Apple recently released iTunes 12.7 for Mac and Windows which brings some notable changes that could affect your iTunes workflow. While the new version of iTunes adds support for iOS 11, it also removes the iOS App Store as well as the ability to ability to sync apps and ringtones on an iOS device using iTunes.
You can still manage and download apps via the native iOS App Store on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. But for those of you who really require the old version of iTunes, the good news is that you can easily downgrade from iTunes 12.7 to iTunes 12.6. If you have updated your device to iOS 11, then we recommend that you stay on iTunes 12.7 and avoid downgrading.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to downgrade from iTunes 12.7 to 12.6 on Mac and Windows.
Note: We recommend that you take a backup of your computer before performing this downgrade so that you can safely restore from a backup in case anything goes wrong and you lose your data and files.
How to Downgrade iTunes 12.7 to 12.6 on Mac
Step 1: If iTunes is open, force quit it by pressing Cmd+Q.
Step 2: Press Cmd+Space keys to open Spotlight Search, then search for Terminal and open it.
Step 3: Type the following in Terminal:
- cd /Applications/
Step 4: Now that you’re in the Applications folder in Terminal, you should remove iTunes and all its files. Enter the exact command as below and press Enter:
- sudo rm -rf iTunes.app/
Note: Make sure that you enter the command exactly as shown above. The command rm -rf removes files and directories so if you enter the wrong directory, you could end up deleting the incorrect files permanently and damage your computer system.
Step 5: You’ll be prompted to enter your computer’s password, so input the password and press Enter.
Step 6: Now open Finder, click on the Go menu in the menu bar and choose Go to Folder.
Step 7: Enter ~/Music/iTunes/ in the input field, then click Go. This opens the iTunes folder.
Step 8: Find the file named “iTunes Library.itl” and move it to the Desktop.
Step 9: Go back to ~/Music/iTunes/ and open the folder named “Previous iTunes Libraries”. Find the most recent dated iTunes Library file and copy it.
Step 10: Now go back to ~/Music/iTunes/ and paste the library file. Rename the library file to “iTunes Library.itl”.
Step 11: Go to our Downloads iTunes page to download iTunes 12.6.2 for Mac.
Step 12: Once the file has been downloaded, open it to install iTunes 12.6.2.
And that’s all you need to do to downgrade from iTunes 12.7 to iTunes 12.6.
How to Downgrade iTunes 12.7 to 12.6 on Windows
Step 1: Navigate to C:/Users/[Computer Name]/Music/iTunes, locate the file named “iTunes Library.itl” and copy and paste it to Desktop.
Step 2: Open Control Panel and go to Programs > Programs and Features > Uninstall or change a program.
Step 3: From here, you can uninstall iTunes 12.7. Locate iTunes in the list and right-click on it, then choose Uninstall.
Step 4: Go to our Download iTunes page to download iTunes 12.6.2 for Windows. Please download the appropriate 32-bit or 64-bit iTunes version.
Step 5: Once installed, copy and paste the “iTunes Library.itl” file from step 1 into C:/Users/[Computer Name]/Music/iTunes. Do not skip this step otherwise you would get an error stating “iTunes Library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes”
Step 6: Now launch iTunes and it should be back to the old version.
