[5 Solutions] Easily Fix iTunes Error 3194 on Windows 10/11/8/7

Known as a multifunctional media platform available on Mac and Windows PC. It is an official tool enabling users to fully backup iPhone to a computer. However, users sometimes encounter the iTunes error 3194 while running a restoration or update of the firmware. Keep on reading, the following sections will explain the causes of this error 3194 and show you how to fix it on Windows 11/10/8/7 with step-by-step instructions.

What is iTunes error 3194?

According to Apple, when you see this error in iTunes on your computer, it means your computer is unable to communicate with Apple's software update server, which plays a decisive role in activating iOS during restoration or upgrade.

Don't worry, this is not a rare problem,  In the subsequent section, we have listed for you some practical tips on how to fix iTunes error 3194 on Windows PC/Mac.

5 solutions on how to fix iTunes error 3194 on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 PC

Here we give you 5 tips to fix this problem. You can try the following solutions one by one until it get fixed. Or you can directly refer to Solution 5, we will give you a powerful iTunes alternative to backup iPhone or transfer data between iPhone and PC, so you can avoid this iTunes error.

Solution 1. Update iTunes to the latest version

Once Error 3194 occurs in iTunes on your computer, the first thing you should try is to update iTunes to the latest version. Normally, it fails to communicate with Apple’s firmware server, if you are running an out-of-date version of iTunes.

Follow the following steps to update iTunes.

Open iTunes on your Windows 11/10/8/7 computer> go to Help on the Menu bar> go to Check for Updates.

Then it will check if your iTunes version is the latest, then follow the prompt to update iTunes if there’s an available version.

Please check out the following tips if the error still exists after updating iTunes.

Solution 2. Check TCP/IP filtering, security software, network

The iTunes error 3194 usually happens when there’re certain obstacles in the network connection and its configurations, as well as in firewalls or TCP/IP filtering blocking your device from accessing the update server.

Try next steps to clear away the latent obstacles that might cause the error:

1. Check if you have installed any security software like a firewall on your Windows PC, then temporarily uninstall or disable it.
2. Check the internet connection on your computer and make sure it’s working properly.
3. Disconnect from your router, whether wireless or wired, and connect your computer to the modem via Ethernet.
4. Restart your computer and modem.

Solution 3. Check hosts files on Windows PC/Mac

If your device still has problems contacting Apple’s update server even after you’ve checked that the internet connection works properly, then try the following steps to edit the hosts file on your computer to fix this error.   

On Windows 10/8/7 computer

Step 1: Press the Windows key> type Notepad in the search field.

Step 2: Right-click Notepad and Run as administrator.

Step 3: Open File from Notepad, open the file: c:\Windows\System32\etc\hosts

Step 4: Select Text Documents (*txt) in the bottom-right > change it to All Files.

Step 5: Open the file hosts.Step 6: Look up the entry “74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com” at the bottom of the text and add a “#” symbol in front of the entry as in the image below:

If there isn’t an entry “74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com” at the bottom of the text, then enter this entry at the bottom of the text.

Step 7: Click File> Save in Notepad> close the text editor> restart Windows.

Note: if you still run into the iTunes error 3194 after all these attempts, try adding these three entries to the hosts file as shown in the image below:

#74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com

#127.0.0.1 gs.apple.com

#74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com

Step 1: Quit iTunes> choose Applications in the Finder> Utilities.

Step 2: Open the Terminal program> enter the command:

sudu nano /private/etc/hosts and hit Return:

Step 3: Enter the password you use to log onto your computer and press Return.

Step 4: Look up the entry “gs.apple.com” in the host file.

Step 5: Add the # sign followed by a space (“# “) to the beginning of the entry “gs.apple.com”.

Step 6: Press Ctrl + O to save the file> close the Terminal program> restart your Mac.

Solution 4. Restore or update from another computer

If none of these above-mentioned tips fix this error, try use another computer to update or restore your IOS devices. There might not be too much chance of success in such solution, however, at least it can help to find out whether the computer is the cause of the issue.

Solution 5. Turn to iTunes alternative to backup and restore iPhone

If the iTunes error 3194 is still there after trying all the methods above, you can turn to the alternative tool named FoneTool. It is a powerful and popular iOS backup and transfer tool as well as iPhone/iPad data manager.

Compared with iTunes, FoneTool simplify all the process. Thanks to intuitive interface design, anyone can easily handle the backup and manage iPhone data by following the prompts.  

Main features of FoneTool
►Backup and restore iPhone: Fully or selectively backup iPhone to computer. 
►Transfer iPhone data: You can easily transfers photos, videos, contacts, etc from iPhone and PC or from PC to iPhone.

Next, you can download and install this software. We take backup iPhone as an example to show you how to use this tool.

Part 1. Backup all iPhone to PC with FoneTool

Step 1: Launch FoneTool > connect your iPhone to computer with a USB cable and tap Trust.

Step 2: Click “Phone Backup” in left pane, and choose Full Backup. Click Get Started.

Tip: If you need to transfer data between iPhone and PC, you can choose Phone Transfer on the interface.

Step 3: Enable backup encryption> select a storage path> click “Start Backup”.

After full backup you will enter the Backup History. When you need to restore the backup, you can restore the full backup to your iPhone.

Part 2. Selectively backup iPhone to PC with FoneTool

Step 1: Open FoneTool and connect your iPhone to computer with a USB cable.

Step 2: Click “Selective Backup” to select your backup contents.

Step 3: Click the “+” icon to select the contents you want and click OK to continue.

Step 4: Choose a storage path> click “Start Backup” at the bottom right corner.

After selective backup you will enter the Backup History interface, from which you can find your previous backup and restore specific items to your iPhone by clicking the icons in the menu.

Conclusion

This article first covers a brief explanation for the possible causes of the iTunes error 3194 and then introduces 5 practical tips on how to fix this error. It also offers an iTunes alternative for iTunes backup---FoneTool, an efficient and secure iPhone data transfer and management tool. Besides, it is more than a backup and restore tool, it also enables iPhone to iPhone data transfer, HEIC converter, and iPhone erase.