iTunes, over the years, has become synonymous with Apple. It is almost impossible to find a macOS device without iTunes installed in it. Aside from being a media player, iTunes also serves as a media library, internet radio broadcaster, and mobile device manager. From being a pure Mac-only software, iTunes has spread its user base to other systems such as Windows 7 and Windows 10.
Dec 01, 2017 On another page I also found an explanation for why Cmd-R and Cmd-Option-R are doing the same thing: 'Newer Mac computers and some older Mac computers automatically try to start up from OS X Internet Recovery when unable to start from OS X Recovery. If that happens, your computer's memory and startup disk are tested before startup completes. Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Continue button. If the above does not install iTunes, then you will need to do the following: Install El Capitan or Later from Scratch. If possible, back up your files. Restart the computer. Immediately, at or before the chime, hold down the Command and R keys until the Apple logo appears. When the Utility Menu appears. Here is the step by step guide –. Step 1:Browse www.apple.com/iTunes/download on your Mac computer using Safari browser to download iTunes. Step 2:Locate ‘Download Now’ and click it by scrolling down the page. Tap on ‘Save’ button afterwards to download the latest iTunes version on your Mac OS X High Sierra.
However, even the best programs can be ridden with errors sometimes. Uninstalling iTunes from your Mac, too, is a lot trickier than removing it from Windows. With Windows, you can uninstall iTunes the same way you do with any other programs: you just need to go to Settings > System > Apps & features > iTunes, then click the Uninstall button.
Uninstalling iTunes from macOS Mojave is not as straightforward as dragging the application to the Trash, which is the easiest way of removing an app from macOS. When you try to move iTunes to the Trash, you’ll get an error message saying “iTunes” can’t be modified or deleted because it’s required by OS X.”
All Macs come pre-installed with iTunes, but it doesn’t mean that this built-in media player is necessary for macOS to function properly. You can disregard macOS’s warning and uninstall iTunes from Mojave without having to worry about any negative consequences. If you need to play some audio and video files, you can use QuickTime for your playback needs instead.
Uninstalling iTunes will not delete or change your music library. But since that is not always the case, make sure you don’t lose the your songs and other media files by backing up your library before uninstalling iTunes.
Before creating your backup, make sure all junk files are deleted so you don’t copy them over to your backup folder. You can use an app such as Tweakbit MacRepair to totally get rid of trash like deleted media files.
This will uninstall the iTunes app from your Mac, but your library should still be intact. In case you want to reinstall iTunes, you can simply point iTunes to your old library to recover your media files.
Reinstalling iTunes is as easy as launching Mac App Store and checking the Software Update tab. Software Update will automatically scan your computer for missing components, such as iTunes, and try to restore them. The latest version of iTunes, which is version 12.9, comes installed with macOS Mojave, and there is no standalone installer for it. You can download version 12.8 here instead, or the Windows version here.
Once you have reinstalled iTunes, go to Music and check if your music library is intact. If the library is empty or there are missing songs, you need to reset your cache.
To do this:
If this doesn’t work, try launching the app in Safe Mode by holding Command + Option while launching iTunes. Another option is to delete the cache in your Music folder.
Uninstalling the iTunes app is an effective troubleshooting method if you’re experiencing errors or other issues with the application. However, some Mac users are hesitant to uninstall iTunes because they are afraid of losing their entire music library. Downloading all those songs would be time-consuming and a hassle.
Fortunately, you can uninstall iTunes without losing your music by following the steps listed in the guide above. You no longer have to worry about losing your songs if you need to uninstall then reinstall iTunes on your Mac.