iTunes freezing when connecting device or opening preferences

For general advice see Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates.

The steps in the second box are a guide to removing everything related to iTunes and then rebuilding it which is often a good starting point unless the symptoms indicate a more specific approach. When reinstalling right click on the downloaded setup file and use run as administrator. It may also help to temporarily disable any non-Microsoft anti-virus.

Review the other boxes and the list of support documents further down the page in case one of them applies.

The further information area has direct links to the current and recent builds in case you have problems downloading, or want to revert to an older version if the current one won't work properly for you at the moment. Links to the most recent builds are now at the bottom of the page.

Your library and device backups should be unaffected by these steps but there are links to backup and recovery advice should it be needed.

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Hi Fite4DIMONDZ,

Thank you for posting in the Apple Support Communities. I see you're running into issues with iTunes in Windows, and I'm glad to see how I can assist.

Do you receive any errors during the process, or is the issue only that iTunes stops responding? If you get an error during the backup, this resource has some great steps: If your iTunes backup couldn't be completed or you can't restore from a backup. On the other hand, if iTunes is unresponsive but you're not receiving any other errors, making sure that Windows is updated is a great first step; then, use these steps to Remove and reinstall iTunes and related software components for Windows 7 and later. Then, try it out to see if you're able to back up in iTunes without the issue.

I hope this helps.

Hi Fite4DIMONDZ,

We appreciate that reply. Knowing that it works as expected on a different device helps. Do you have any security software running? If so, give this a try: Resolve issues between iTunes and third-party security software. Cheers!

Hello Fite4DIMONDZ,

Thanks for the reply. If you've reinstalled iTunes, that does help to rule out a number of possible causes. Do you have access to another computer for testing, or another cable/port? These would help to narrow things down further. If you don't have either available, or if the issue persists, I recommend that you Contact Apple Support to look into the issue further.

Take care.