'Update Music Library Now' doesn't do anything

  • 5 September 2018
  • 22 replies
  • 6934 views

I use the Sonos Controller from a PC with the latest Sonos update installed.
I have all my music stored on a NAS drive.
What I usually do is update the iTunes library with new tracks and then go 'Update Music Library Now' so I can see my music available in Sonos.
Problem is that whenever I press on the 'Update Music Library Now' option, nothing happens i.e. the indexing doesn't start.
Only solution I found so far is to force Sonos to re-index the entire music folder by removing the music folder from the Music Library Settings and add it again. Works but not very elegant...
Note that the 'Update Music Library Now' option is NOT grayed out i.e. option is active but it doesn't initiate the indexing process.
Needless to say that the NAS drive is visible and has the permissions wide open.
Using the same exact Sonos setup, the 'Update Music Library Now' option used to work like a charm for years but for some reason it's no longer working since the last Sonos update.
I would like to avoid removing and adding the music folder every time I update iTunes library with new music.

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22 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Start the update just like you normally do and when it fails send a diagnostic to Sonos and post the number here for the Sonos staff to look at.
Userlevel 7
Badge +20
I use the Sonos Controller from a PC with the latest Sonos update installed.
I have all my music stored on a NAS drive.
What I usually do is update the iTunes library with new tracks and then go 'Update Music Library Now' so I can see my music available in Sonos.
Problem is that whenever I press on the 'Update Music Library Now' option, nothing happens i.e. the indexing doesn't start.
Only solution I found so far is to force Sonos to re-index the entire music folder by removing the music folder from the Music Library Settings and add it again. Works but not very elegant...
Note that the 'Update Music Library Now' option is NOT grayed out i.e. option is active but it doesn't initiate the indexing process.
Needless to say that the NAS drive is visible and has the permissions wide open.
Using the same exact Sonos setup, the 'Update Music Library Now' option used to work like a charm for years but for some reason it's no longer working since the last Sonos update.
I would like to avoid removing and adding the music folder every time I update iTunes library with new music.


Hi Chivor,

Welcome to the community. Can you try updating your music library, then send in a diagnostic report? Reply with the confirmation number and I'll take a look.
Using the PC Controller, I pressed on the 'Update Music Library Now' option
Option didn't trigger the indexing (as expected)
I then submitted support diagnostics. Confirmation number is: 647989221
By the way: the 'Update Music Library Now' option works fine when used from the Sonos Controller installed on my iPhone i.e. Sonos indexing starts
Problem seems to be related to the PC version of the Controller.
Userlevel 7
Badge +20
Using the PC Controller, I pressed on the 'Update Music Library Now' option
Option didn't trigger the indexing (as expected)
I then submitted support diagnostics. Confirmation number is: 647989221
By the way: the 'Update Music Library Now' option works fine when used from the Sonos Controller installed on my iPhone i.e. Sonos indexing starts
Problem seems to be related to the PC version of the Controller.


Thanks for the report. While I don't see any obvious reason for this behavior, I do see a rather large amount of wireless interference. Try changing the wireless channel your system is using. This should improve communication between components and controllers, and may help with the indexing command from your computer.
Thanks for the swift reply! I hadn't thought about the wireless channel - I will give it a go.
But again:
1) I noticed this weird behavior since the installation of the last Sonos update on my PC (a few days ago)
2) The indexing command from the iPhone Controller works perfectly in my home wireless environment - that's the solution I use now to synchronize the Sonos library with the iTunes library
3) As far as I know, nothing has changed in my home wireless environment lately
Will send an update on the behavior after changing the wireless channel
If practical, temporarily wiring the PC to the router would confirm whether it was a wireless issue.
As suggested I wired the PC to the router. Here are my observations:
1) The indexing command did work on my very first attempt
2) It did not work on all subsequent attempts, even after updating the iTunes library with additional music
3) I noticed that the indexing command starts automatically upon... submitting diagnostics!
I submitted diagnostics 2 times and I noticed that this action triggered the indexing.
Last diagnostics confirmation number is 1510315995

I guess this test rules out a wireless issue.
Any other ideas?
Userlevel 7
Badge +20
As suggested I wired the PC to the router. Here are my observations:
1) The indexing command did work on my very first attempt
2) It did not work on all subsequent attempts, even after updating the iTunes library with additional music
3) I noticed that the indexing command starts automatically upon... submitting diagnostics!
I submitted diagnostics 2 times and I noticed that this action triggered the indexing.
Last diagnostics confirmation number is 1510315995

I guess this test rules out a wireless issue.
Any other ideas?


