Why is my iTunes music not playing?

Check Your Internet Connection

One of the most common reasons for iTunes music not playing is an issue with your internet connection preventing iTunes from accessing Apple’s servers. iTunes needs to connect to the internet and verify your Apple ID in order to play purchased or downloaded content from the iTunes Store or Apple Music.

If you are connected to wifi or ethernet but still getting errors, there are a few things to check:

• Restart your router and modem – This will refresh the connection and DNS settings which can fix temporary glitches.
• Check for internet outages in your area – Your provider could be experiencing a widespread outage.
• Verify the service status page for Apple – Sometimes connectivity issues are on Apple’s end. Check Apple System Status to see if iTunes or Apple Music is experiencing problems.
• Try toggling wifi on and off on your device – Toggle the wifi or airplane mode off and on to get a fresh IP address.
• Forget the wifi network and reconnect – This clears out any corrupt network settings.

If you’ve tried all of these steps and are still unable to connect, contact your internet service provider for assistance troubleshooting your connection.

Update iTunes

An outdated version of iTunes can prevent music and other media from playing properly. iTunes requires regular updates to fix bugs, improve performance, and support new devices and file formats. If you haven’t updated iTunes in a while, there’s a good chance the version you have is too old to play your music files correctly.

Go to the iTunes menu and click “Check for Updates.” If an update is available, download and install it. iTunes will walk you through the process. Make sure to follow all the steps. Once the latest version of iTunes is installed, try playing your music again.

According to discussions on the Apple website, upgrading to the newest version of iTunes resolved playback issues for many users: “itunes will not play my music”.

If you have the latest iTunes version and music still won’t play, you may need to investigate other potential causes like audio settings, file corruption, or problems with your library.

Restart Computer and Devices

Sometimes restarting your computer and audio devices can help resolve issues with iTunes music playback. Rebooting your devices essentially clears out any temporary software glitches or processes that may be interfering with iTunes and allows them to restart fresh.

Follow these steps to restart your devices:

• Save and close any open apps or files on your computer.
• Click the Start menu and select “Restart” to reboot your computer.
• Once your computer has fully restarted, try playing music in iTunes again.
• If the issue persists, also restart your iPhone, iPad or other iOS device by holding down the power button until you see the “Slide to power off” prompt. Then turn your device back on.
• You can also restart any external speakers, headphones, Bluetooth devices, or other audio accessories connected to your computer.
• After restarting all devices, test playing music in iTunes again.

Rebooting gives your hardware and software a fresh start, clearing out any temporary glitches. If restarting devices resolves the playback issues, then you know something was interfering with normal operation. However, if the problem continues, you may need to troubleshoot further.

Check Audio Settings

One common reason iTunes music may not be playing is if you have the wrong audio output device selected in your system preferences.

To check this:

1. Open the System Preferences application on your Mac.
2. Click on the Sound icon.
3. Go to the Output tab.
4. Make sure the audio device you want to use (like Built-in Speakers or Headphones) is selected.
5. If the wrong device is selected, like an external monitor’s speakers, the audio will go to that device and you won’t hear it from your Mac’s speakers or headphones.
6. Select the appropriate audio output device and test playing music in iTunes again.

Setting the correct audio output in System Preferences should resolve the issue if your iTunes music is not playing due to incorrect audio device selection.

Authorize Computer

If you have switched computers or done a clean install of iTunes, you may need to re-authorize your new computer in order to play purchased music from your iTunes account. Before transferring your iTunes library, you should deauthorize the old computer first under Account > Authorizations in iTunes. Then on the new computer, you can authorize it by going to Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer ^[1]. You will be prompted to enter your Apple ID and password to authorize the new computer. Once authorized, the new computer will be able to play purchased content from your iTunes account. If you forgot to deauthorize the old computer first, you can always go back later and deauthorize it to free up one of your 5 available computer authorizations.

