How To Get Itunes To Recognize My Iphone

Complete Ways to Fix iTunes Won't Recognize iPhone

iTunes will not recognize your iPhone for many reasons. If you are fed up with this problem, you might want to learn how you can fix it. This guide gives you some feasible methods to do so.

iTunes & iCloud Issues

If you are having problems getting iTunes to recognize your iPhone, you are not alone. Thousands of users face this issue occasionally and it is pretty common. There are various reasons why the iTunes app on your computer will not detect your iPhone. There may be an issue with your iTunes, computer, iPhone, or the connection method.

Fortunately, there are several methods that you can try and hopefully fix the issue on your devices. The fixes that you will find here are both basic and advanced. First, you may want to apply all the basic fixes and see if that helps resolve your problem. If that does not work, go ahead and apply the advanced fixes and that should most likely resolve the issue for you. Check out the available solutions below.

Fix 1. Restart Computer and iPhone
Fix 2. Check the Connection
Fix 3. Try AnyFix to Repair iTunes without Efforts
Fix 4. Uninstall iTunes and Reinstall It
Fix 5. Temporarily Disable Security Software
Fix 6. Fix iTunes Error on Windows PC
Fix 7. Fix iTunes Error on Mac

Also Read: How to Unlock a Disabled iPhone and Won't Connect to iTunes >

1. Restart Computer and iPhone

From the moment you turn on your iPhone and computer to finally when you turn them after finishing your work, millions of processes run and get executed on your devices. Sometimes, some of these processes negatively affect your device and that results in issues like the one you are currently experiencing. The good thing is that these minor issues can actually be easily fixed. All you basically need to do is restart your computer and iPhone and that should resolve most issues for you.

2. Check the Connection

One of the reasons why iTunes will not recognize your iPhone is that there is an issue with your connection method. You need to make sure all the equipment that you use to establish the connection is working.

Ensure there is no dust or debris in the cable ports on your iPhone and your computer. If it is dirty, clean it up.
Also, you need to check your USB cable and ensure it works. If required, replace the cable with an Apple original one.

3. Try AnyFix to Repair iTunes without Efforts

iTunes can sometimes be extremely difficult to fix. If the errors are caused by something serious in the app, then fixing it manually is going to take forever. Luckily, you do not need to do that as there are a few apps you can use to fix iTunes and the errors related to it with some basic steps.

AnyFix – iOS system recovery tool is an application that allows you to fix hundreds of issues associated with iTunes on your computer. You can use it to fix problems like iTunes Won't Recognize iPhone, iPhone won't update on iTunes, iPhone not showing up in iTunes, Cannot connect to iTunes Store, etc. Have a look at AnyFix's main features below.

AnyFix – Fix iTunes Not Recognizing iPhone

Fix system and make iTunes recognize your phone in minutes.
Detect errors immediately once you connect and start the process.
No technical skills are needed, easy to use.
No crashing of system, 100% clean & safe.

The following is how you use this app to fix iTunes not recognizing your iPhone.

Step 1. Download AnyFix on your computer, launch it, and click on iTunes Repair on the main app interface.

Repair iTunes with AnyFix

Step 2. On the following screen, select iTunes Connection/Backup/Restore Errors, and hit Scan Now.

Select the Error Type to Fix

Step 3. Wait for the app to analyze the errors. Then, click on Fix Now to start fixing those errors.

Resolve iTunes Errors

4. Uninstall iTunes and Reinstall It

If iTunes is still having trouble recognizing your iPhone, there may be an issue with the iTunes app on your computer. One way to fix iTunes issues is to remove the entire iTunes app from your computer and then reinstall it. This should not take too long and you can fix many issues with this method.

The following shows how you can perform this method on your computer.

If you are on Windows, launch the Control Panel utility from your Start Menu.
Find and click on the option that says Uninstall a program to remove iTunes.
Find iTunes in the list of installed apps, click on it, and select Uninstall at the top of your screen.
If you are on Mac, drag the iTunes app from the Applications folder over to the Trash icon in your Dock.
Head over to the iTunes website and download and install the app on your computer.

Uninstall Apps on Windows PC

5. Temporarily Disable Security Software

The purpose of a security software tool on your computer is to keep your machine secure from any viruses and threats. Unfortunately, some of the antivirus software are not good at differentiating between good and bad files. As a result, they end up detecting good apps like iTunes as bad apps and cause interference with their workings.

This may have happened on your computer and that is why iTunes fails to recognize your iPhone. To fix this issue, all you need to do is disable your security software when you use iTunes on your computer. Since the software will remain disabled, it will not get into the way of iTunes and iTunes will be able to do what it needs to do to detect your iPhone

With most antivirus software, all you need to do is open the software and click on the Turn Off, Disable, or a similar option to turn them off.

6. Fix iTunes Error on Windows PC

If you use iTunes on a Windows computer, there are a few things you can do to possibly get rid of iTunes issues from your machine.

1. Trust Your Computer

When you connect your iPhone to your computer, make sure you tap on the Trust option on your device. This way, your iPhone can exchange data with your computer using iTunes.

2. Update the iTunes app

Make sure you are using the latest version of iTunes on your computer. If you are not sure, open the Apple Software Update utility and use it to check for iTunes updates.

Update iTunes on PC

3. Verify Apple Mobile Device Support Availability

You must have Apple Mobile Device Support installed on your PC. This gets installed when you install iTunes.

To check if it exists, head to Control Panel > Uninstall a program and find the utility in the list. If it is not there, you will need to reinstall iTunes to get that utility.

7. Fix iTunes Error on Mac

It is very rare for users to face issues with iTunes on a Mac. However, if you are one of those users facing issues, there are some easy ways to fix those issues.

1. Update Your Mac

You need to ensure that you are running the latest version of macOS on your Mac. You can check and update macOS as follows.

Click on the Apple logo, select About This Mac, and click on Software Update. It will check and let you download new updates for your Mac.

Update Mac

2. Unplug Other Devices

If you have plugged-in other USB devices to your Mac, disconnect them while using your iPhone. This will fix any other devices causing issues with your iPhone.

The Bottom Line

Many users find that iTunes is not recognizing my iPhone and there are several reasons why. If you cannot fix the issue on your own, the above guide will help you get the issue resolved using various methods. It shows methods for multiple platforms so you are covered no matter the platform. We suggest you download AnyFix and fix the iTunes system now!

Author Avatar

Member of iMobie team as well as an Apple fan, love to help more users solve various types of iOS & Android related issues.