Complete removal of iTunes Windows 10. Correct removal of iTunes and related applications from your computer

Apple Software Update is an additional module installed in the operating system along with the Safari browser, iTunes service application and other Apple software products. Its main function is to perform software updates. It automatically listens to the computer's network ports and sends/receives data from the server.

Sometimes Apple Software Update prevents you from uninstalling and reinstalling Apple applications. Causes software conflicts, uninstall errors, blocks the operation of a running uninstaller (browser, client is not uninstalled). Failures in most cases occur due to the functional specifics of the Update module (active processes, network connections).

These guides will help you correctly remove Apple Software Update from Windows OS completely, with the option of reinstalling it later. Choose any of the proposed methods and start “cleaning” your computer.

Note. The instructions cover uninstalling Apple Software Update along with iTunes on the Windows 8 operating system.

Method No. 1: removal using standard options

1. Close iTunes and other Apple applications.

2. Launch Task Manager: press “Ctrl+Shift+Esc” simultaneously.

3. In the manager window, open the “Processes” tab.

4. In the “Background...” block, end all processes related to the Apple software product:

  • Apple Software Update;
  • Bonjour;
  • iTunesHelper;
  • iPodServices;
  • MobileDevices and others.

Right-click on the process name. And then in the context menu that opens, click “End task”. Quit all active Apple software processes.

Advice! If you are in doubt whether the active process has anything to do with iTunes or not, also right-click on it and select the “Open location...” option. You can remove a process from the list in the Manager if the Apple software directory (folder) opens in a new window.

5. Right-click on the Windows icon in the taskbar. From the list of options, select Programs and Features.

Note. In Windows 7, this section opens like this: Start → Control Panel → Uninstall a program.

6. Uninstall software components sequentially in the following order:

  1. iTunes (Safari, other Apple software).
  2. Apple Software Update.
  3. Mobile Device Support.
  4. Bonjour.
  5. Application Support (immediately 32-bit version, and then 64-bit).

Note. Some of the listed elements may not be present in the system. In this case, proceed to neutralize the next component on the list.

To uninstall the Apple item in Programs and Features, do the following:

right-click on the name;
select “Delete” in the panel that opens;
confirm the launch of the command: in the request message, click “Yes”;

Upon completion of the procedure, proceed to remove the next element (follow the sequence indicated in the list).

Method No. 2: cleaning with an uninstaller program

Removing Apple programs, iTunes and Safari, as well as the Update module using a special cleaning utility allows you to perform better system cleaning. This is especially important in cases where the computer owner no longer wants to use the application and wants to rid the Windows OS of all traces of it. Both in file directories and in the registry.

This instruction discusses the option of removing Apple components using the Uninstall Tool. In the absence of one, you can use analogues - Revo Uninstaller, Soft Organizer, etc.

1. Run the Uninstall Tool utility with administrator rights.

2. Uninstall objects in accordance with the sequence specified in point No. 6 of the previous manual.

3. Start with your main application (i.e. iTunes). Click on it once with the left mouse button.

4. In the panel located on the left side of the list of programs, click the “Uninstall” function.

5. After the standard removal procedure, in an additional window, start searching for the remains of the application (click “Ok”).

6. Delete the remaining files and entries in the application registry found by the Uninstall Tool. Click the “Delete” button in the additional window.

Good luck cleaning your computer!

Occurring with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, iOS is not always to blame. Quite often, iTunes is responsible for them, the operation of which has failed. In such cases, it is necessary to reinstall iTunes, the correct implementation of which is far from an obvious process. We described in detail how to properly reinstall iTunes on a Windows computer in this instruction.

Remove installed version of iTunes

In most cases, problems with reinstalling iTunes occur due to the removal of components of the previous version of the utility in the wrong order. Moreover, many users limit themselves to removing only the program itself, and leave additional components, which are often associated with the error, on the computer. This, of course, cannot be done.

You must remove iTunes components in the following strict order:

  • iTunes.
  • Apple Software Update.
  • Apple Mobile Device Support.
  • Bonjour.
  • Apple software support (32-bit).
  • Apple software support (64-bit).

The uninstallation itself is performed in the add/remove program menu in the computer control panel.

Check if everything has been deleted

After removing all iTunes components, you need to make sure that all files of the old version of the utility have been deleted from your computer. Although such a check is not mandatory, it is recommended. Only in this case will you eliminate any possibility of an error occurring when installing a new version of iTunes.

  • Check your Program Files folder. If it still contains folders iTunes, Bonjour And iPod, delete them.
  • Check the Program Files\Common Files\Apple folder. If it still contains folders Mobile Device Support, Apple Application Support And CoreFP, delete them.

