Why can't I add to iTunes library from external hard drives?

Hello,

Is the amount of music data on the external drives more than your Mac's available storage? If so, the import settings could be the cause.

Change where your iTunes files are stored on Mac - Apple Support

"Add files to your library without adding them to your iTunes folder

When you add an item already on your computer to your iTunes library, iTunes places a copy of the file in your iTunes folder. The original file remains in its current location.

You can change this setting so that files are added to your iTunes library without being added to the iTunes folder. You might want to do this, for example, if you prefer to store video files on an external disk but still want to view them in iTunes.

1. In the iTunes app  on your Mac, choose iTunes > Preferences, then click Advanced.
2. Deselect the checkbox next to “Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library.”

From now on, when you drag a file to your library or choose File > Add to Library, the item appears in iTunes, but the actual file isn’t copied or moved.

Tip: You can temporarily reverse this setting by holding down the Option key while you drag files to the iTunes window."

I hope this helps.

Hmm,

The only other thing I can think of would be the library song limits. I don't know if this applies to an iTunes Library, like it does for an iCloud Music Library, but they can be combined, depending on which features you use.

Use iCloud Music Library on Mac - Apple Support

"In your iCloud Music Library, you can store:

• Up to 100,000 songs, not including songs (or music videos) purchased from the iTunes Store. Files must be a maximum of 200 MB."

Use iTunes and iCloud together on Mac - Apple Support

Maybe try creating a secondary library to see if that effects the ability to import the songs.

Use multiple iTunes libraries on Mac - Apple Support

"Use multiple iTunes libraries on Mac

You can have more than one iTunes library. For example, you could have a library of holiday music that wouldn’t appear in iTunes the rest of the year. Or you could keep your music in a library on your computer and your movies in a library on an external storage device."

See Repair security permissions for iTunes for Mac - Apple Community. Perhaps there is permissions issue?

What are your settings for Keep... & Copy... under iTunes > Preferences > Advanced?

What is the setting for the media folder?

tt2