The .itl file type is primarily recorded to be associated with iTunes from Apple Inc. and an .itl file is commonly referred to as an iTunes Library File.
Purpose of the .itl file extension
An .itl file is used for organizing files in the iTunes music library and consists of the following data:
- Entire list of songs present in the iTunes library
- All Playlists created by the user
- User?s ratings for each song
- User?s comments for each song
In case the iTunes library file is deleted, iTunes recreates the file by seeking ?songs in the Music folder, but other data, such as playlists, song?s ratings, and user?s comments will be lost.
.itl file location
On a Windows computer, the .itl file is typically located at:
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl
On a Macintosh computer, the .itl file is typically located at:
/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library
As can be seen, the Mac version of iTunes Library file does not use the file extension .itl. However, both Macintosh and Windows save a file, named ?iTunes Music Library.xml?. The main purpose of this file is to make music and user?s playlists available to other applications, such as iMovie.
The name of iTunes library files belonging to iTunes versions before iTunes 4.9 was ?iTunes 4 Music Library? for Macintosh and ?iTunes 4 Music Library.itl? for Windows.
What happens when you upgrade iTunes?
When you upgrade iTunes, the existing iTunes library is also upgraded to the new format. A copy of the old library file is saved in a folder, named ?Previous iTunes Libraries?. In case everything went fine during iTunes upgradation, then you can safely delete the older iTunes library files as you would not be requiring them anymore.
Name of the program that can open an .itl file
Both in Windows, as well as Macintosh, you can open an .itl file only with iTunes.
Receiving a file type error while opening an .itl file in Windows? ? How to fix the issue
As mentioned above, .itl files can only be opened using iTunes, so first check to see if you have iTunes installed on your computer. In case iTunes is present and is not corrupted then a plausible cause of the error could be damaged file openers. To fix this issue and view the .itl file, use a reliable file extension repair program.