iTunes is the digital media player that Apple produced to organize and play digital music and video files. It is also an interface that manages the digital media store on the Apple iPad, iPhone, and iPod. The iTunes player is automatically interfaced to the Apple store where users can rent or buy movies to add to their iTunes library. The player can also add movies to the library that is already stored on a personal computer. A common task for iTunes users is adding movies to the player.

How to Add Movies Already on the Computer to iTunes

Step 1 – Start the iTunes application on the computer by double clicking the program icon.

Step 2 – Choose the “File” and “Add to Library” menu choices.

Step 3 – Use the “File Chooser” to locate the folder(s) on the computer that contains movies. Common locations for these files include “My Videos” and “My Documents.”

Step 4 – Press and hold the “CTRL” button, then select the movies to be added to the iTunes library. Click “Ok.” Alternately, drag the movies from the Windows File Explorer to the open iTunes window to add them to the iTunes library.

How to Add Movies to iTunes from the iTunes Store

Step 1 – Open the iTunes player on the computer.

Step 2 – Select the iTunes store menu icon on the left hand side of the iTunes window.

Step 3 – Sign into the iTunes account if not automatically logged in when loading iTunes. If there is no iTunes account, follow the instructions to create one.

Step 4 – Choose the “Videos” menu link on the store’s main page, which gives a list of movies that can be rented or bought. Included in the library are popular television shows and children’s cartoons.

Step 5 – Choose the movies or shows to add to the iTunes library. The iTunes application will then prompt the user to confirm his/her Apple account password before proceeding with the movie purchase/rental.

How to Rip DVDs to iTunes

Due to legal reasons, iTunes does not provide users with a DVD ripping method. However, there are a number of third party applications that rip a DVD to a computer and then transfer the file to iTunes, where it can be synchronized with an iPod or another Apple device. For example, if someone inserts a DVD into a disk tray, he/she can open Windows Media Player and select the Rip tab from the top of the window. He/she can then select the disk that he/she wishes to rip as well as the location the DVD should be ripped to, if not the Windows Media Player library, and click on “Rip” to begin the process.

Converting DVD Files

Once a DVD has been ripped to a computer, the user may wish to convert the DVD file into a more accessible format. This can be done with DVD conversion software such as ConvertXtoDVD, ImTOO DVD Ripper, or Xilisoft Video Converter. For example, if someone wishes to place a file on an iPod or another Apple device, he/she must convert the file into an MP4 file. This file can then be dragged into the iTunes library or added by browsing. Once the file is placed in the iTunes library, the user can synchronize the library with his/her iPod or another portable device and have access to the file.

Organize DVD files in iTunes

If you simply wish to keep a DVD file in iTunes or store a copy of the file, you may organize the file in a variety of ways. For example, iTunes allows users to organize files by name, size, format, genre, and date. iTunes also allows users to add a description to each file so that it may be recognized, even if a similar file exists.