Fix iTunes Store Errors
Edited by Sean Zylow, Eng, VC
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1 A Guide Through Every iTunes Store Error and How to Fix
- 1.1 Error (-50) when downloading content
- 1.2 iTunes repeatedly prompts to authorize computer to play iTunes Store purchases
- 1.3 Error (-3221) when accessing the iTunes Store (Windows)
- 1.4 Performance issues and/or blank iTunes store (Windows)
- 1.5 Error (-3259)
- 1.6 An unknown error occured (-9808)
- 1.7 Update and restore alert messages on iPhone and iPod Touch
- 2 Comments
A Guide Through Every iTunes Store Error and How to Fix
- Error (-50) when downloading content
- iTunes repeatedly prompts to authorize computer to play iTunes Store purchases
- Error (-3221) when accessing the iTunes Store (Windows)
- Performance issues and/or blank iTunes store (Windows)
- Error (-3259)
- "An unknown error occured (-9808)"
- Update and restore alert messages on iPhone and iPod Touch
Error (-50) when downloading content
When you try to download content you bought from the iTunes Store, you might see a message that says "There was an error downloading your purchased music. An unknown error occurred." To fix the issue, check for any issues with third-party security software, then remove the cached download file and try to download the music again.
Fix issues with third-party security software
If your connection times out while your music is downloading, you might see this message. The time out might be caused by security software monitoring certain servers and common ports. If your third-party security software doesn't let you download from iTunes, learn how to fix the issue.
Remove the cached download file
A network issue can also cause an iTunes download to time out. When this happens, a cached download file might not let you download the file next time. Remove the cached download on a Mac or PC before you try downloading again.
- 1On a Mac.Advertisement
- If iTunes is open, quit the program.
- In Finder, select Go > Home from the menu bar at the top of your computer screen.
- Open Music > iTunes > iTunes Media. If you have an older iTunes library, you might see an iTunes Music folder instead of an iTunes Media folder.
- Open Downloads.
- Drag all files from the folder to Trash.
- Open iTunes.
- From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen, choose Store > Check for Available Downloads.
- If prompted, enter your Apple ID and password.
- Click Check. Your music downloads to your iTunes Library.
- 2On a Windows PC.Advertisement
- If iTunes is open, quit the program.
- Hold down the Windows key on your keyboard. If your keyboard doesn't have a Windows key, hold down the Ctrl and Esc keys on your keyboard.
- Click the magnifying glass icon or the search field.
- In the search field, type "%USERPROFILE&\Music".
- Open iTunes > iTunes Media. If you have an older iTunes library, you might see an iTunes Music folder instead of an iTunes Media folder.
- Open Downloads.
- Drag all files from the folder to the Recycle Bin.
- Open iTunes.
- Hold down the Control and B keys on your keyboard to turn on the iTunes menu bar. Then choose Store > Check for Available Downloads. Learn more about menus in iTunes for Windows.
- If prompted, enter your Apple ID and password.
- Click Check. Your music downloads to your iTunes Library.
iTunes repeatedly prompts to authorize computer to play iTunes Store purchases
iTunes might ask you to authorize your account before you can play items you bought from the iTunes Store due to issues with account or folder permissions. Follow these steps to fix the issue.
Authorize your purchases from an administrator account
If you're not an administrator on your computer, you might need to authorize your computer with an administrator account before you can play iTunes Store purchases. Follow these steps to authorize your computer using an administrator account:
- 1Log in to your computer as an administrator. If you don't have access to an administrator password, contact the computer's administrator. If this is a work computer, the administrator might be your IT department.
- 2Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
- 3From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or at the top of the iTunes window, choose Account > Authorize This Computer. If you're using Windows and can't see the menu bar, learn how to turn it on.
- 4Enter your iTunes account name and password.
- 5Authorize your computer here. If you have multiple accounts, log in to the iTunes Store and authorize each account separately.
- 6Quit iTunes.
- 7Log out of your administrator account.
- 8Log in to the account you'd like to play your purchases from.
- 9Open iTunes.
- 10Choose an iTunes Store purchase and click Play. The item should begin to play.
Authorize your purchases with the correct Apple ID
You might have used a different Apple ID to buy the items you want to play. To determine which account you used to buy an item, follow these steps:
- 1Open iTunes.
- 2In My Music, find a song that you bought from the iTunes Store, and select it.
- 3From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or at the top of the iTunes window, choose File > Get Info. If you're using Windows and can't see the menu bar, learn how to turn it on.
- 4Click the File tab. Look to the right of "purchased by" for the Apple ID that made the purchase.
- 5Authorize your computer here using the correct Apple ID. The Apple ID you used to buy the item doesn't change, even if you change your Apple ID.
- 6If you already authorized the Apple ID shown in the item's information, check the purchase history of that Apple ID to see if the item is on the list. If not, think about another Apple ID you might have, and authorize your computer with that Apple ID.
- 7If you forgot the password to one of your accounts, you can recover it.
