Problems with iTunes are different - sometimes errors occur when synchronizing information on devices, when downloading updates, and often due to service or system incompatibilities. There are many ways to fix errors that appear during the operation of Apple's famous media player, but the most effective is to completely remove iTunes from the computer, and then carry out a “clean” installation again.
Complete removal step by step
built-in way
The “Uninstall or change a program” assistant built into the Windows 7-10 operating system (the name, although not too sonorous, but the main message and the available functionality is clear right away) deals with any software in some five to ten minutes.
It is worth calling "My Computer", clicking on the shortcut marked in the screenshot, and you can safely completely clean out all programs associated with Apple from the system, including uninstalling iTunes.
The method is easy and affordable - no additional steps, preparatory steps, settings or downloading of alternative software. There will be no problems even for beginners who first encountered both Windows and iTunes. It's too obvious, each step is intuitive, and the consequences are clear without any prompts. However, behind the simplicity, logicality and conciseness, there are also tiny, barely noticeable subtleties that can spoil the final result.
This, of course, is about how “superficially” the “Uninstall or change the program” system tool copes with the task - immediately after deletion, unnecessary files and some non-working services remain in the system, and even with documents and entries in the registry, and that complete mess.
You can’t even dream of a “deep”, complete cleaning under such conditions, you can partially delete iTunes. After all, immediately after uninstallation, everything will have to be finalized manually. And get into the registry, and check all the directories, and part with already useless plug-in libraries with the *dll extension. And with such a set of mandatory actions, beginners will definitely not cope.
Using third party software
The best way to avoid all sorts of problems is to use the help of third-party tools that greatly simplify the uninstall process. Which forces to turn to - each user can choose independently. But, if you give at least some advice, then the really ideal option is IObit Uninstaller. No ads, visual interface, total predictability of actions and help in solving a few more problems:
- You don't need rules and regulations. On the official Apple website, the instructions for uninstalling iTunes take almost two pages. It is necessary, they say, first to deal with the Apple Software Update programs, then clean out the Apple Application Support files, after - Bonjour. It is necessary to break the order and some documents and directories will definitely remain in the system. Or, even worse, violate the procedure for removing other software. With IObit Uninstaller, you don't have to remember anything - everything will happen automatically and error-free. Well, if confusion does occur, then nothing will affect the result anyway;
- Residual files. By the way, about the "garbage" that accumulates in the system. The "Uninstall or change a program" tool leaves both unnecessary and empty folders, and does not touch the Program Files directory and is in no hurry to clean up Temp. And you can’t even dream of “fixing” the registry paths at all. You will have to fix everything manually, looking into each directory and understanding a whole series of instructions for interacting with the registry. Why such difficulties, if each operation can be translated into an automatic way?
And, since the advantages of IObit Uninstaller are visible to the naked eye, then the iTunes removal algorithm will be the same.
The iTunes utility makes it easy to work with video and sound files, allowing them to be found on the network, recorded, stored in a specified location, played back, organized and synchronized with mobile devices. With its help, it is easy to operate records on phones and smartphones and, if necessary, delete them.
You can delete music from iTunes through the program's library all at once, in separate blocks, single files. A reminder for beginners who do not have the proper experience with iTunes: to get to the Music section, you need to open iTunes, click "Media Library" in the upper left corner, then select "Music" from the list. Or select the Music section from the left side menu. All music recordings stored in the program will open, with which you will have to work further.
Deleting all tracks at the same time in one go
Open the Edit menu, find the "Select All" option. After highlighting all the files in the same Edit menu, click the inscription "Delete"
Or use the CTRL+A key combination to highlight everything and press the Delete key.
You can delete all tracks from any music tab: Albums, Songs, Genres.
Before deleting, you will have to confirm your intentions in the small window that appears. The program asks the same question: are you wrong and does it really need to perform such a ruthless action to destroy all records?
If the hand does not tremble, then you have to press the left button.
And if the hand still trembles and it becomes a pity to erase all the records at once, you need to press the right button and apply the following method.
Deleting selective albums in one go
Enable sorting by albums, hold down the Ctrl key and carefully select all the albums that have become unnecessary. Right-click anywhere in the highlight, call the context menu and select the inscription "Delete" 
Reminder: when you destroy iTunes library items, they will disappear from any device that is synchronized with it: iPod, iPad, iPhone.
Selective deletion of individual records
When storing tracks in the program as albums, select the "Albums" tab. In the desired album, holding the Ctrl button on the keyboard, sequentially mark all the tracks that you decided to destroy, and through the context menu called by the right mouse button, turn to the usual cruel and ruthless command. 
How many songs are highlighted, so many will disappear. Similarly, deletion is done through the "Songs" tab. The only exception is that the called menu will look a little different.
Without additional confirmation, it will not be possible to commit an act of destruction. Again, you will have to "talk" to the program's dialog box and confirm the intention.
The window is the same as the one that appears when erasing all tracks, only now instead of objects it talks about songs. 
The second difference is the window. It says "Don't ask again". If you check the box next to it, the program will no longer communicate with you through such a window, but will immediately delete the songs. This is relevant if the files are deleted without the help of the Ctrl key, not in several pieces, but one at a time. The check mark will speed up the process, you will not need to confirm your intention after each click.
