iTunes crashes in Windows 11

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Level 1

4 points

iTunes crashes in Windows 11

My old PC had a hardware fault causing programs to crash, one of which was iTunes Version 12.13.11.1. I got a new Win 11 PC and installed iTunes Version 12.13.11.1. iTunes starts and opens to the music page. The program appears stable until i select Podcasts, the podcasts start to populate the page but then the app crashes. Additional info: Windows 11 is current. The computer is a Dell EBT 2250. All my podcast files were moved on the data drive to the new PC and I can see them As part of my troubleshooting, I deleted the library ITL file as it was corrupted from the previous crashes. The file does not appear to rebuild because of the crash. Any suggestions would be appreciated.iTunes Version 12.13.11.1

Windows, Windows 10

Posted on Sep 16, 2026 12:51 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

WheelieNick

Level 9

72,316 points

Sep 18, 2026 2:33 PM in response to TC246

Hi there

Please try this

Launching in Safe Mode isolates the app from corrupted visual layouts or external plug-ins.

Fully close iTunes using Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) to ensure no hanging processes remain.
Press and hold Ctrl + Shift on your keyboard, then double-click the iTunes shortcut.
Click Continue if a prompt appears stating that iTunes is running in Safe Mode.
Select the Podcasts tab. If it loads without crashing, the issue is tied to a localized cache or plugin.

If a corrupt cache file is forcing the crash when loading store elements, resetting it will clear the issue:

Open iTunes and navigate to Edit > Preferences > Advanced.
Find the Reset iTunes Store cache option and click Reset Cache.
Close iTunes, reopen it, and navigate back to Podcasts.

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Answer 2

TC246 Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 18, 2026 5:15 PM in response to WheelieNick

Thanks for replying. I followed your suggestions but instead of iTunes starting in safe mode I get only the restrictions page. I also cleared the store cache. Very strange. I even tried running iTunes as administrator and that did not help.

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Answer 3

TC246 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 22, 2026 7:03 AM in response to TC246

Sorry for the delay in response. Life gets in the way sometimes. I tried all of your suggestions and even installed a fresh download on a different PC. iTunes still doesn't load. Same symptoms on both PCs. It appears that there is a compatibility issue with Windows. Both PCs running 26H2 and patched current.

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