That is strange. Please try adding some new music to the share, then update the music library using the desktop controller, then immediately submit a diagnostic report and reply with the confirmation number. I'll take a look to see if I can tell what's going on behind the scenes.

To be thorough, you can try submitting the report from a different controller.
Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the controller?
By uninstalling I guess you mean using this option: Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features (am on Windows 7)
No, I haven't tried uninstalling/reinstalling the Controller. But is this going to erase my Sonos Favorites and my Sonos Playlists? I have created these playlists directly from my Sonos library and the last thing I want is to have to recreate them from scratch after reinstalling the Controller!
Is there anything I need to pay attention to while uninstalling/reinstalling the Controller? Thanks.
Everything is stored on the players. You will lose nothing by uninstalling and reinstalling the controller. When you are given the choice, choose 'connect to existing system', not set up a new system. There isn't much logic to the reinstall, as in theory it gets you back to the same place.... but it does sometimes help. You might even try the old favourite of rebooting your PC!
My PC is actually a laptop, so I shutdown and reboot 4-5 times a day in average.
I will do the uninstall/reinstall and post the result.
I have uninstalled/reinstalled (nothing was lost by the way!).
In the Advanced Settings, I also changed SonosNet Channel from Channel 6 to Channel 11
Still, I cannot see the usual "indexing..." message displayed while updating the Sonos library.
However, Sonos does perform the indexing as all the updates done in iTunes are eventually reflected in the Sonos library.
Also I noticed that the indexing was sometimes (rarely) automatically triggered when opening the Music Library Settings > Advanced tab. Not sure what triggers that behavior.
I also confirm that the indexing command is always executed when ran from the iPhone Controller, regardless if the Sonos index is up-to-date or not.
In conclusion:
1) When used from the PC, the behavior of the indexing command is weird - it's like if the indexing was performed silently
2) When used from the iPhone, indexing is always performed when running the option, regardless if the Sonos index is up-to-date or not
This is not 100% perfect but the indexing seems to work from the PC and in the worst case, I know I can always run it successfully from the iPhone.
Thanks for your support - really appreciate that.
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
Hi, I have the same issue. Can not update the index from my PC or even Android. This happened after I updated a few days ago to version 9.1 where Sonos required that I go througfh the process os having all my Sonos components scanned.

Have you found a permament solution?
Hi - no, I just gave up on using the PC controller to update the index - drove me crazy for a while. The index update seems to work as expected from the iPhone. Not the most elegant solution but it does the job.
I too cannot access ANY of my music AND cannot index any of my music even after reinstalling....
I would recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this issue, and either post the number here, or contact Sonos Support to discuss it. I tend to suggest the phone folks, they have more tools available, but are only available during business hours. Both the Twitter and Facebook support folks are available 24/7.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.
Sigh. Hit "reply" too quickly, and the Forum's response right now is too slow to allow me to edit...

Beyond what I said in that previous post, in most (maybe all?) cases of not being able to "see" the library, the issue turns out to be either a firewall or a virus protection program blocking the ability of the Sonos speakers to actually reach the location that you're entering.

Sonos has an FAQ or two about firewall settings, depending on what kind you have. But if you have neither a firewall or a virus protection program working, then that diagnostic will be a big assistance, as it will show Sonos what's blocking the speaker from getting to the location you're indicating.

Again, the phone lines would be closed now for the weekend (except maybe in Australia?), so I'd go with either Twitter or Facebook, unless you want to wait until Monday, when the Community Moderators would be able to look at the diagnostic.
Well, color me surprised. Two days later I can play music from my Cell. Not sure what I did or what changed but can now access the music....
I'm going to hazard a guess that you have some sort of wifi interference in your system, which was keeping the speakers/cellphone from communicating properly. But it's hard to tell. That's the only thing I can think of that would magically "fix" itself.
Can SONOS answer please.
today I was unable to use the "from this iPad " facility.
if this is as per the SONOS alert?
what can I do now to play my iTunes from my iPad on my speaker?
A friend of mine was going to purchase a SONOS speaker from a major retailer in the U.K. And was told nothing about the potential failing regarding using a speaker from his iPad/iPod.
Please can you guys update us and the retailers.

Triumph22
Userlevel 7
Badge +17
@Triumph22 More about your question here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/2922?language=en_US

To eleborate a bit (in this topic it seems Off topic to me): not all Sonos speakers are affected by the removal of this feature. If your friend has bought a Sonos One, he can use Airplay 2 from his iPhone.