The Delete key on the keyboard or the Shift+Delete combination performs an action similar to the left button of a dialog box. You can click not on the button, but on these keys to confirm the deletion. This is true for those who prefer to control actions from the keyboard and not be distracted by the mouse.
memo
Everything deleted disappears only from iTunes, all records are saved on the computer. To make them disappear from the computer, you need to find their location and forcibly delete them from your hard drive. If the user has forgotten where the songs are, before deleting iTunes on any file, we call the context menu, select "Details", a window appears, at the bottom of which the path to the file is indicated. The storage location can be found along this path.
When you sync music files, the contents of your iPhone and iPad are replaced by your iTunes library.
After deleting records from iTunes and subsequent synchronization, they disappear from the memory of mobile devices.
In some cases, when deleting an application, it is not enough just to throw it into the trash. To completely clean the computer and remove the program, additional manipulations are required. The multifunctional media player iTunes, also known as iTunes, is one of such non-standard applications.
- The root cause that may prompt a user to uninstall iTunes is the application's incompatibility with third-party products. Apple programs, as you know, are fundamentally “not friendly” with them. As a result, the media player takes a long time to load and “freezes” when playing and synchronizing audio and video files, or simply stops starting due to a system failure. The application also does not support the whole operating system - Windows XP. However, it is worth trying to update the product to a newer version: it is possible that this will solve the problem.
- Another reason to distrust iTunes is its interface, where there are too many points that can be confusing at first. The user does not want to understand all the functionality of the program, and after fiddling with the registration in the iTunes Store for some time, he decides to delete the player.
- The presence of a similar product from another manufacturer with a simpler and more understandable menu is another reason for the user to make a choice not in favor of iTunes (even if the programs do not conflict with each other).
- There are a number of ways to create copies and then restore your library besides iTunes. This can be done using the OS on your computer or using iCloud.
- Finally, you may need an older version of the player, for which you will need to uninstall the current one accordingly.
How to completely remove the player with all components from the computer
Consider the correct methods for removing an application from a computer under Windows and Mac OS operating systems.
For Windows OS
There are two ways to uninstall iTunes on this operating system. First - use standard Windows tools. Let's break this procedure down into steps.
They are installed automatically on your computer and are needed to connect and sync your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, and to update Apple products.
You should not restart the computer until the removal of all components is complete, or remove them partially. This can lead to unpredictable consequences.
Apple Support
Deleting iTunes Service Files
On the iTunes Support website, Apple claims:
In most cases, uninstalling iTunes and related components from the Control Panel will remove all supporting files related to those programs.
Apple Supporthttps://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204275
However, some service folders and files remain on the computer. You will need to remove them manually. These are the folders:
- C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple
- C:\Program Files\iTunes
- C:\Program Files\iPod
- C:\Program Files\QuickTime
- C:\Windows\System32\QuickTime
- C:\Windows\System32\QuickTimeVR
- C:\Users\"Username"\AppData\Local\Apple
- C:\Users\"Username"\AppData\Local\Apple Computer
- C:\Users\"Username"\AppData\Local\Apple Inc
- C:\Users\"Username"\AppData\Roaming\Apple
Delete the remaining service files
Can't delete iPodService.exe
In some cases, when trying to delete the iPod folder, a warning appears: “Cannot delete iPodService.exe. The object is being used by another user or program." To solve this problem, you need to go to the "Task Manager", in the "Processes" tab, select iPodService.exe and click on "End Process".
Cleaning the registry
To completely clean your computer of the remaining application entries, you need to check the registry.
Alternative Ways to Uninstall iTunes
For faster and more reliable removal of the application, you can use third-party programs designed specifically for such purposes. Among them are, for example, CCleaner or Revo Unstaller. They allow you to uninstall other programs and clean up your computer's registry in just two steps. Let's analyze this process using the example of Revo Unistaller.
Follow this step by step guide:
For MacOS
The first thing a Mac OS user will encounter when trying to uninstall a media player in the usual way is the inability to do this operation. You will receive the following error message.
iTunes uninstall error message
This is due to the fact that iTunes is built into the operating system itself and is protected from deletion. However, there is a way to uninstall the app. What should be done?
After that, you will be able to move iTunes from the Applications folder to the Trash.
Deleting an iTunes library
With any method of uninstalling the application, a folder with the data of your media library remains on the computer. It can only be removed manually. Default the full path to this folder looks like this: C:\Users\"Username"\Music\iTunes. Accordingly, to get rid of it, just transfer the folder to the Trash.
Delete iTunes Library Manually
If you can't install a newer version of iTunes
After installing one of the later versions, you may receive an error message.
iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml files cannot be read
To resolve this issue, go to the My Documents\My Music\iTunes folder and delete the iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml files from it.
Life hacks with iTunes
The folder for storing your audio and video files can be changed in the program settings. For this:
- From the iTunes menu, select "Edit - Preferences...".
- In the window that appears, go to the "Add-ons" tab.
- Under the "iTunes Media Folder Location" window, click on the "Change..." button.
