5 Tips to Make iTunes 11 Look Normal Again
Nov 29, 2012 – 69 Comments

So you got iTunes 11, launched it for the first time, and now you’re wondering
where everything is and why it looks so different? You’re not alone, any time an
apps user interface is redesigned it’s sure to leave some people confused as
things are switched around, hidden, and adjusted. If you’re a creature of habit
like me, you’ll want to make iTunes look “normal” again, that is, more familiar
to what we’ve long become accustomed to with the past versions, and here are
five simple tricks to do just that.
Show All Your Music Again by Sorting by “Songs” Instead of Albums
The new album view looks cool and all, but it can make it harder to browse music
because it shows less music on screen. This is a super easy one to change, just
click the “Songs” tab across the top and you’ll see a familiar list of music
again. Phew!

Show Sidebar to See Playlists, iPhones, iPads, and the iTunes Store
This is probably the most important thing to change immediately, because for
whatever reason Apple hid the sidebar by default and if you’re accustomed to
seeing it all the time, that’s really silly. Showing the iTunes sidebar again is
simple, and you’ll immediately be able to see all your playlists, iOS devices,
and other stuff again:
From iTunes, pull down the “View” menu and select “Show Sidebar”

Show Status Bar & How Many Songs in iTunes Library Again
The status bar in iTunes tells you how many songs are in a library, what the
playtime is, and how much space it takes up. This is useful knowledge
particularly if you’re trying to stuff an album or two onto a pretty full iPod
or iPhone. Showing the status bar again is easy:
Pull down the “View” menu and select “Show Status Bar”

Show Podcasts Again
If you subscribe to podcasts in iTunes and listen to them frequently, you
probably want quick and easy access to them from the sidebar. You’ll have to
check this option in the preferences:
Open iTunes Preferences and click on the “General” tab
Check the box next to “Podcasts” under Library

Lose the Color Scheming in Album View
iTunes 11 changes the background color of the display window depending on album
artwork. If you prefer your UI’s to be nice and simple, disabling that feature
is easy:
Open iTunes Preferences and choose on the “General” tab
Uncheck the box next to “Use custom colors for open albums, movies, etc”