If you have a 32-bit version of Windows installed on your computer, instead of the Program Files folder, you should look in the folder for the old version of iTunes. Program Files (x86).

Restart your computer and install the latest version of iTunes

After permanently uninstalling iTunes, restart your computer. Then download the latest version of iTunes from Apple's official website and install it on your PC. The installation process is not difficult - you just need to follow the instructions in the installation file.


Please rate:

iTunes is a cross-platform media player that is designed not only for playing audio and video materials, but also for downloading content from the Apple store and creating backup copies of iPhone and iPad. However, if on a Mac the program runs relatively quickly and without any errors, then on computers with the Windows operating system iTunes works unstable. Users often notice that software takes a long time to start up, runs slowly, and contains errors.

Uninstalling iTunes via Control Panel

iTunes installs various components on your Windows 7 PC. Among them, it is worth highlighting Apple Application Support, Apple Software Update, Apple Mobile Device Support and Bonjour. These components are responsible for updating software, connecting devices and synchronizing them.

You can uninstall iTunes through the “Control Panel”, “Programs and Features” section, but ONLY in a certain sequence. It is prohibited to change the order of software removal, as this may cause undesirable consequences. The sequence is as follows:

  • iTunes;
  • Apple Software Update;
  • Apple Mobile Device Support;
  • Bonjour;
  • Apple Application Support (32-bit);
  • Apple Application Support (64-bit).

If iTunes has two versions of Apple Application Support installed on your computer, be sure to uninstall both.

After uninstalling the program, you should restart your PC.

Removing iTunes manually

To manually remove iTunes from a computer running Windows 7, you should end all software processes, remove the program itself and its components, and clean the registry. Therefore, let's look at step-by-step instructions for removing the player.

  • We complete the processes. To do this, click “Ctrl+Alt+Del” and select “Launch Task Manager” or right-click on the Windows taskbar and select the desired action.

  • Depending on what programs are running on the PC, these are the services that will be displayed. Therefore, it is worth initially closing all Apple programs and deselecting all tasks and processes in the Task Manager.

  • In addition to the process shown in the screenshot, it is necessary to terminate “exe”, “AppleMobileDeviceService.exe”, “iTunesHelper.exe”.

  • Or, as an option, in order not to click all the processes in a row, you can right-click and select “End process tree”, and then confirm the selected action.

At the second stage, we remove the program and components through the Control Panel, as described above. The main thing is not to violate the deletion sequence.

After deleting, go to drive C and delete the following folders:

  • C:\Program Files\Common FilesApple\
  • 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 Computer\

At the third stage, you need to clean the system registry. Before performing this operation, you should make a backup copy of the registry.

  • Press “Win+R” and enter “regedit”.

  • The Registry Editor will open. Click “Edit”, “Find”.

  • Enter “iTunes” into the search bar. Click “Find Next”.

  • All values ​​that relate to this program should be deleted. To do this, right-click on the section and select “Delete”.

  • After removal, you should reboot the system.

Important! If you are not sure of your actions, you should download CCleaner and remove iTunes and registry values ​​with it.

To learn how to remove program components, watch the video:

The latest version of iTunes is a popular media combiner that allows you to synchronize Apple devices with your computer, organize convenient storage of your media library, transfer and listen to music, watch videos and much more. If you have problems with the performance of this program or no longer need to use it, the most logical solution would be to completely remove it, which we will talk about today.

On computers running Windows 10, iTunes can be installed in two ways - using the Microsoft Store or an executable file downloaded from the official Apple website. The second option, which is the only one available for previous versions of the OS, involves a slightly different, more complex uninstallation algorithm, since along with the main program, additional components are installed on the PC, which will also need to be removed. Let's look at all this in more detail below.

Method 1: Uninstaller programs

Most computer applications leave a lot of traces in the operating system during their operation, both files on the disk and entries in the system registry. If you want to completely get rid of iTunes traces, it is best to use one of the specialized uninstaller programs for this purpose. As an illustrative example, we will turn to the well-known CCleaner for help, but you can choose any other solution from the article provided at the link below.

iTunes from Microsoft Store
If you installed iTunes from the Application Store for Windows 10, it will not be difficult to remove it - no traces or additional components remain after such a program.


iTunes from the official site
If the iTunes installation was carried out in the traditional way, using a file downloaded from the official website, your system will have five more (sometimes less) software components that will also need to be removed.

  • Apple Mobile Device Support;
  • Apple Software Update;
  • Bonjour;
  • Support for Apple programs (32-bit);
  • Support for Apple programs (64-bit).
  1. Open section "Remove programs" in SeaCleaner and organize the list of elements presented in this window by their publisher. To do this, click on the tab of the same name on the top panel.
  2. One by one, uninstall all programs published by Apple (this is indicated to the right of their name).


