iTunes: Display or Hide Left Sidebar

Posted by David Kirk in Apple Mac, Music, Windows

With recent updates to iTunes to version 11, Apple has hidden the left sidebar by default. However, you can re-display this through the following steps.

RP sent me the following question today:

After downloading iTunes 11 today, I noticed that the left sidebar with the listing of my media types, playlists, and shared libraries are missing. Can I get it back without reverting back to the older version of iTunes?

With the release of iTunes 11, Apple is moving away toward a more simple user interface which includes hiding the left sidebar. Most casual users of iTunes will benefit from this new more simplistic design.

itunes 11 without the left sidebar

However, many advanced features are most easily accessed through the left sidebar which can be displayed or hidden through the iTunes View menu.

select Show or Hide Sidebar from the View menu

With the sidebar re-enabled, the iTunes 11 user interface should be much more familiar. Your library listing with your music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, books, and apps will be in the upper left-hand corner of the sidebar. Access to the store, your shared libraries, genius mixes, and playlists are in the familiar locations in the sidebar as well.

example of itunes 11 with the left sidebar enabled

About David Kirk

David Kirk is one of the original founders of tech-recipes and is currently serving as editor-in-chief. Not only has he been crafting tutorials for over ten years, but in his other life he also enjoys taking care of critically ill patients as an ICU physician.
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4 Responses to “iTunes: Display or Hide Left Sidebar”

December 03, 2012 at 3:23 am, Mark Reichert said:

I miss the mighty big display of the album art on the top it is now too small. There have been issues with the songs getting stuck during play which can be most unpleasant. There maybe a problem with my PC? I will continue to monitor that and let you know.

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December 06, 2012 at 8:12 pm, sluggo said:

thanks
could not find it myself

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December 10, 2012 at 6:30 pm, Chris said:

Hmmm. While this does display the Sidebar, as soon as you close iTunes, it’s hidden again? Is there a way to default this to stay open?

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April 22, 2013 at 2:37 pm, John said:

Windows 8, iTunes 11. I turn on the SIDEBAR, but when I close iTunes, then open it again, the SIDEBAR is closed again. How can I have it always be there?

HELP!

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