Turn off User Account Controls
You can fix some authorization issues in iTunes for Windows if you reset your User Account Controls. To reset your User Account Controls in Windows 7 or later, follow these steps:
- 1Press the Windows key on your keyboard. If your keyboard doesn't have a Windows key, press the Control (Ctrl) and Escape (Esc) keys on your keyboard.
- 2Click on the magnifying icon or search field. In the search field, enter "UserAccountControlSettings".
- 3Click UserAccountControlSettings
- 4If asked if you want to allow this app to make changes, click Yes.
- 5Move the slider to the bottom setting.
- 6Click OK.
- 7If asked if you want to allow this app to make changes, click Yes.
- 8Restart your computer. Then, turn User Account Controls back on.
- 9Press the Windows key on your keyboard. If your keyboard doesn't have a Windows key, press the Control (Ctrl) and Escape (Esc) keys on your keyboard.
- 10Click on the magnifying icon or search field. In the search field, enter "UserAccountControlSettings".
- 11Click UserAccountControlSettings
- 12Move the slider back to the setting that you want.
- 13Click OK.
- 14Restart your computer.
- 15Authorize your computer here.
Remove the SC Info folder
To work properly, iTunes needs the SC Info folder on your computer. You can authorize your computer to play your purchases if you remove the folder. Then, let iTunes recreate it.
- 1Remove the SC Info folder in Mac OS X.
- Quit iTunes and any other open applications until only Finder is open.
- From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen, choose Go > Go to Folder.
- In the window, enter "/Users/Shared/SC Info", then click Go.
- If Finder isn't already set to column view, set it. From the menu bar at the top of your screen, choose View > as Columns.
- Find the SC Info folder. Click and hold it, and drag it to the trash.
- Restart your computer.
- Open iTunes.
- Authorize your computer. If you have multiple accounts or Apple IDs, authorize your computer for each account.
- 2Remove the SC Info folder in Windows.
- Quit iTunes.
- Press the Windows key on your keyboard. If your keyboard doesn't have a Windows key, press the Control (Ctrl) and Escape (Esc) keys on your keyboard.
- Click on the magnifying icon or search field. In the search field, enter "%ProgramData%", then press Return.
- Show hidden files: Windows 10: Click View, then select "Hidden items.", Windows 8: Click View, then click Options. On the View tab, select "Show hidden files, folders, and drives.", Windows 7: Click Organize, then click "Folder and search options." On the View tab, select "Show hidden files, folders, and drives."
- Open the Apple Computer folder, then open the iTunes folder.
- Right-click the SC Info folder and choose Delete from the pop-up menu.
- Restart your computer.
- Open iTunes.
- Authorize your computer. If you have multiple accounts, authorize your computer for each account.
Error (-3221) when accessing the iTunes Store (Windows)
Security software created by companies other than Apple can prevent iTunes from connecting to Apple servers or to devices. Sometimes, you might see a numeric error message when you sync, update, back up, or restore your device. The following might happen if your security software is causing an issue with iTunes:
- Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch aren't recognized in iTunes, or they won't back up, restore, update, sync, or activate.
- You see iTunes Errors 4, 6, 1630-1641, 3000-3999, or 9000-9999*.
- You can't connect to iTunes Store to buy or download content.
- iTunes won't open.
- NOTE: If you see error 9006, your computer might not be able to connect to Apple servers or your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Check for communication issues between iTunes and Apple software update servers. If you still see the error message, then continue reading to learn how to check your connectivity and security software.
Get started
Before changing your security software's setup:
- 1Make sure that the date, time, and time zone are set correctly on your computer.
- 2Log in to an administrative user account, not a guest account.
- 3Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
- 4
- 5Update your security software.
- 6
Test your connectivity
Check your host file to make sure that it's not blocking iTunes from communicating with Apple's servers. If you're having issues using AirPlay, Home Sharing, iTunes, or Remote, test the connectivity between the computers or devices in your house. They should be connected to the same network and subnet in order to function properly.
- If you're still having trouble, continue to the next section.
Test your security software
- If you still have trouble after you test your connectivity, your security software could be interfering with your computer's connection with iTunes.
- In some cases, it might be necessary to temporarily remove your security software to isolate an issue. Some Internet security apps don't uninstall completely, so you might need to download and run a cleanup utility for your security software for it to be completely removed.
- Work with your security software provider to allow the complete list of ports and services that Apple products use or if you need help with uninstalling their software.
- Make sure that there isn't more than one type of security software installed at a time. If you have more than one type of security software installed, you might experience other performance issues.
Performance issues and/or blank iTunes store (Windows)
If you have software on your computer that monitors Internet traffic, you might see error 0x80090318 when you:
- 1Open the iTunes Store.
- 2Update or back up iOS devices.
- 3Start the Apple Mobile Device Service.
- 4Sign in to iCloud for Windows.
This type of software might use a Layered Service Provider (LSP) which can help identify the particular program installed. Software that monitors Internet communication includes both valid programs, such as security or content filtering software, and potentially unwanted programs that use ad-injection, sometimes called adware. Other indications that potentially unwanted software is installed on your computer include your search engine changing without you changing it or an increase in the number of pop-up ads displayed in your browser. Use the steps below to identify and remove this software.
