Tip: Using The New Automatic Import Folder In iTunes 9

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iTunes 9 has neat little new feature: it will automatically import any music or videos you throw into a specific folder.

That folder is called “Automatically Add to iTunes”, and after installing iTunes 9 you’ll find it tucked away inside your “~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/” folder.

Anything you drag into it will be imported into iTunes immediately – and it’s worth noting that the original file (the one you put into the Automatic folder) promptly disappears afterwards. It doesn’t get trashed, but moved to the appropriate place inside the iTunes Music folder.

I’m slightly bemused about this folder’s location. It’s a bit, well, tucked away. If you move it elsewhere, the automatic import function stops working. It has to be inside the iTunes Music folder.

Still, now at least we know it’s there and we know what it does; perhaps there’s some scripting or Services potential to uncover. One benefit is that you no longer have to keep iTunes running to add new stuff to it, you can simply save files to this folder instead. The files will sit there until iTunes is next launched, and get processed then.

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