    In this case, iTunes should be removed last, so you can start with Apple Mobile Device Support,


    and then just proceed in order of priority.


    Only after you have gotten rid of all additional software do "Uninstallation" iTunes.
  3. In order to get rid of all traces that Apple products may have left in the operating system, clean the latter from debris using the step-by-step guide provided at the link below.

Method 2: Programs and Features

Every version of Windows OS has a standard uninstaller, and it can be used to remove iTunes.

Note: Using the method described below, it is impossible to remove iTunes that was installed from the Microsoft Store in Windows 10 - applications from the store are simply not displayed in this section of the operating system.


Method 3: Settings (Windows 10)

If you are a user of the tenth version of Windows and prefer to use its standard tools to solve certain OS maintenance problems, to remove iTunes in this case, you can and should refer to the section "Options".

iTunes from Microsoft Store


iTunes from the official site

  1. Repeat the steps from the first point above, and then in the tab "Applications and Features" Sort the list of programs presented there by the date they were installed. To do this, simply select the appropriate item in the drop-down list "Sort by:".
  2. This sorting will help us see together all the Apple software components that are installed on the computer, after which we can easily remove both each of them and iTunes itself.

    Note: A list of all products from Apple Inc that need to be uninstalled is indicated in the section "iTunes from the official site" the first method of this article.

    To do this, simply left-click on the first program in the list, and then double-click "Delete".


    Wait until the uninstall process completes, then move on to the next item in the list.

  3. Lastly, uninstall iTunes.


    This process usually takes about one minute,


    but upon completion, you will get rid of all Apple products and the traces they left on the operating system.

Unfortunately, although the iTunes program is considered one of the most universal tools for synchronizing Apple devices with computer systems, in Windows (and any modification) you can often observe the occurrence of conflicts. The program may not work correctly or not work at all. In the simplest case, it needs to be reinstalled or updated. But first, the application must be uninstalled. This is where the problem arises of how to completely remove iTunes from your computer. It would seem that everything is simple, but no. It is necessary to take into account several points, without knowledge of which it will be impossible to completely remove the application.

How to completely remove iTunes from your computer: what should you pay attention to before deleting?

Before proceeding with uninstallation, you need to clearly understand that during installation, the distribution package contained several additional utilities that were installed into the system automatically without user intervention.

Based on this, it is not difficult to guess that the matter will not be limited to just deleting the main application (iTunes). In addition, the problem of having a Windows computer also has a downside. The fact is that even after uninstalling all installed components, unnecessary files and folders remain in the system, which are ordinary computer garbage. This is connected both with the iTunes uninstaller itself and with a similar Windows service (they simply do not remove residual objects).

How to remove iTunes from your computer? Windows 7: standard procedure

So, armed with knowledge, you can begin uninstallation. At the first stage, the problem of how to completely remove iTunes from a computer comes down to a completely standard procedure.

First, you should use the programs and components section located in the “Control Panel”, where in the list of installed applications, in addition to the iTunes program, you need to additionally find Bonjour, Restore, Mobile Device Support (developed by Apple Inc.), Application Support (Apple) and Apple Software Update. There is also a Quick Time media platform. You can leave it as this support may be useful in the future.

In principle, all programs in the list will be located next to each other. If this is not the case, you can sort installed applications by publisher or by installation date. Next, you just need to remove all components using a standard tool.

Residual objects

The next step is to remove the remaining debris. First of all, you should pay attention to the Program Files directory. In it you need to delete the Bonjour, iPod and iTunes directories with all their contents.

Next, in the same directory, go to the CommonFiles folder, find the Apple folder in it and delete the CoreFP, Apple Application Support and Mobile Device Support directories. You can try to initially delete the entire Apple folder, but this usually has no effect. In addition, in addition to the specified directories, it may contain other elements used by the Windows system and not related to iTunes in any way.

There is one more element - the so-called media library - a folder in which user multimedia files are located. The question of deleting it remains solely with the user (usually the directory is located in the “Music” directory of the corresponding account that is currently active.

Additional uninstallation tools

Finally, you can solve the problem of how to completely remove iTunes from your computer using a simpler method using special uninstaller utilities that work much better than the system’s own tool or a similar built-in Apple tool (iObit Uninstaller, Revo Uninstaller, etc.).

Such programs are good because they allow multiple selection of elements to be deleted, and automatically find and delete residual files, folders and system registry entries. In some cases, you don't even need to check all iTunes-related apps. It is enough to start uninstalling the application you are looking for, and all the others will be “picked up” automatically. In both cases, upon completion of the removal, you need to perform a complete restart of the system.