Whether you’re restoring your iPhone or just want to listen to your favorite albums, there are plenty of great reasons to use iTunes. Can you get iTunes on a Chromebook? Not natively—but there are workarounds to install the application.
The process can easily leave you with a lot of questions: how can you download iTunes for Chromebook? Can you put iTunes on a Chromebook at all? Luckily, installing iTunes on ChromeOS is relatively simple—and all it takes is using Wine.
Does iTunes Run on ChromeOS?
iTunes can run on ChromeOS thanks to a compatibility layer software known as Wine. Essentially, Wine allows for Windows programs to be run on Linux—and the ChromeOS Linux development environment allows Linux programs to run on ChromeOS.
When installed correctly, iTunes is semi-functional and offers enough features to be somewhat compelling. It isn’t without problems, however, as iTunes on ChromeOS suffers from performance issues because it is run through a Linux and a Windows container. Even when installed successfully, it doesn’t seem to run on all Chromebooks.
Unfortunately, iTunes simply has a lot of bugs on ChromeOS—and as it isn’t officially supported, they won’t be addressed anytime soon. In most cases, you’re better offusing an iTunes alternative for listening to musicand borrowing a supported device for iPhone restorations.
How to Run iTunes on Chromebook
Though it doesn’t run perfectly, the iTunes app for Chromebook is still a great program to add to your collection of software. Here’s how you can install iTunes for Google Chromebook.
Step 1: Enable Linux on Chromebook
iTunes can run on ChromeOS thanks to the built-in Linux development environment feature. You will need toset up Linux on your Chromebookbefore you can install iTunes because doing so will give you access to the terminal.
Step 2: Install Wine on Chromebook
Once you’ve enabled the Linux development environment, you’re ready to install Wine on your Chromebook. Open the Penguin Terminal by selecting it from the app menu. Next, enter the following command to add 32-bit architecture support:
Next, you’ll need to run the following commands one by one to add the Wine repository key to your system and download the sources file for WineHQ:
Before moving on, you’ll also need to update your system packages with the following command:
Finally, you’re ready to install Wine on your Chromebook. Enter the following two commands to install and configure Wine, all while accepting any prompts that suggest installing additional packages:
Step 3: Run the iTunes Installer
Now that you have Linux enabled and Wine installed, you’re ready to install iTunes. You will need to find a third-party website for your iTunes download for Chromebook—most compatible versions are no longer available on the Apple website—and select a release of iTunes.
According to theWineHQdatabase, iTunes 8.x and 9.x are rated as silver tier—meaning that they run reasonably well. The bronze tier iTunes 12.x has passable performance, while iTunes 10.x and 11.x are non-functional and not recommended. Many people consider iTunes 12.9.3 and 12.10.11 to be the best recent releases for Chromebooks.
You will need to select a 32-bit iTunes installer. Download iTunes from a third-party file-sharing website and then drag and drop it into theLinux filesdirectory using the Files app.
Download:iTunes
Next, open the terminal and enter the following command to change Wine to 32-bit architecture, replacingusernamewith your Linux name (shown before the@penguinin the terminal):
With that, you’re ready to install iTunes. Just like before, you will need to replaceusernamein the command with your Linux username. Enter the following command to run the iTunes installer, responding to the installer prompts as they appear:
Once you reach the congratulations page, uncheckOpen iTunes after the installer exitsand close the installation wizard. Open the Files app and navigate to theLinux filesdirectory. Click on the three-dots icon in the top right corner of the screen and enableShow hidden files.
Click through.local > share > applications > wine > Programs > iTunes. Open the Text app and drag and dropiTunes.desktopinto the text editor. Where it saysExec=, paste the following text (with your Linux username replacingusername) to replace the erroneous file extension:
Save and exit from the file. Finally, open iTunes and enjoy your favorite music. You won’t be able to log in and import your media library, but you will be able to listen to local music files by navigating throughFile > Add File to Libraryand importing your favorite tunes.
Jam Out With iTunes on Your Chromebook
While iTunes for Chromebook isn’t the most compatible, there’s a lot to love about jamming out with this tried-and-true app. It offers an appealing interface for managing your local music files.
If you prefer to listen to your favorite bands hassle-free, however, it’s worth considering Chromebook-compatible platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
