How to Install iTunes on Chromebook

I’m sure you guys knowwhat a Chromebook is, and that it’s veryverypopular. While the majority of American classrooms are filled with Chromebooks, it’s equally true that many users prefer the iPhone as their primary device. And eventually, that leads to incompatibility between two distinct ecosystems created by Google and Apple. Yes, I am talking about running iTunes on Chromebook and how you can get it working. Well, in this article, I bring you a detailed guide on how to install iTunes on Chromebook. So, here is how you can get iTunes for ChromeOS.

Run iTunes on Chromebook

Run iTunes on Chromebook

  1. First and foremost, you need toenable Linux on Chromebookand thenset up Wine on your Chromebook. We have written detailed guides separately sofollow the above-linked articlesand you will be all set for the next step.

  2. Now, let’s go ahead and download iTunes for Chromebook. Keep in mind,the 64-bit version of the app does not work properlyon Chromebooks and displays a black window. I tested both the latest 64-bit and 32-bit build of iTunes but the black screen issue is still there. So, you need to download this specific32-bit version of iTunesfrom here. The build is 12.9.3 from August, 2019.

  3. Next,rename the file to something easierlike “itunes.exe” and move it to the Linux section.

  4. Now, open the Linux Terminal and run the below command toupdate Linuxto the latest build.

  5. Having done that, open the Terminal and execute the below command to change the Wine architecture to 32-bit.Make sure to changeyourusernameto the actual usernameassigned to your Chromebook. To find the username, look for the portion before@penguinin the Linux Terminal. That’s your username. Meanwhile, if a Wine window opens up, click on the “OK” button.

  6. Next, run the below command toinstall the 32-bit version of iTuneson Chromebook. Again, make sure to change your username. Instantly, an installation window will open up. Click on “Next” and proceed with the setup.

  7. After the installation, click on “Finish” and voila, there you have it. iTunes successfully running on Chromebook.

Create Shortcut for iTunes on Chromebook

Create Shortcut for iTunes on Chromebook

You have successfully installed iTunes on Chromebook and a shortcut has also been created in the App Drawer inside the Linux folder. However, when you click on it,the shortcut does not open iTunes due to an incorrect file path. So to fix this issue, follow these steps.

  1. Open the native Files app and move to the Linux section. Here, click on the 3-dot menu andenable “Show Hidden Files”.

  2. Now, navigate to the following path:.local -> share -> applications -> wine -> Program Files -> iTunes. Here, you will find iTunes.desktop file which is the shortcut that we need to edit. So, right-click on it and select “Open With”. Here, choose the Text app to open the file. In case, you don’t have the Text app, install it fromhere.

  3. Having done that, copy the below path andpaste it just afterExec=. Keep in mind, do changeyourusernameto the actual one.

  4. Now, save the file and close the Text app. Finally, open iTunes from the App Drawer, and this time, it should launch perfectly fine.You can further pin iTunes to Chrome Shelf as well.

My Experience with iTunes on Chromebook

While I managed to install and run iTunes on Chromebook, the question remains, does it work well? Well, we have used some of thebest Chromebooks out there, and in our testing, iTunes did not perform well despite running on a powerful Chromebook. It’s quite expected as you are running iTunes inside a Windows container which in turn, is running inside a Linux container.

So,the performance takes a hit significantly. Further, despite Linux gaining USB support on Chrome OS, iTunes was unable to detect iPhone and could not sync the library. Partly, it’s because Apple does not officially support Linux connectivity for its devices. However, if you’re interested, you can check out our guide onusing iPhones with Linux.

Having said all of that, the most disappointing part is thatiTunes crashes every time you try to sign in to your account. So, neither you can access your media library locally nor through the cloud. All in all, iTunes on Chromebook is not a good experience and you should look for some otherapps like iTunesinstead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Apple hasn’t released a version of iTunes for ChromeOS. Fortunately, with Chromebooks’ Linux capabilities, you can install a Windows version of iTunes on your ChromeOS device.

If you are looking for an iTunes alternative purely for listening to music (offline or online) on your Chromebook, you can use plenty of other apps including YouTube Music, Grooveshark, Soundcloud, and a lot more.

Arjun Sha

Passionate about Windows, ChromeOS, Android, security and privacy issues. Have a penchant to solve everyday computing problems.

Add new comment

Name

Email ID

Δ

01

02

03

04

05