Identify and remove Layered Service Provider software
- 1Download Autoruns for Wndows from Microsoft.
- 2Look for Autoruns.ZIP on your computer. Open the compressed folder.
- 3After reviewing the contents and the license, drag autoruns.exe to the desktop.
- 4Open autoruns.exe.
- 5Click the Winsock Providers tab.
- 6A list of software appears, including a column that shows the software's publisher.
- 7For software other than Bonjour, which is published by Apple, check with the publisher for support to resolve the conflict between their software and Apple software.
- 8If the publisher is unfamiliar to you, locate their information.
Error (-3259)
Security software created by companies other than Apple can prevent iTunes from connecting to Apple servers or to devices. Sometimes, you might see a numeric error message when you sync, update, back up, or restore your device. The following might happen if your security software is causing an issue with iTunes:
- 1Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch aren't recognized in iTunes, or they won't back up, restore, update, sync, or activate.
- 2You see iTunes Errors 4, 6, 1630-1641, 3000-3999, or 9000-9999# .
- 3You can't connect to iTunes Store to buy or download content.
- 4iTunes won't open.
- NOTE: If you see error 9006, your computer might not be able to connect to Apple servers or your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Check for communication issues between iTunes and Apple software update servers. If you still see the error message, then continue reading to learn how to check your connectivity and security software.
Get started
Before changing your security software's setup:
- 1Make sure that the date, time, and time zone are set correctly on your computer.
- 2Log in to an administrative user account, not a guest account.
- 3Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
- 4
- 5Update your security software.
- 6
Test your connectivity
Check your host file to make sure that it's not blocking iTunes from communicating with Apple's servers. If you're having issues using AirPlay, Home Sharing, iTunes, or Remote, test the connectivity between the computers or devices in your house. They should be connected to the same network and subnet in order to function properly.
- If you're still having trouble, continue to the next section.
Test your security software
- If you still have trouble after you test your connectivity, your security software could be interfering with your computer's connection with iTunes.
- In some cases, it might be necessary to temporarily remove your security software to isolate an issue. Some Internet security apps don't uninstall completely, so you might need to download and run a cleanup utility for your security software for it to be completely removed.
- Work with your security software provider to allow the complete list of ports and services that Apple products use or if you need help with uninstalling their software.
- Make sure that there isn't more than one type of security software installed at a time. If you have more than one type of security software installed, you might experience other performance issues.
An unknown error occured (-9808)
Security software created by companies other than Apple can prevent iTunes from connecting to Apple servers or to devices. Sometimes, you might see a numeric error message when you sync, update, back up, or restore your device.
The following might happen if your security software is causing an issue with iTunes:
- Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch aren't recognized in iTunes, or they won't back up, restore, update, sync, or activate.
- You see iTunes Errors 4, 6, 1630-1641, 3000-3999, or 9000-9999*.
- You can't connect to iTunes Store to buy or download content.
- iTunes won't open.
- NOTE: If you see error 9006, your computer might not be able to connect to Apple servers or your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Check for communication issues between iTunes and Apple software update servers. If you still see the error message, then continue reading to learn how to check your connectivity and security software.
Get started
Before changing your security software's setup:
- 1Make sure that the date, time, and time zone are set correctly on your computer.
- 2Log in to an administrative user account, not a guest account.
- 3Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
- 4
- 5Update your security software.
- 6
Test your connectivity
Check your host file to make sure that it's not blocking iTunes from communicating with Apple's servers. If you're having issues using AirPlay, Home Sharing, iTunes, or Remote, test the connectivity between the computers or devices in your house. They should be connected to the same network and subnet in order to function properly.
- If you're still having trouble, continue to the next section.
Test your security software
- 1If you still have trouble after you test your connectivity, your security software could be interfering with your computer's connection with iTunes.
- 2In some cases, it might be necessary to temporarily remove your security software to isolate an issue. Some Internet security apps don't uninstall completely, so you might need to download and run a cleanup utility for your security software for it to be completely removed.
- 3
- 4Make sure that there isn't more than one type of security software installed at a time. If you have more than one type of security software installed, you might experience other performance issues.
Update and restore alert messages on iPhone and iPod Touch
When you use iTunes to update or restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, you might see an error code or alert. You can fix most update and restore errors with these steps.
- 1Update iTunes. Get the latest version of iTunes for your computer.
- 2
- 3Check your computer's security software. You might need to update, change, or uninstall software that's causing an issue.
- 4Unplug extra USB devices. Keep only your device, keyboard, and mouse plugged in to your computer.
- 5Restart. Turn off your computer and your device. Then turn them on again.
- 6Try again. Update or restore your device again.
Get more help
- If you tried these steps and get the error again, follow the steps for your error code.
- After trying the steps specific to your error, you can try these steps. You can also try these steps to connect to the iTunes Store.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
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Categories : Software
Recent edits by: Eng, Sean Zylow
