iTunes is a media player that Apple designed exclusively for iOS Mac but later opened up for WindowsPC as well. The company updates and makes changes to the software every year. However, not all changes are received with a positive attitude. For example, when Apple removed the old tones tab in the iTunes 12.7.3 version, it wasn’t well-received by those who love ringtones.
In addition to the unwanted changes, an iTunes user can also find himself/herself struggling with unknown errors when updating the application. These errors can be difficult to deal with. In either scenario, you will definitely want to replace the version of iTunes with a different one – be it the latest or a previous one.
With constant unwanted updates coming to iTunes, downgrading the application is becoming a popular choice among its users.
In this article, we guide you through the steps that lead to downgrading or updating of iTunes of your Mac or Windows computer.
Note: All the solutions provided in this article are free of cost and do not mandate the use of any third-party software.
How to Update iTunes on Mac?
Downloading the latest iTunes version is easy for those who are facing no issue but simply want to upgrade the software to the newest version. All they have to do is to open the official website of Apple, which is https://support.apple.com/downloads/itunes, and click on the blue “Download” button below the latest version.
Downloading the file from the official website ensures that the software is authentic and safe for the device, contrary to when you download through an unknown source.
How to Uninstall iTunes on Mac?
It can get tricky when you want to uninstall the updated version and install a previous one. WheniTunes is an imperative part of the iOS devices, deleting it from Mac seems impossible. However, the good news is you can actually uninstall the latest version of the media player and overwrite it with an older one. This brings back all the changes that you liked and also helps you get rid of any error that may have caused during the updating process.
Uninstalling the software is a simple task. Follow the steps mentioned below to get it done.
Scenario 1
Drag the icon of iTunes to Trash. In case it does not cause any error, follow the steps below,
- Empty the Trash Bin
- Types “Activity Monitor” into Spotlight and press the Enter key
- Find “iTunes Helper” and delete it
- Go to “Library”
- Click on “Preferences”
- Find the files whose name starts with “apple.itunes” and delete them all
- Reboot your system
Scenario 2
In case, the system shows error when you drag the iTunes icon to Trash Bin, follow the steps below:
- Go to “Applications”
- Right click on the app and then go to “Get Info”
- Click on the padlock icon and type the Admin password when prompted
- Change the sharing permissions to “Everyone” in “Read and Write”
- Close the window again try to drag the iTunes icon to Trash
- This time it should work. Once it does, follow the steps mentioned inScenario 1
After you have followed all necessary steps, clean all the iTunes junk files off the system. You can either choose to do it with the help of a third-party software such as CleanMyMac X or do it manually. Removing the junk files will erase data like backups, old copies, downloads, and other redundant files. Find and delete all the leftovers and reboot your Mac.
How to Reinstall an Older Version of iTunes on Mac?
Sometimes, when the latest version does not feel as streamlined as the older one, downgrading it becomes too tempting, almost essential. By following the steps below, you will be able to reinstall an older version of iTunes on your Mac. However, we recommend you to take a Time Machine backup in case an error occurs.
To downgrade your media player version:
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Go to “Spotlight”, type “Activity Monitor” and press Enter
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Find “iTunes Helper” and erase it
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Again open “Spotlight” and type “Terminal”
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Launch it
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Enter: sudo rm –r /Applications/iTunes.app
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Once you have typed it, press “Return”
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Open “Spotlight” and type “Time Machine”
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Launch it
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Restore the version of iTunes which you want from the backup created by Time Machine
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Restore the following files from the folder named “~/Music/iTunes”
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iTunes Library.itl
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iTunes Library Extras.itdb
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iTunes Library Genius.itdb
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iTunes Music Library.xml
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By following the ten mentioned steps, you should be able to restore an older version iTunes on your iOS device.
How to Uninstall iTunes on Windows?
Since, iTunes does not come as a default software in Windows PC, it can be uninstalled easily as any other software. Follow the steps mentioned below to erase the media player from the computer.
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Tap on Cortona
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Types “Settings” and wait for it to show you the option with the familiar screw icon
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Click on “Settings” and let the new window with multiple options open
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Find “Apps” with an icon of lists and click on it
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Clicking on “Apps” take you to the Apps & Features” window
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Here you can find “iTunes” and uninstall it
To uninstall and remove iTunes completely from the computer, you will also need to erase the following from your PC:
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Apple Software Update
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Bonjour
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Apple Mobile Device Support
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Apple Application Support 32-bit
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Apple Application Support 64-bit
If you are willing, then run a clean up after removing all these files. This will further ensure that everything related to iTunes is deleted from the PC. Cleaning the residue files will also guarantee that downloading another version of iTunes won’t create any problems.
How to Reinstall an Older Version of iTunes on Windows?
Once you have followed the mentioned steps, reboot your computer and then go to the official website of Apple, which is Download iTunes. Here you will find all the versions of iTunes. You can downgrade to whichever one you like.
Conclusion
Our guide is easy to follow and gets you the results you are hoping for. While, there are several software all over the Internet that will do all the work for you and let you uninstall/downgrade iTunes, they most probably will charge for the service. Our guide will let you do both (uninstall and reinstall the media player) without a single penny spent.
People also search for like: How do I download an older version of iTunes for Mac? , How do I get the latest version of iTunes on my Mac? , Where can I download the latest version of iTunes for Windows?
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