Find The Download Manager Again In iTunes 11 [OS X Tips]

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Tunes 11 Downloads Manager

Look, iTunes 11, I love you and all, but where’s all my stuff? First I needed to figure out the Up Next thing, retool my Search habits, figure out how to make a Genius playlist again, and now I can’t even find the Downloads window. What gives?

If you’re in the same boat, we’re here to help. If you have re-enabled the Sidebar, you’ll notice that there’s no way to click on Downloads any more. Even when there’s a download happening. Here’s the thing: the Downloads window will never be there. iTunes 11 has moved it. Here’s how to find it again.

Don’t bother looking for the Downloads window in any of the menus. It isn’t there. Nope. The only way to get to it, oddly enough, is when you’re actually downloading something. Odd, right?

Anyway, to test this out, find a free TV show or something, and get it downloading. You’ll notice a new little arrow, facing downward, showing up in the upper right corner of your (maximized) iTunes 11 window. It won’t show up in the mini-player.

Click on that arrow icon and you’ll get the Downloads window, complete with the ability to sort by kind, name, or status. You can use the buttons at the bottom of the Downloads window to Pause all the downloaded items, allow or disallow simultaneous downloads, or click on yet another downward-facing arrow to check for available downloads that are probably actually downloading at the same time, which is so comprehensive it’s almost redundant. Once your download is finished, the Downloads window stays up. Once you close it, however, it’s game over until you start a new download. Why? I don’t know. Because Apple, that’s why.

Anyway, now you can get to the Downloads Manager, manage your downloads, and do the things you’ve always done with them. Like watch that little blue line slowly crawl across your screen. I wonder how much of my life I’ve actually spent, cumulatively, staring at progress bars like that. I probably don’t want to know.

Via: CNET

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