Uninstall and Reinstall itunes on windows 10

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Level 1

8 points

Uninstall and Reinstall itunes on windows 10

Does anyone have instructions on how to uninstall and reinstall itunes on windows 10 without losing libraries and playlist? I've exported my current itunes library to external, and exported all my playlist as well. If I lose my current playlist there is no way I can get them back, it would be to much work.

Now that I have my itunes library, playlist and music saved to an external.

Please confirm i need to do the following:

1) Uninstall itunes.

2) go to apple site and download and reinstall latest version of itunes.

3) open itunes and import previously saved library from external, or simply delete new itunes library and copy over previously saved library from external.

Now I'm not to sure if the itunes library will hold my playlist but if they don't show up I should be able to import each playlist individually.

4) Copy Music from external into new version of itunes.

I think thats basically it.

Thanks for your assistance.

Windows 10

Posted on Aug 18, 2018 8:32 AM

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Answer 1

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turingtest2

Level 10

274,470 points

Aug 24, 2018 11:08 AM in response to Phil246369

1 isn't thorough enough, 3 and 4 are unnecessary.

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 installer 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, need to revert to an older version as a workaround for installation or performance issues, or compatibility with third party software.

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

tt2

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

274,470 points

Aug 18, 2018 10:01 AM in response to Phil246369

The full explanation is already provided in the linked user tip that I've referred to above, but for 1) you need to remove all Apple software in a certain order and potentially perform certain clean-up activities. As for 3) and 4) as noted:

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

Uninstalling the iTunes application leaves your data and settings in place ready to be picked up when you reinstall. Note too that if you successfully restore a backed up library then you would be restoring the database to the location iTunes is looking for it, or would connect to the database on the new path, and therefore there will be no need to import media or playlists.

See Make a split library portable for more background on the components of the iTunes library and Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy for a suggested backup strategy. Importing media and playlists into an empty library means losing ratings, play counts, date added details, etc.

tt2

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Answer 3

Phil246369 Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 18, 2018 9:31 AM in response to Phil246369

Please clarify.

1) isn't through enough. I simple go to uninstall programs and features and uninstall. Correct?

3) & 4) Unnecessary why? Please clarify. The only way to keep my current playlist and library configuration is to import the old saved library.

I appreciate your help, but need more than you are providing. Break it down if you don't mind.

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Answer 4

Phil246369 Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 18, 2018 9:59 AM in response to turingtest2

Ok, Thanks!

I believe I will let the uninstaller do its thing and simply reinstall. If things don't work out I will follow the yellow brick road of uninstalling using the clean up method proposed in the link.

The key, and I believe you answered it is that my library playlist and configuration will not be deleted when itunes is uninstalled and should be picked up with the reinstall.

Hope it is that simple, but usually there are complications. I do have everything backed up, so I should be okay in the end. We'll see.

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Answer 5

turingtest2

Level 10

274,470 points

Aug 18, 2018 10:05 AM in response to Phil246369

Uninstalling iTunes only uninstalls iTunes, not the four or five other components that are installed at the same time. If you're uninstalling iTunes rather than simply reinstalling or updating as a possible workaround to some issue that you're experiencing then you should uninstall all Apple software components in the correct order, reboot, clean any remaining items that the uninstallers failed to remove, then reinstall. I would also recommend running the installer as the administrator.

tt2

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Answer 6

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

230,678 points

Aug 18, 2018 10:11 AM in response to Phil246369

I believe I will let the uninstaller do its thing and simply reinstall.

To support what tt2 has said about the uninstall, Apple actually recommends the method that he has quoted, and is contained in their support document for uninstalling and reinstalling iTunes. The Windows system does not always successfully remove all of the components, and problems can arise due to that. Don't put too much faith in Windows, as we have been using it for years, and it is not that reliable.

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