Quick Answer
Uninstalling and reinstalling iTunes will not cause you to lose your iTunes library or any of the content you’ve purchased from the iTunes Store. Your library and purchases are tied to your Apple ID, so they are stored remotely by Apple and can be redownloaded after reinstalling iTunes. As long as you use the same Apple ID after reinstalling, all of your previous content will be accessible in your library.
Detailed Answer
When you create an iTunes library and purchase content from the iTunes Store, everything you add is associated with your Apple ID rather than being stored locally on your device. This allows you to access your library and downloads from any device where you’re logged into your Apple ID.
iTunes Library
Your iTunes library refers to all of the media content you’ve added yourself from your own music, movie, and TV show files. This includes:
- Imported CDs
- Downloaded or ripped MP3 files
- Home videos
- Any other media files added via iTunes
None of this media is actually stored within the iTunes app or your device’s local storage. Instead, iTunes keeps track of the location of each file on your computer and builds your library dynamically by accessing these files.
So when you uninstall iTunes, it doesn’t delete the actual media files themselves. Your music, videos, and other media remain safely stored wherever you originally saved them on your computer.
Once you reinstall iTunes and open it back up, iTunes will rescan your computer to rebuild your library based on the media files it finds. This may take some time depending on how large your library is, but ultimately everything should repopulate as it was before.
iTunes Store Purchases
Media content purchased from the iTunes Store, such as songs, albums, movies, TV shows, books, and apps, are tied to your Apple ID rather than stored locally.
When you redownload previously purchased content from the iTunes Store, you aren’t actually downloading the same files again. Instead, you are accessing new license keys that unlock access to that content from Apple’s servers.
Because that purchase history and licensing is tied to your Apple ID, you won’t lose access to any previously purchased iTunes content if you uninstall and reinstall iTunes. After reinstalling, simply sign in with the same Apple ID and all of your purchased albums, movies, apps, and other content will become available to download again.
Media App Data
Along with your actual media library and purchases, data related to your use of the various iTunes and Apple media apps is also stored remotely:
- Playlists: Any playlists you’ve created in the Music app are tied to your Apple ID.
- Listening History: Your play counts, skip counts, and other listening data for songs and albums is also tied to your ID.
- Bookmarks: Any bookmarks or reading progress in audiobooks or ebooks is saved remotely.
- Watch history: Videos you’ve watched in the TV app are logged and accessible across devices.
- App data: Games and app data is synced across devices via iCloud.
None of this data is stored locally within the apps themselves. So removing iTunes from your computer won’t impact any of your playlists, listening history, watch history, reading progress, or app data. After reinstalling, signing in with your Apple ID will restore access to all of this.
What Data Is Stored Locally?
If you uninstall iTunes without backing anything up, there are a few types of data that could be lost:
- Local file metadata: This includes things like song ratings, play counts, last played dates, and any other edit metadata for files in your library.
- Local app data: Some apps store data like settings, configurations, and cache files locally. These would be removed.
- Synced device backups: Any local backups of your iPhone, iPad, or other iOS devices would be deleted.
To preserve this kind of data when uninstalling iTunes, make sure you back up your library and device data first.
You can back up your library XML file, which contains metadata about files in your library, from the Advanced menu in iTunes. For synced device backups, you can copy these backup files from their location on your computer to an external drive.
Will Playlists Sync Correctly After Reinstalling?
Playlists themselves will remain intact after reinstalling iTunes because they are tied to your Apple ID. However, you may find playlists appear empty once you sign back in.
This is because the playlists have lost the link to the actual file locations on your computer. iTunes will have to repopulate the playlist with the files themselves.
This may require you to manually locate the media files on your computer and add them back to the playlist. iTunes should be able to automatically find files in their original locations, but if you’ve moved files around or upgraded computers, the app may no longer link them correctly.
You can avoid this issue by backing up your iTunes library XML file before uninstalling. After reinstalling iTunes, replace the new blank XML file with your backup to restore all playlists and library metadata.
Steps to Uninstall iTunes Safely
Follow these steps to uninstall and reinstall iTunes without losing your library data:
- Deauthorize your computer from your Apple ID in iTunes.
- Back up your iTunes Library XML file from the Advanced menu.
- Back up synced iOS devices to your computer through iTunes.
- Sync any new iTunes content to your iOS devices.
- Delete the iTunes folder from your computer.
- Install the latest iTunes version from Apple’s website.
- Relink any media content that doesn’t automatically reappear in your library.
- Sign in to iTunes with your Apple ID.
- Download any previously purchased content.
Following this process will ensure no data, media, purchases or playlists are lost when moving between iTunes versions. Your library and iTunes Store content will reconnect normally once you sign back in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will uninstalling iTunes delete its files from my computer?
Uninstalling iTunes will delete the iTunes application files and associated program data. However, it will not touch your actual media files, iTunes Library database, or iOS backups. Those remain separately stored on your computer or external drive.
Is it better to just reinstall iTunes without fully removing it?
If you want to install a newer or cleaner version of iTunes, it’s generally better to fully uninstall the old version first rather than just installing over it. This avoids potential conflicts from old program files and registry data.
Where does iTunes store my library database?
The iTunes Library database file is typically located at:
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl
- macOS: /Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library.itl
Backing up this file can provide a restore point for your library if issues occur.
How can I backup an iOS device locally before uninstalling iTunes?
To backup an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch in iTunes on Windows or macOS:
- Connect the device to your computer.
- Select the device icon in iTunes.
- Go to the Summary page and click “Back Up Now” to save a backup file locally rather than to iCloud.
Where are iOS backups stored on my computer?
The default locations for local iOS backup files are:
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Copy these backup folders to an external drive to preserve your device data before uninstalling.
Conclusion
While uninstalling iTunes results in deleting the program from your computer, your actual library, media content, and purchases are separate data not affected by uninstalling. By signing in with the same Apple ID after reinstalling, you can easily rebuild your iTunes library and access all previous data and downloads. Just be sure to back up any local metadata or device backups first.