iTunes is developed and maintained by one of the most trustworthy tech companies in the world, which means that you can usually rely on the app working as intended. But usually doesn’t mean always. As with any piece of software, iTunes also encounters the occasional hiccup that prevents it from running properly. Errors where iTunes won’t open for one reason or another are more common than you might think and can happen on both Mac and Windows. Luckily, there are ways of fixing these problems and we’re going to talk about some of the most common solutions in this article.

Part 1: Solutions to iTunes Won't Open

Try Running iTunes in Safe Mode

This first solution is pretty straightforward but seems to work for a lot of users. One of the reasons why iTunes won’t open on Mac or Windows could be related to incompatible plugins, which you’ll need to uninstall. Unfortunately, that’s actually easier said than done when you can’t even launch iTunes so your best bet is to try running it in Safe Mode.

solution to itunes won't open

If you’re a Mac user, press and hold the Option and Command keys together and then launch the app. The process works similar on Windows but you’ll need to press and hold the CTRL and Shift keys instead. Under normal circumstances, you’ll now see a message letting you know that “iTunes is running in Safe Mode. Visual programs you have installed have been temporarily disabled.” If this message pops up simply uninstall all iTunes related plugins from your computer and then try running the app again. If iTunes won’t open even after trying this, you’ll probably want to try one of the other methods.

 

Disconnect Your Computer from the Internet

Another reason why iTunes might not work as intended could be related to the app’s failure to communicate with some of Apple’s services. If iTunes cannot be opened while it is being updated that’s almost certainly the cause but the problem can also occur after an update. In order to rule out this possibility, you’ll need to run the app while being disconnected from the internet. Depending on how you’re connected, you’ll need to unplug your Ethernet cable or switch off your Wi-Fi router. Or both if necessary. If the app is working afterward you likely found the problem so make sure to update all your drivers after restarting your internet connection and then try again to see if iTunes still won’t open.

solution to itunes won't open

 

Configure your Firewall

Your firewall should allow iTunes to connect to the internet by default under normal circumstances but there are cases when it might not recognize the app for one reason or another and block it from accessing Apple’s services. When that happens, it’s entirely possible that iTunes won’t open at all and you’ll need to manually configure the firewall and allow the app to pass through. This issue is very uncommon on Mac since both MacOS and iTunes are Apple products but problems like this happen with a lot of apps on Windows, including iTunes. Follows the steps below to ensure that the Windows firewall isn’t blocking iTunes.

solution to itunes won't open

1. If you’re using Windows 10 go straight to the search bar and type in “Firewall”. Either click on “Allow an app through Windows Firewall” if it shows up in the search results or click on “Windows Defender Firewall” and then find this option in the upper left corner of the control panel. If you’re using an older version, simply go to the Control Panel -> System and Security and you’ll be taken to a very similar menu.

2. Click the Change Settings button and then look for iTunes in the list and make sure you tick both the Private and Public Networks boxes. Now look for another app called Bonjour but this time only tick the box that allows it to pass through Private Networks.

3. If iTunes won’t open and you can’t find it or Bonjour in the list you might be facing another issue but don’t worry because you can add either of them manually if needed. Click the “Add another app” button and then hit “Browse” to navigate to the iTunes installation folder, which by default is located under C:\Program Files\iTunes. If it’s not there, right-click on the iTunes shortcut on your desktop and then select Proprieties -> Shortcut to see where the app was installed.

4. Finally, click OK to see if iTunes works properly now.

 

Reinstall iTunes/Restart Your Computer

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective ones. If iTunes won’t open on Windows or Mac even after trying the methods above try restarting your computer and if the problems still persist, try reinstalling iTunes. If all else fails, it might be worth reinstalling your whole operating system as that usually fixes any software-related issues you might have. Reinstalling your OS can be a bit of a hassle, though, so make sure to try all the other methods first.

 

Part 2: How to Remove DRM Protections from iTunes Files

It’s definitely annoying when iTunes won’t open but things could be even worse. You could buy a whole bunch of songs and movies from iTunes and then not be able to use them because of Apple’s DRM technology, FairPlay. Well, real fair play would be to allow you to use the things you buy for whatever you want, which is why DVDFab DRM Removal for Apple was invented. With this iTunes DRM removal tool, and you can freely enjoy your music and movies on any of your compatible devices, including those not manufactured by Apple. The tool is fast, efficient, and capable of preserving the video and audio quality of the original while removing the DRM so you don’t have to worry about a drop in quality after the conversion. Here’s how it works:

1. Open DVDFab 11 and go to the Utilities section to find DVDFab DRM Removal for Apple. Open it.

remove drm from itunes files

2. A new window will open where you can choose whether you want to remove FairPlay from audio files or video files. Choose the option you want and then proceed to the next step.

remove drm from itunes files

3. Now it’s time to load the files you want to remove the DRM from. For video files, you have the option of adding them straight from iTunes or from Windows. For audio files, you can only add them directly from your iTunes library.

remove drm from itunes files

4. Click OK once you’ve finished adding the files and then use the bottom menu to select the destination folder for the output files. Finally, click the Start button and wait until the software finishes removing the DRM protection.

remove drm from itunes files

 

Conclusion

It’s sometimes hard to say exactly why iTunes won’t open on your computer but trying all the methods we discussed today is guaranteed to eventually get the app back in working order. When iTunes doesn’t work as intended it can be difficult to access all your files so consider using DVDFab DRM Removal for Apple to convert all your favorite songs and movies so that you won’t have to worry about that ever again. After using this tool, you can copy and store your files on any device you want, which means you won’t have to rely on iTunes so much in the future.