Then you can choose your directory for storing the library. Secondly, you can copy the song to a CD and burn it again to your computer, choosing any convenient format.
Thirdly, you can record the desired composition using a third-party program, such as, for example, Apowersoft Streaming Audio Recorder. To do this, you need to click on the corresponding sound recording button in the program itself and include the song in iTunes. As a result, you will get a new recorded sound, which you can later encode into any format.
Record music from iTunes using a third-party program
Despite the apparent complexity, the procedure for uninstalling iTunes looks like it only at first glance. In most cases, the problem with the application can be solved by downloading the latest update from the official website. But if you clearly decided for yourself to deal with the program once and for all, and without a trace, this article will help you carry out this operation competently, quickly and without harm to your computer.
Despite the times, the Cupertino media combine is still an essential tool for acquiring, managing, and enjoying digital content. But some users do not like iTunes, they do not require its functionality, they prefer to use other software, like VLC, Vox or Fidelia.
And while uninstalling iTunes on Windows is no problem, doing it on OS X is not so easy. For Mac users, we will explain how you can remove the media player from the system.
Unlike Windows, on OS X iTunes comes pre-installed as part of the operating system. If you try to just drag and drop the application file to the trash, the system will not allow it and will show such a warning message.
Of course, the warning is a little exaggerated. The media processor is not required for basic OS X operation. It may be required from time to time to play media files, but by installing the appropriate equivalent, you will solve this problem.
If you are determined to get rid of the application, then go to the "Programs" folder and find iTunes there. Right click on it and select "Properties". Find and click on the padlock icon at the bottom right of the window and enter the administrator password. This is necessary in order to make changes to the access rights settings.
Close the Property window and try uninstalling the app again by dragging the app file to the Trash. This time, you won't see any warning. Empty your trash to complete the process.
If, after removing the media player, you decide that you still need it, then open the AppStore and go to the "Updates" section. The system will automatically prompt you to install iTunes again. Alternatively, you can download it from the Apple website and install it manually.
It should be noted that the steps above do not affect your libraries and music content files that are stored outside of the application (usually in Music/iTunes). This means that if you reinstall the combine, you can specify the path to the old library without losing your files.
However, this also means that if your goal is to completely remove iTunes from your Mac - including all libraries and media files - you will have to find and delete these files manually.
P.S.: There is another, shorter way to uninstall - through the terminal with the command sudo rm -rf iTunes.app/. We have already written about this in
All owners of mobile devices from Apple from time to time encounter problems when using. Often this program does not work correctly and produces a variety of errors. To solve this problem, it is often recommended to completely remove iTunes from the computer and reinstall it from scratch.
But, completely uninstalling iTunes is not an easy task. The fact is that other programs from Apple are installed along with iTunes and you need to remove them all individually. Now we will tell you how to completely remove iTunes from a computer running the Windows 7 or Windows 10 operating system.
Step number 1. We complete the work of the iTunes and Apple processes.
In order for nothing to interfere with the removal of iTunes, it is advisable to start this procedure by completing the processes. To do this, open the "Task Manager" (for example, by pressing CTRL-SHIFT-ESC) and go to the "Processes" tab (if you have Windows 7) or to the "Details" tab (if you have Windows 10).
Next, you need to study the list of running processes and complete everything related to the iTunes program or Apple products. You will most likely find processes like AppleMobileDeviceHelper.exe, AppleMobileDeviceService.exe, iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService. Feel free to terminate all these processes. To do this, right-click on the process and select "Finish" or "Remove".
You can read more information about the processes that belong to Apple software.
Step #2 Uninstall iTunes via the Windows Control Panel
After the process is completed, you can proceed to uninstall iTunes. To do this, you need to open the Windows Control Panel. If you have Windows 7, then you can use the "Start" for this.
In Windows 10, things are no longer so simple. Here you will need to press the key combination Windows-R and execute the “control” command.
After opening the Control Panel, go to the "Uninstall programs" section.
As a result, you should see a list of all installed programs. In order to quickly find all programs from Apple, use the search bar in the upper right corner of the window. Enter the query "Apple" and the system will show programs that relate to this company. Most likely, you will have 5 or 6 programs installed, these are: Apple Mobile Device Support, Apple Software Update, iTunes, Bonjour, and Apple Software Support (or Apple Application Support).
In order to completely remove iTunes from your computer, you need to uninstall all of these programs. This is done very simply, right-click on the program, select the "Uninstall" option and follow the instructions of the installer.
After the removal of one program is completed, we move on to the next one and so on until everything is removed.
Step number 3. Delete the files left after iTunes.
In order to completely remove iTunes from your computer, you need to additionally clean the folders from files that could remain there. To do this, manually open the following folders and check if there are any files.
- C:\Program Files\Bonjour
- C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support
- C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Apple Application Support
- C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\CoreFP
- C:\Program Files\iTunes\
- C:\Program Files\iPod\
- C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Apple\
- C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\
- C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Apple Inc\
- C:\Users\Username\Music\iTunes
If we managed to find something, feel free to delete it. Once completed, restart your computer and you're done, you have completely removed iTunes from your computer.
