If you encounter the issue of iPhone won’t sync with iTunes, then you are in the right place. Recently, we found that many iPhone users are facing the same problem after they updated to the latest iOS system. Although Apple always releases the newer version of iTunes to fix bugs on syncing iPhone to iTunes, there may be some omissions. Typically, iTunes will sync with an iOS device without incident, but sometimes things go away, and iPhone just won’t sync with iTunes at all. If you find yourself in that frustrating situation, here is what you can do to fix it and get your iPhone syncing with iTunes again.

Related readings:

How to Backup iPhone?

How to Sync iPhone to iTunes?

Why Is My iPhone Not Charging When Plugging in?

Solution 1: Use iTunes Alternative to Sync iPhone to Computer

Using different methods to fix your iPhone won’t sync with iTunes is a direct way to figure out the error. Alternatively, you can change your syncing method to some third-party iOS transfer software instead of iTunes. Among various iOS transfer software, Leawo iTransfer is regarded as the best one. This software is used for transferring up to 12 kinds of files between iOS devices, iTunes and computers without interruption and restriction of iTunes. The following guidance will show you how to use Leawo iTransfer to sync iPhone to computer.

Step 1: Download Leawo iTransfer

Click Download button below according to your computer system to download and install this software on your computer.

  • itransfer
  • Leawo iTransfer

    - Transfer files among iOS devices, iTunes and PCs with ease.
    - 6x faster than iTunes
    - Transfer up to 14 kinds of data and files without iTunes.
    - Support the latest iOS devices like iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, etc.
    - Play back, view, and delete data and files on iOS devices.
    - Support Windows & Mac OS

Step 2: Connect your iPhone to computer

Launch Leawo iTransfer and connect your iPhone to computer with USB cable. This software will recognize your iPhone automatically.

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Step 3: Choose files to transfer from iPhone to computer

Choose a file library under the name of your iPhone in the left sidebar. Contents in the library will be displayed in the right panel. Hold Ctrl/Shift key to select files, and right-click to choose Transfer to > My Computer/iTunes.

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Step 4: Set output directory

On the pop-up window, check the output directory. Then click Transfer Now button to start syncing your iPhone to computer without iTunes.

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Solution 2: Update iTunes to the Latest Version

Sometimes, just updating iTunes to the latest version can resolve all syncing problems, because some bugs will be fixed in a newer version. Apart from downloading the latest version of iTunes on its official page, you can also check updates in the program settings.

  • For Windows: Head to Help > Check for Updates
  • For Mac: Navigate to Apple > System Preferences > Software Updates
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Solution 3: Re-Authorize Your Computer on iTunes

If syncing fails, or the sync button is grayed out and not available, you can re-authorize your computer to let iTunes get access to your iPhone.

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Steps:

  1. Open iTunes on your computer and then tap on the “Account > Authorizations” option.
  2. Click on the tab of “Authorize This Computer” and then input your Apple ID and password to re-authorize your computer.

Solution 4: Restart Your iPhone, iTunes and Computer

This is definitely the easiest way to fix iPhone won’t sync with iTunes issue. Sometimes, some minor bugs or crashes may lead to this issue, and restart is enough to get your iPhone sync with iTunes again. To restart iPhone, you can follow the steps below.

  • For an iPhone with Face ID: Press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power off slider appears. Then, drag the slider and wait 30 seconds to turn off your iPhone.
  • For an iPhone with a Home button: Long-press the Power button until the power off slider appears. Then, drag the slider and wait 30 seconds to turn off your iPhone.

After your iPhone is completely shut down, you can press and hold the Power button until you see the Apple logo.

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Solution 5: Update Driver to Fix iPhone Won't Sync with iTunes

If the driver is outdated, your iPhone will not be recognized by computer. For this matter, you can update the drive to fix iPhone won’t sync with iTunes.

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Steps:

  1. On your computer, open Device Manager and find the tab of Portable Devices.
  2. Right-click on your iPhone icon, and choose Update Driver Software… option.
  3. Generally, you can find the driver by following path: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers
  4. After updating, iTunes will pop up automatically and ready for syncing.

Solution 6: Connect with Another USB Cable & Check the Charging Port

In many cases, the syncing issues are caused by improper and unstable cable connection. It is rare but it’s easy to rule out. All you need to do is check the charging port of your iPhone to see whether it is damaged, and change another USB cable to connect your iPhone to computer.

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Solution 7: Sync Wirelessly If iPhone Won’t Sync with iTunes with Wire

If the charging port of your iPhone is damaged, or you just don’t have a USB cable that can be used normally, iTunes also offers you a way to sync over Wi-Fi.

  • Step 1: On the left menu bar of iTunes, tap Summary option under Settings section.
  • Step 2: Then, on the right Options panel, check the tab of Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi. Then, click the Apply button to save the setting.
  • Step 3: On your iPhone, tap Settings > General > iTunes Wi-Fi Sync > Sync Now to sync your iPhone with iTunes wirelessly.
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Note

    With wireless syncing, make sure that both your iOS device and computer are under the same Wi-Fi network connection.

Solution 8: Inactivate Apple Music Feature

This solution may surprise you, but we found that the issue of iPhone won’t sync with iTunes due to the conflict between iTunes and Apple Music. Therefore, you can also try to resolve the issue by disabling the Apple Music Function. To turn it off in iTunes, you can follow the steps below.

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Steps:

  1. Click Preferences of iTunes in the top menu bar.
  2. Tap General tab and uncheck Show Apple Music Features option.
  3. Finally, click OK button to save settings and exit.

Solution 9: Force Restart Your iPhone

Compared to a normal restart, a force restart will suddenly cut off the power of your iPhone and turn it off instead of saving and exiting all background processes before turning off your device. This may sometimes cause system error or corrupt. Therefore, to start with, you’d better turn off all apps on your iPhone before the operating system. And the steps vary by different models. Here will take an iPhone with Face ID, iPhone 8 and iPhone SE (2nd generation) as an example. For more models, you can refer to this tutorial: Force Restart iPhone.

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Steps:

  1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
  3. Long-press the side button until the Apple logo appears.

Solution 10: Reset Your iPhone to Fix iPhone Won't Sync with iTunes

This method should be the last consideration, because all data on your iPhone will be erased, and nor can it solve the problem of iPhone won’t sync with iTunes 100%. If you have tried all methods mentioned above and none of them work, you can attempt this method. Before factory reset your iPhone, you need to back up your iPhone to computer. Then, head to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. On the pop-up dialog, click Erase iPhone to factory reset your iPhone.

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