itunes won't start in windows 11

If iTunes is apparently installed correctly try the following in turn until iTunes opens/closes/reopens/connects to the store normally:

• Remove any SD card that might be in a card reader.
• Exit the BTTray.exe Bluetooth utility if installed.
• Locate the shortcut for iTunes, right-click on it, and select Run as administrator. Doing this once may fix certain launch issues. Some users were finding that with the 12.6.1.25 build, for example, they had to use this method every time and modified the shortcut accordingly.
• Try holding ctrl+shift as you launch iTunes so it opens in safe-mode. Again doing this once may sometimes help.
• Try disconnecting your computer from the Internet before running iTunes.
• Delete the iTunes shortcuts from the start menu, desktop, task bar, or similar, then repair iTunes from the programs and features control panel.
• Try Fix unexpected quits or launch issues in iTunes for Windows - Apple Support (document retired, archived copy) and test the behaviour in a different user profile or with a different library. If the problem only exists in your profile it may be possible to delete some of the iTunes preference files which it would seem that iTunes may be choking on. We can go into details later if the issue is limited to your own profile.
• Temporarily disable any non-Microsoft anti-virus and see if that has any impact on the behaviour.
• See the second box in Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates for detailed tear down and rebuild advice. Disable any non-Microsoft anti-virus software when reinstalling and run the installer as the administrator.
• If you installed iTunes from the Microsoft Store you may find the traditional iTunesSetup.exe installer works better for you, or vice versa.
• Or see the iTunes installers section of the troubleshooting tip and reinstall the last version that worked correctly for you. Links to the latest builds are now at the very bottom of the user tip.

tt2

I'm also having problem launching my iTunes for PC app. I'm not sure if it's related to Windows 11, at least not in my case. I've had Windows 11 installed for a while now, but this problem launching iTunes started only a week ago.

I also find that if I wait 5 to 10 minutes, it will sometimes launch. I'm glad that it does eventually open, but clearly something is wrong if it's taking literally 5 to 10 minutes.

I've tried clicking on the icon in my taskbar, clicking on the icon in my full apps menu, and tried running as administrator. Same negative result with each.

Hello kschoon,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. What happens when you try to lunch iTunes on your computer? Does it show any errors, or does it quit on launch? The more details, the better we can help.

We have a handy article here that will help to get this resolved. Check this out:

If you have problems using the iTunes Store on PC

We hope this information is useful. Kind regards.

Thanks for posting this! The first five bullets were either non-applicable or didn't fix the problem, but the steps in the 6th bullet appear to have helped.

From the Windows settings (Apps > App Features > iTunes) I was presented with two options: "Repair" and "Reset". I tried "Repair" first, but that didn't help. Next I tried "Reset" and that seems to have done the trick. iTunes is still a little slow to open, but not terrible.

Windows warns that "Reset" will delete the app's data, but that didn't cause me any hardship. I merely had to sign-back into iTunes the first time it launched. There are probably a few customized settings that got lost, but nothing that would take more than a few seconds to reapply.

Are you using an icon on the desktop or in the task bar? Occasionally these become invalid after an update. Delete and recreate after starting from the start menu, or repair the app, or reinstall.

tt2

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2

I spoke too soon. The problem is back.

How annoying. Perhaps it will have to be a full teardown and rebuild after all.

tt2