[Solved] Top 3 iTunes Windows 10 Problems and Solutions

iTunes not working

I installed iTunes in my Windows 10 PC to enable me to transfer music to my iPhone 7 and this seemed to work fine at first. However, it has now frozen and I can neither copy tracks to the phone nor delete them using iTunes. Has anybody got any ideas as to what could be going wrong here?

- Question from Apple Community

iTunes once be designed to help users sync files between Windows PC and Apple devices. However, things didn’t work well as people had expected. Various iTunes Windows 10 problems sprang up, ranging from failing to sync to installation problems.

• Part 1. Solve "can't install/update iTunes on Windows 10" problem

• Part 2. Fix "iTunes won't open/start on Windows 10" issue

• Part 3. Fix "iTunes freezes on Windows 10" problem

• Bonus: An iTunes alternative to transfer music easily

• Conclusion

In this passage, we will elaborate on some possible solutions to troubleshoot the 3 most common iTunes problems on Windows 10, as well as on Windows 8, 7 computers.

Common solutions to troubleshoot iTunes Windows 10 problems

Before any specific solutions, you can try some common methods to see if your problem can be solved.

• Restart iTunes or/and Windows 10 computer. Go to Task Manager and end the process of any iTunes-related programs except iTunes itself. Then restart the computer if it’s necessary and launch iTunes again.
• Re-download and re-install the latest version of iTunes on Windows 10. Before that, you should uninstall iTunes and other Apple software components like Apple Application Support, Apple Mobile Device Support, Apple Software Update and Bonjour.

If the iTunes problems still remain on Windows 10, you can go further to try other methods below.

Solve the “can’t install/update iTunes on Windows 10” problem

If you have problem installing iTunes on Windows 10, you may receive a message which says Apple Application Support was not found. Error 2( Windows error 2) like the picture shown below. Disconnect your Apple device to computer and try the two methods below.

Method 1. Disable Firewall or anti-virus software
When you are installing iTunes on Windows 10, you may stop from using iTunes because of running firewall or anti-virus software. Thus, you’d better turn off iTunes and disable any firewall or anti-virus software. Because each piece of software has its own set of steps and processes, it’s best to familiarize yourself with your anti-virus program’s settings and then follow them.

Method 2. Run iTunes with administrative privileges
If you have downloaded the latest version of iTunes and it doesn’t work, you can run iTunes with administrative privileges. The steps are pretty simple. Right-click on iTunes setup file > Choose Run as administrator > Follow on-screen instructions to make it. Now, you can try to use iTunes normally.

Fix “iTunes won’t open/start on Windows 10” issue

Many people complained that after they updated to Windows 10, the latest iTunes couldn’t open. If you have the same issue, follow methods below to get rid of it.

Method 1. Launch iTunes in safe mode
Open iTunes in safe mode is the simplest way you can do if your iTunes has problem in opening on Windows 10. Safe mode helps protect iTunes from all third-party plug-ins that may stop iTunes from working well.

To open iTunes in safe mode, you can press both CTRL and SHIFT key while you double click on the iTunes icon. If your iTunes can work well in safe mode, you should remove all non-Apple external plug-ins and try to launch into iTunes again normally.

Method 2. Delete the existing iTunes library
If there is a corrupt library file for your iTunes, it may keep you away from launching into iTunes. Thus, you need to delete the existing library and create a new one. Tutorials are as follow.

Step 1. Go to C Drive (C:)\Users\username\My Music\iTunes\

Step 2. Locate iTunes Music Library.xml and iTunes Library.itl and delete both of them.

Step 3. Launch the iTunes app and it will build a fresh library file for you.

Part 3. Fix “iTunes freezes on Windows 10” problem

If your iTunes freezes on Windows 10 when you open iTunes, connect your device to computer, sync music etc, You can try these methods.

Method 1. Run iTunes as an administrator or in safe mode.
We have mentioned both methods above and indeed, it can solve most of your iTunes problems. If your iTunes freezes on Windows for unknown reasons, why don’t you try these methods.

Method 2. Disable Auto-Synchronization
Auto-sync, which is used to check for any changes and then sync to iTunes from your devices, will use your system resources in the background if it is enabled for the iTunes. Therefore, it may cause iTunes freezes on Windows 10. Follow steps below to disable Auto-Synchronization.

Step 1. Launch iTunes and go to Edit menu > Click on Preference and a dialog box will pop-up.

Step 2. On the dialog box, choose the Device tab > Click on the Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically and click OK.

Bonus: Manage media files on iOS devices with the best iTunes alternative

iTunes brings people convenience to sync music between computers and Apple devices. However, your patience will be run out soon when searching for solutions to fix iTunes problems. Now, I’d like to recommend you FoneTool, a professional iOS data backup and transfer tool to transfer music to save your time and avoid iTunes problems.

Compared with iTunes, FoneTool has several features and advantages, including
★ A preview and selective process. You can preview and select files when you backup and restore your device.
★ A simpler interface and design. You can enjoy a clear interface and simple clicks to perform your backup and transfer.
★ A faster transfer speed. It won’t take your much time to transfer files via FoneTool. For example, it can transfer 1000 songs in 9 mins 13 s.
★ More types of files can be transferred. Besides music, context, messages, photos can also be shared between computer and your Apple devices. You can also transfer videos from iPhone to computer, which iTunes cannot offer you.
★ A wide compatibility: It works well with iPhone 4, 6, 7, 8, SE, 12/13/14, iPod Touch 5, 6, 7, 8, iPad, iPad pro, iPad mini. Besides, it is also compatible with the latest iOS, like iOS 16/15.

Click the icon below to download FoneTool, then have a try.

Let’s start to transfer music from iPhone to computer.

Step 1. Launch FoneTool > Connect your iPhone to computer > Tap Trust this computer on your iPhone.

Step 2. On the Home screen, click Phone Transfer on the left pane, and move the mouse to iPhone to PC. Click Start Transfer.

Step 3. Click the “+” icon > Choose the music you want > Click OK to continue.

Step 4. Click Transfer Settings to choose a storage path as you like > Click Start Transfer to start.

To transfer music from computer to iPhone, for example, transfer music from CD to iPhone, you can utilize its PC to iPhone function to transfer wanted songs directly.

FoneTool is also one of the best iTunes alternatives for iPhone backup and restore. The Full Backup function backs up everything on your iPhone like what you used to do in iTunes. To some degree, FoneTool overweighs iTunes becuase you can also backup iPhone to PC selectively using its Selective Backup function.

Conclusion

Hopefully, your iTunes Windows 10 problems can be solved after reading this passage. Please take into account the iTunes alternative we mentioned when you can’t get rid of iTunes issues. For any questions, please feel free to contact us.