How to Fix iTunes Keeps Skipping Songs on Windows & Mac

Part 1. How to Troubleshoot iTunes Keeps Skipping Issues

In this part, I'm going to show you some common solutions to fix iTunes skipping songs issue. You may follow the guides below to solve the error.

1. Authorize Your Computer

You'll need to authorize this computer device to consume Apple Music contents with no issues. You're allowed to authorize up to 5 computers for each Apple ID. You can also view how many computers are authorized.

How to Deauthorize Your Computer

Whether your computer has been authorized to play the purchased from your Apple ID or not, you should follow this step to deauthorize your computer.

1. On the Windows PC or Mac, open the iTunes app.
2. At the top of the iTunes window, choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer.



3. Enter this Apple Music account's log-in credentials > Deauthorize.



4. Now the computer deauthorization is successful. Or if the computer is not authorized, please follow the steps to authorize it.

How to Authorize Your Computer

1. On the Windows PC or Mac, open the iTunes app.
2. At the top of the iTunes window, click Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer. You can also click Account > View My Account to see how many computers are authorized to play content purchased with this Apple ID.



3. In the pop-up, enter Apple ID and Password > Authorize.



4. Now the computer authorization is successful.

Now stream something from the Apple Music contents menu.

2. Delete iTunes-Related Folders

Deleting iTunes-related folders can sometimes help resolve issues. Before proceeding, make sure to back up the important data and settings related to iTunes, as this method involves modifying system files.

On Windows:

1. Full close the iTunes app.
2. From the Start menu, enter "%ProgramData%" > Open.



3. From the top of the pop-up, choose View. Check the "Hidden items" option. You'll be able to view and access the Apple Computer in this location: This PC > Win10 > ProgramData.



4. Go into Apple Computer > iTunes, delete all the folders in it.

3. Check Your Internet Connection

Streaming music requires a stable internet connection. Make sure you have a reliable connection to the internet, as a slow or intermittent connection could cause buffering and skipping.

4. Update iTunes

Ensure that you have the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer. Updates often include bug fixes and improvements that can help resolve playback issues, including iTunes keeps skipping songs.

Sometimes there is a situation that iTunes has come out with a new version but your iTunes has not been updated automatically. If your iTunes does not play properly at such time, then you need to upgrade your iTunes manually, and it is better to check whether your device system is updated by the way.

On Windows:

1. Open the iTunes app on your desktop.
2. Go to the menu bar, choose the Help > Check for Updates.



3. Follow the prompts to download the latest version of iTunes.

On Mac:

1. Open the App Store on your device.
2. Click the Updates option at the top of the window.
3. If any iTunes updates are available, click Install.

5. Check System Resources

If your computer is running low on memory or processing power, it might struggle to play music smoothly. Close any unnecessary programs or applications that could be consuming resources.

On Windows:

1. Right-click on the taskbar.
2. Select "Task Manager."
3. To view which processes consume the biggest resources, go to the "Details" tab and click either "CPU"/"Memory," and find the unnecessary processes.
4. Select them, and click the "End task."

On Mac:

1. Open the Finder app on your Mac.
2. Go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
3. In the Activity Monitor window, go to the "CPU"/"Memory" tab, and find the unnecessary processes.
4. Select them, and click the "X" button one by one.

6. Clear Cache

Sometimes, a corrupted cache can lead to playback issues, such as iTunes keeps skipping songs. Try clearing the cache in iTunes.

On Windows/Mac:

1. Open the iTunes app.
2. On Windows, go to Edit > Preferences. On Mac, go to iTunes > Preferences.
3. Go to the "Advanced" tab.
4. Look next to "Reset iTunes Store cache" and click on the "Reset Cache" button.

7. Restart iTunes and Your Computer

Close iTunes completely, and restart your computer. This can clear up any software glitches that might be causing the skipping issue.

On Windows:

1. In the iTunes window, click on the "X" in the upper-right corner to close it.
2. Click on the "Start" in the bottom-left corner.
3. Click on the power icon.
4. Choose "Restart."

On Mac:

1. In the iTunes window, click on the red dot in the upper-left comer to close it.
2. Click on the Apple logo in the Apple menu bar.
3. Select "Restart."
4. Before restarting the Mac computer, make sure not to check "Reopen windows when logging back in."
5. Click "Restart."

8. Check Music Files [Optional]

If you're playing locally stored music files using iTunes, they might be corrupted. Try playing different songs to see if the skipping persists. If it only happens with specific songs, those files might be the issue. You can also try the status of the problematic files and relocate them in your computer.

