If your computer doesn’t recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod

If you connect your device to your computer with a USB cable and your computer doesn’t recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, get help.

If your computer doesn’t recognize your connected device, you might see an unknown error or a «0xE» error. If you do, follow these steps and try to connect your device again after each step:

1. Make sure that your iOS or iPadOS device is unlocked and on the Home screen.
2. Check that you have the latest software on your Mac or Windows PC. If you’re using iTunes, make sure you have the latest version.
3. Make sure that your device is turned on.
4. If you see a Trust this Computer alert, unlock your device and tap Trust.
5. Unplug all USB accessories from your computer except for your device. Try each USB port to see if one works. Then try a different Apple USB cable.*
6. Restart your computer.
7. Restart your device:
   • iPhone
   • iPad
   • iPod touch
8. Try connecting your device to another computer. If you have the same issue on another computer, contact Apple Support.

For more help, follow the steps below for your Mac or Windows PC.

If you use a Mac

1. Connect your iOS or iPadOS device and make sure that it’s unlocked and on the Home screen.
2. On your Mac, hold down the Option key, click the Apple menu, and choose System Information or System Report.
3. From the list on the left, select USB.
4. If you see your iPhone, iPad, or iPod under USB Device Tree, get the latest macOS or install the latest updates. If you don’t see your device or still need help, contact Apple Support.
   

If you use a Windows PC

The steps differ depending on if you downloaded iTunes from the Microsoft Store or from Apple.

If you downloaded iTunes from the Microsoft Store

Follow these steps to reinstall the Apple Mobile Device USB driver:

1. Disconnect your device from your computer.
2. Unlock your iOS or iPadOS device and go to the Home screen. Then reconnect your device. If iTunes opens, close it.
3. Click and hold (or right-click) the Start button, then choose Device Manager.
4. Locate and expand the Portable Devices section.
5. Look for your connected device (such as Apple iPhone), then right-click on the device name and choose Update driver.
   
6. Select «Search automatically for updated driver software.»
7. After the software installs, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and verify that no other updates are available.
8. Open iTunes.

If you downloaded iTunes from Apple

Follow these steps to reinstall the Apple Mobile Device USB driver:

1. Disconnect your device from your computer.
2. Unlock your iOS or iPadOS device and go to the Home screen. Then reconnect your device. If iTunes opens, close it.
3. Press the Windows and R key on your keyboard to open the Run command.
4. In the Run window, enter:
   %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers
5. Click OK.
6. Right-click on the usbaapl64.inf or usbaapl.inf file and choose Install.
   
   You might see other files that start with usbaapl64 or usbaapl . Make sure to install the file that ends in .inf. If you’re not sure which file to install, right-click a blank area in the File Explorer Window, click View, then click Details to find the correct file type. You want to install the Setup Information file.
7. Disconnect your device from your computer, then restart your computer.
8. Reconnect your device and open iTunes.

If your device still isn’t recognized

Check Device Manager to see if the Apple Mobile Device USB driver is installed. Follow these steps to open Device Manager:

1. Press the Windows and R key on your keyboard to open the Run command.
2. In the Run window, enter devmgmt.msc , then click OK. Device Manager should open.
3. Locate and expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section.
4. Look for the Apple Mobile Device USB driver.
   

If you don’t see the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver or you see Unknown Device:

• Connect your device to your computer with a different USB cable.
• Connect your device to a different computer. If you have the same issue on another computer, contact Apple Support.

If you see the Apple Mobile Device USB driver with an error symbol:

If you see , , or next to the Apple Mobile Device USB driver, follow these steps:

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

Use iTunes to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod with your computer

Learn how to sync music, movies, and more using iTunes on your Mac or PC.

If you’re using macOS Mojave or earlier or a Windows PC, use iTunes to sync content to your devices. Before you use iTunes to sync content to your iOS or iPadOS device, consider using iCloud, Apple Music, or similar services to keep content from your Mac or PC in the cloud. This way, you can access your music, photos, and more on your devices when you aren’t near your computer. Learn more about using Apple Music or iCloud Photos instead of iTunes.

If you use iCloud or other services like Apple Music to keep your content up-to-date across all of your devices, some syncing features through iTunes might be turned off.

What you can sync with iTunes

• Albums, songs, playlists, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks.
• Photos and videos.
• Contacts and calendars.

iTunes features might vary by country or region.

Sync or remove content using iTunes

1. Open iTunes and connect your device to your computer with a USB cable.
2. Click the device icon in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window. Learn what to do if you don’t see the icon.
   
3. From the list under Settings on the left side of the iTunes window, click the type of content that you want to sync or remove. * To turn syncing on for a content type, select the checkbox next to Sync.
   
4. Select the checkbox next to each item that you want to sync.
5. Click the Apply button in the lower-right corner of the window. If syncing doesn’t start automatically, click the Sync button.