Check for Corrupt Files

If the issue is only affecting certain songs or albums, the files themselves may have become corrupted or damaged. This can prevent iTunes from properly reading and playing the music. According to discussions on the Apple forums, one of the most common causes of music not playing in iTunes is a corrupted or damaged library file.

To check for corrupt files, go into your iTunes library on your computer and look for songs or albums with an exclamation point next to them. This is a sign that iTunes detects a problem with that file. You can try deleting the song or album and re-downloading it from the iTunes Store or other source. However, if the underlying file itself is damaged, downloading it again may not fix the issue.

More serious iTunes library corruption may call for more involved troubleshooting steps like rebuilding your library or checking for problems with the iTunes database files. But dealing with isolated corrupt songs is a good starting point before escalating to broader iTunes library repairs.

Reset iTunes Library

Rebuilding your iTunes library can often fix playback issues by resetting corrupted files or settings. To reset your iTunes library on Windows, go to your iTunes folder located at C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\Music\iTunes and delete the “iTunes Library.itl” file. This is the database that contains information about all the media in your library. According to discussions on Apple’s support forums, deleting this file will force iTunes to create a new, empty library file which can resolve problems with playback.

After deleting the old library file, open iTunes while holding down the Shift key (Windows) or Option key (Mac). This will prompt iTunes to create a new library. You can then re-add your media files to the application. iTunes will re-import them into the new library and ideally fix any corrupted data that was causing issues before. Make sure to safely back up your iTunes media files first before attempting this, in case something goes wrong.

Reinstall iTunes

If you have tried other troubleshooting steps like updating iTunes, restarting your computer, and resetting audio settings, but are still unable to play music in iTunes, a complete reinstallation of iTunes may be required.

Uninstalling and then reinstalling iTunes can often resolve software corruption issues that may be preventing music and audio playback. Make sure to completely uninstall all iTunes components before reinstalling a fresh version.

On Windows, go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, and uninstall all Apple/iTunes components. Then download the latest iTunes installer for Windows from Apple’s support site and run through the installation wizard.

On Mac, open Finder > Applications and drag iTunes to the Trash, then empty the Trash. Download the latest macOS installer from the iTunes homepage and run it to reinstall iTunes.

After reinstalling iTunes and restarting your computer, open iTunes and try playing a song again. A fresh install should resolve any corrupted files or settings that were preventing music playback.

If music still does not play after reinstalling iTunes, you may need to contact Apple support for further troubleshooting assistance.

Contact Apple Support

If you continue to experience issues with iTunes playback after trying the troubleshooting steps listed above, it may be time to contact Apple Support directly for additional help. Apple provides multiple ways to get in touch including by phone, chat, email, and even Twitter.

Contacting Apple Support directly can help resolve persistent iTunes playback problems that you can’t fix yourself. Apple’s support team are product experts who can walk you through advanced troubleshooting, or diagnose if there is a larger underlying issue causing your iTunes to malfunction. They can also help with account-related issues that may be contributing to playback problems.

Before reaching out to Apple Support, make sure you have your Apple ID and iTunes version information ready. Also take note of when the playback issues started occurring, what troubleshooting you’ve already tried, and what types of files are affected (music, movies, etc). This information will help Apple Support solve your problem more efficiently.

Apple aims to provide great customer service across all channels. So don’t hesitate to contact them for hands-on iTunes support if you’ve exhausted your troubleshooting options.

Consider Switching Services

If troubleshooting does not resolve your iTunes playback issues, the problem may lie with iTunes software itself rather than your device or music files. In this case, you may want to consider switching to an alternative music platform.

Popular services like Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and Apple Music can be great iTunes alternatives. They offer robust libraries of music available for streaming rather than having to store files locally. Many also have free tiers available.

Switching services means you’ll have to rebuild your music collection and playlists. However, alternative platforms may provide a smoother, more reliable listening experience. Before deciding, research various music services to find one that best fits your listening preferences and budget.