Review: CopyTrans TuneSwift automates iTunes chores

Whether you’re upgrading computers or just doing a little digital housekeeping, you’ll need to move or backup your iTunes media library. You could do it manually, or you could save yourself plenty of headaches and hassle and use CopyTrans TuneSwift instead. This $15 application automates the process and handles all the heavy lifting for you. CopyTrans TuneSwift installs as part of WindSolutions’s CopyTrans Suite, which includes several different applications for managing various parts of your iOS experience, such as CopyTrans Contacts and CopyTrans Photo. While it’s called a suite, you purchase the applications you want individually. All of the applications include a free demo version; you can try any of them and buy the ones you like. TuneSwift does not, however, offer any functionality in its free version. You can open it and view the interface, but you can’t use any of its features until you pay for a license.

TuneSwift is simple to use, and its interface is straightforward. Launch the program, and it asks you whether you want to backup, restore, or transfer your iTunes Library. The options are as simple as they sound: backup creates a file that you can later use to restore iTunes should any problems arise, restore lets you fix problems (provided you already have a backup created), and transfer lets you move your iTunes installation to another location, such as a new computer or an external drive. Once you make your selection, TuneSwift walks you through the entire process, as it helps you select locations for storing backups and transferring libraries. (Note that it will delete the contents of your iTunes library from its original location if you decide to transfer it, so creating a backup is always a good first step.) Despite its name, TuneSwift isn’t exactly swift: it took a couple of hours to back up my iTunes library of more than 16,000 files. And it slowed my Windows 7 PC to a crawl in the process. But it worked exactly as advertised, both when I backed up my iTunes library and when I transferred it to an external drive. TuneSwift may not be swift, but if you need to clean up or move your iTunes installation, its ease of use will help you overlook its flaws.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page will download the software to your system.