* You can only sync your device with one iTunes library at a time. If you see a message that your device is synced with another iTunes library, your device was previously connected to another computer. If you click «Erase and Sync» in that message, all content of the selected type on your device will be erased and replaced with content from this computer.

Sync your content using Wi-Fi

After you set up syncing with iTunes using USB, you can set up iTunes to sync to your device with Wi-Fi instead of USB.

1. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable, then open iTunes and select your device. Learn what to do if your device doesn’t appear on your computer.
2. Click Summary on the left side of the iTunes window.
3. Select «Sync with this [device] over Wi-Fi.»
4. Click Apply.

When the computer and the device are on the same Wi-Fi network, the device appears in iTunes. The device syncs automatically whenever it’s plugged in to power and iTunes is open on the computer.

Back up and restore your iTunes library on your PC

Before you transfer or restore your iTunes media library on your PC, consolidate it and create a back up.

Here are some things to know

Your iTunes library, a database that’s made up of all of the music and other media that you add to iTunes for Windows, is organized into two iTunes library files and an iTunes Media folder.

Before you back up your media:

• Consolidate your iTunes library.
• Redownload any previous purchases, like music, movies, TV shows, and more. The only way to back up your purchased media is to download your purchases to your computer.

iTunes and Store availability and features might vary by country or region. Learn what’s available in your country or region.

If you have a Mac

In macOS Catalina or later, your previous iTunes media library is now available in the Apple Music app, Apple TV app, Apple Podcasts app, and Apple Books app. And when you back up your Mac, your media library is automatically included in that backup.

Consolidate your iTunes library

1. Open iTunes.
2. From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or at the top of the iTunes window, choose File > Library > Organize Library.
3. Select Consolidate files.
   
4. Click OK.

When you consolidate, copies of any files that were outside of your iTunes Media folder are added to your iTunes Media folder. To save space on your hard drive, you might want to delete the original files after you make sure that the copies are in your iTunes Media Folder.

Find the iTunes Media folder

By default, your iTunes Media folder is in your iTunes folder. To find it, go to User > Music > iTunes > iTunes Media.

If you don’t see your iTunes Media folder in the above location, here’s how to find it:

1. Open iTunes.
2. From the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, choose Edit > Preferences.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
   
4. Look in the box under «iTunes Media folder location» for the location of your iTunes Media folder.

Back up your library and media files

After you consolidate your media files, you can back up your library and media files to an external drive.

1. Quit iTunes.
2. Find your iTunes folder.
   
3. Right-click on your iTunes folder, then choose Copy.
4. Go to your external hard drive, then right-click and choose Paste.

Restore your library from a backup

You can restore your iTunes library from your external drive to your computer. If you’re restoring an iTunes Library from a different computer, make sure that your new computer has the latest version of iTunes.

1. Quit iTunes.
2. Go to «This PC,» then click your external drive.
3. Select your iTunes folder, then right-click and choose Copy.
4. Go to the location on your computer where you want your iTunes library, then right-click and choose Paste.
5. Hold down the Shift key while opening iTunes.
6. When you see a message that asks you to Choose iTunes Library, click Choose Library.
   
7. Choose the location where you copied your iTunes folder.
8. Choose the iTunes Library.itl file inside.
9. Click Open.

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

Download and use iTunes for Windows

With iTunes for Windows, you can manage your entire media collection in one place. Subscribe to Apple Music to access millions of songs. Buy music and movies from the iTunes Store. And sync content from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

If you can’t access the Microsoft Store

Explore iTunes for Windows

To navigate iTunes, use the buttons in the navigation bar at the top of the iTunes window. To switch to a media type, like Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, or Audiobooks, click the pop-up menu in the upper-left corner.

Listen to music

Subscribe to Apple Music to access millions of songs, buy music from the iTunes Store, listen to Radio, or listen to music imported into iTunes.

Listen to Apple Podcasts

Discover and subscribe to podcasts that entertain, inform, and inspire. Browse free episodes and shows about a variety of topics.

Watch movies and TV shows

Browse categories to find movies and TV shows that you can buy, or find movies you can rent.

Listen to audiobooks

Browse categories to find audiobooks that you can buy.

Store availability and features might vary by country or region. See what you can buy in your country or region.

Manually manage and sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

You can use iTunes for Windows to back up and update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and to sync content from your computer to your device.

You can also use iCloud for Windows to access your photos, contacts, calendars, files, and more across all of your devices.

Change settings and manage your account

• Choose Account > View My Account to view information about your purchase history, manage your subscriptions, change your payment information, and more.
• Choose Account > Sign Out to sign out of iTunes with your Apple ID and remove access to your content from iTunes.
• Choose Edit > Preferences to change things like your language, set restrictions, and more.

If you change your language in iTunes, you might have to quit iTunes and reopen it.