switch from one to the other. You can re-format it, but that erases all the music from the iPod.
• Moving songs between computers. Apple makes it easy to transfer music to your iPod, but doesn't allow you to move songs in the other direction. Fortunately, there's a workaround — particularly handy if you want to move your iTunes library to a new computer.
  • Configure iTunes for manual management of songs (see instructions below).
  • When your iPod is selected in iTunes' Source menu, check the gauge at the bottom of the window to make sure it is at least half empty. If not, delete some music from your iPod.
  • Under the Advanced menu, select Consolidate Library. When iTunes asks you if you want to consolidate your music, click Consolidate.
  • Quit iTunes.
  • Navigate to the iTunes folder in your Music directory. Drag it to your iPod to copy it.
  • Connect your iPod to the new computer, and copy the iTunes folder from your iPod to the new computer's Music folder. When iTunes starts up, it should locate your music library.

Updating music manually

Many people find that their computer hard drive is the perfect place to store their entire music library — more than they could possibly fit onto their iPod. Others want to use their iPod with more than one computer — for instance, one at home and one at work. Still others simply want close control over the songs that get loaded onto their iPod.

If you're one of these people, you can set iTunes to let you hand-pick the music you transfer to your iPod. And manually managing your music is simple; just follow these steps.

• Select your iPod from the iTunes Source list (on the left side of the iTunes window).
• Click the iPod Options button on the bottom right corner of the iTunes window. (It's the square button with a picture of an iPod on it.)
• When the iPod dialog box pops up, it lets you choose "Automatically updated selected playlists" or "Manually manage songs and playlists."
  • "Automatically updated selected playlists" lets you choose the playlist(s) you want to load onto your iPod. Any music on your iPod will be replaced with the music in the iTunes playlist(s) you select.
  • "Manually manage songs and playlists" lets you hand-pick songs to transfer to your iPod.
  • Select the option you want and click "OK."
• If you opted to manually manage songs and playlists, simply select the song (or songs) you want, and drag it over to the iPod in the iTunes Source list at left. You can even transfer a playlist by dragging and dropping it onto the iPod icon.

When you manage your music manually, your iTunes music library and your iPod library are no longer identical. There are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• You can listen to music stored on your iPod through iTunes and your computer, but you can't transfer songs from the iPod to iTunes.
• You can delete a song from your iPod through iTunes. Just select the iPod from the iTunes source list. To the right, the iPod's music library appears. Select a song and press the Delete key. When iTunes asks you if you're sure, click Yes.

If you ever want to switch back to automatically updating your iPod, just follow the steps above, selecting "Automatically update all songs and playlists" or "Automatically updated selected playlists," instead of "Manually manage songs and playlists." Just remember that automatic updating replaces the songs on your iPod with the songs in iTunes.