On Windows/Mac:

1. In iTunes, open the Apple Music menu and choose "Music."
2. Click the "Songs" section in the sidebar.
3. Click "View" from the menu bar, and select "Show View Options."
4. In the pop-up window, make sure to select "Cloud Status."
5. Now find and locate the song in the list of songs.
6. Check to see the "iCloud Status" of the problematic songs. If it shows the exclamation point, right-click on the song and click "Locate."
7. Navigate the computer to find and locate the original music and open it again.

9. Sign out and back in

Signing out and back in iTunes can help refresh the session and settings. It's a protentional solution to stop iTunes from skipping songs.

On Windows/Mac:

1. In iTunes, go to Account > Sign out.
2. Once signed out, go to "Account" again and select "Sign in."
3. Enter the Apple ID and password used for iTunes to sign in back to the app.

10. Check iTunes Crossfade Duration

Apple Music's crossfade feature is available on its Apple Music app for Android and Mac and the iTunes app for Windows and Mac. If you have set crossfade in the iTunes app and come across iTunes skipping issue before the song is finished, you may have set the crossfade duration too long.

On Windows/Mac:

1. On the current device, open the iTunes app.
2. At the top of the iTunes windows, choose Edit > Preferences.



3. In the pop-up, choose Playback > Crossfade Songs.
4. You can uncheck the "Crossfade Songs" option to disable this crossfade feature. Or if you want to keep this feature, you can choose to reduce the existing crossfade duration from 1 to 12 seconds. Generally speaking, 2 or 3 seconds is the best.

Part 2. How to Listen to iTunes Music without using the iTunes App

If you have tried out all the fixes above and still can't fix the problem. The last one I'm going to introduce is to play your iTunes music offline, even without the iTunes app. Of course, you can directly download songs on iTunes and play them offline, but you can't make sure that the iTunes app will never go wrong again. So what's the solution to play every song on iTunes offline without using the iTunes app? Check this out.

With ViWizard Audio Converter, you can download all your songs from iTunes library to your computer. Then your can play them all offline without the iTunes app, but any media player you have on your computer. Comes with an intuitive interface, the ViWizard Audio Converter is designed to convert all protected iTunes, Apple Music songs and audiobooks into MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC and other common formats.

The specially designed booster will keep the converting speed up to 30X faster with high output quality preserved. With this tool, you’ll be able to remove the protection of all the songs from your iTunes and play them without interruption. You won’t be annoyed by songs skipping again. Also, you can play the converted iTunes Music on any media player or device you like.

Key Features of ViWizard Audio Converter

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• Convert songs, albums, and playlists from Apple Music to MP3
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Guide: How to Use ViWizard to Download iTunes Music in MP3

Do you want to know how to download iTunes Music in MP3? Let’s have a look now. Don't forget to download ViWizard Audio Converter from the link above.

Step 1Launch ViWizard and Load iTunes Music

Open ViWizard and from the main interface, you will see three icons on the central top of the main screen. Here's what they for:

1) This Load in iTunes button is for importing DRM audios to the Converter.

2) This one is the Add Files button to add non-DRM audios to the Converter.

3) This is the Converted History. When the conversion is done your converted files will be placed under this catalog.

iTunes Music are enrypted files, so you should hit the Load in iTunes button to import them to the converter. Or directly drag the local files from the iTunes Music folder to the ViWizard's interface.

Step 2Customize the Output iTunes Music for Playing

After uploading music to the converter, hit the Format panel to select an format for output audio files. We suggest choose MP3 for correct playing. You can also choose the correct format from MP3, WAV, AAC and others. Right next to the Format is the Output Path option. Click on to select a file destination for you converted songs. Don't forget to click OK to save.

Step 3Start Up the Conversion to Free iTunes Music

Once all the settings are over, you can begin the conversion by pressing the Convert button. Wait for a few minutes until the conversion is done, then you can locate the converted iTunes Music files in the folder you've selected. You can also go to the Converted History and use to find the converted music.

Summary

When you finish reading this article, you should not be bothered by iTunes skipping through songs anymore. The most common problem is a network problem. You can pick the one that suits you from the above methods, go ahead and try it out. Don't forget that ViWizard Audio Converter can also help you solve the problem of songs skipping on iTunes, it also helps you to easily play your iTunes Music playlists on any device. Click the button below to start trying it out.