Having second thoughts about iTunes 10.5 beat and wondering how to downgrade back to 10.3 on Windows? If you decided to take the plunge and try out the beta of iOS 5, you must also have upgraded your iTunes software to 10.5 beta. We have already covered how to downgrade your iPhone from iOS 5 to iOS 4.3.3 but what if you want to downgrade iTunes too? Well below is a guide to help you do just that.
A word of warning; before you start. This worked for me and should work for you too however there is always an element of risk, especially if you have a lot of content stored in iTunes. If you still want to go ahead and try it, read on after the break!
- Download the latest full build of iTunes here
- While that’s downloading, take an optional step to ensure your media is safe. Locate your iTunes folder which should be in C:\My Documents\My Music or C:\Users\(your username)\Music in Windows 7. Copy the folder to another location just in case.
- Open Control Panel, Programs and Features and uninstall the following entries:-
- Apple Application Support
- Apple Mobile Device Support
- Apple Software Update
- iTunes
- Once all of them have been uninstalled, install and run CC Cleaner which will remove any registry entries associated with uninstalled programs. You can download it from here.
- Now reboot your Windows PC
- Once you are logged back in, go back to the location of your iTunes folder (Not the backup you made earlier) and find the file named iTunes Library.itl and rename it to iTunes Library.itl.old
- Open the folder Previous iTunes Libraries and find the file with the latest date prior to upgrading to iTunes 10.5 beta. In my case it was iTunes Library 2011-06-10.itl
- Copy the file and paste it into the root of the iTunes folder. When it has finished copying, rename it to iTunes Library.itl
- Install the downloaded version of iTunes from step 1
- That's it, you should be done!
Now when fire up iTunes, you should have all of your media visible. If not, don't panic! You can import all you media back in again by locating it in your iTunes folder. Hopefully this worked for you as well as it did for me. When you are happy that everything is working, you can delete the backup you made of the iTunes folder.
If any of our readers take the plunge and try this out, let us know how you get on in the comments. If you know of an easier method, again please let us know!
Reader comments
Daily Tip: How to downgrade from iTunes 10.5 beta on a Windows PC
I just uninstalled it and installed iTunes 10.3
At first I received the iTuneslibrary.itl Pop-up
So Deleted it (the Newer iTunesLibrary) and it worked.
I Installed iTunes 10.5 again and downgraded to 10.3
but this time I copied my Library, and switched it with the new one. Works like a charm... I think you guys did the Extreme Deletion.
hi
thank you very much work perfect for me
more than that my iphone got back to the point i upgrade it
to ios 5 incloud my pic noets and game save
i more than happy to follow this guide
thank you
What do you mean by this statement...
Copy the file and paste it into the root of the iTunes folder. When it has finished copying, rename it to iTunes Library.itl
What is the root of the iTunes folder?
Just open the iTunes folder and put it there. Make sure you don't put it inside a folder within the iTunes folder.
I don't get it. Why can't u just install itunes 10.3 over the 10.5 beta? Won't it just take it's place?
no it wont. it will show you that the file is from another planet, that wasnt even founded
Worked like cHarm...ThanQ...
where are all my apps gone D: any help plz?
you forgot that this file is probable too old (ituneslibrary24/05blablabla)? what if this two-month-old is not comparable to the newest in case of so many changes during last month? a found a key to this problem. after you open installed itunes, close it and change the name "itl.old" back to "itl" and delete another library file.and only after that youll get the same library file from 10.5
Worked like a charm, thanks dude!
How do i do this on a mac?
Hi,
I could REALLY use some help. I am having the "iTuneslibrary.itl can not be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes" problem, but nothing seems to fix it. I'm on an HP running Windows 7. I want to downgrade iTunes 10.5 to 10.1 or so. I originally didn't think it was a big deal so I just uninstalled iTunes, deleted all the music and everything in the My Music folder, and then installed 10.1. When I started getting the error message I did some research on line, and have tried many different things. I've uninstalled iTunes, Apple updater, mobile device support, and everything. I then run CCleaner and clean the registry like another post said to do. I then install iTunes 10.1 and still get the same error. I am unable to rename and replace the current iTuneslibrary.itl file with the old one because it was lost when I deleted everything in the My Music folder. I don't use iTunes for music, so I could care less about saving stuff, that's why I just deleted everything. All I wanted to do was uninstall it and downgrade with a fresh install of 10.1. Am I screwed since I deleted my old "Previous Library" files? Is there not a way to just put a whole new install of an old version of iTunes on my computer like I just installed iTunes for the first time? I can re-install the new 10.5 and it works fine, I just can not get an old version to work to save my life.
Please help, and thanks!
Just used this when iTunes 10.6 wasn't working for me on Windows 7. It would always freeze and wouldn't let my iPhone 3GS (iOS 5.1) or my iTouch (first generation) synch at all. But as soon as I followed these instructions everything was perfect! Thank you so much!
You know ever since I downloaded iTunes 11 for Windows 7 I haven't liked using iTunes. I have like 6000 songs on the iTunes Home Library, but on my iPod Classic I have 11,000 songs. In order for me to view my iPod library on iTunes I need to sync all of my iTunes Home Library music onto the iPod. But like I said I'll lose the 5000 extra songs I have. How do I downgrade back to my previous iTunes without it saying that "iTunes has been created by a newer version. blah blah blah" I liked the old version then the new one by a long shot. I can work with it if I can't downgrade but how can I view my iPod Music Library without me having to Sync music?? Thanks hope someone can help me with this.......