iTunes Apps Not Showing: 6 Solutions to Fix It Right Now

Why are my apps not showing up in iTunes?

When using iTunes, have you ever encountered a circumstance that iTunes doesn't show apps? This is one of the most common iTunes problems. Generally speaking, there are plenty of answers “why my iPhone apps not showing up in iTunes”.                

Since iTunes version 12.7, Apple has removed the App Store tab on iTunes, so you can't find apps in iTunes on PC. However, if your iTunes version is too old, it can also happen that apps on iPhone not showing up in iTunes. Many users have reported whether it is possible to get back to the App Store in iTunes. After all, it is particularly inconvenient not to be able to use iPhone apps in iTunes.

In this post, we will present you with 6 possible solutions to tackle this problem of iTunes apps not showing. You can experiment with the methods listed below to get the desired outcomes.

6 Ways to fix the iTunes apps not showing issue

If you want to figure out how to fix this issue of apps not showing in iTunes, this next section will be very helpful to you. Keep reading for more detailed information.

Solution 1. Check network connection

The first and most conventional way is to check the status of your internet connection. Because a poor network can cause iTunes to run slowly or even fail to load. You can start by disconnecting from the network and reconnecting again to see if the problem of “iTunes not showing apps” has been solved. 

Alternatively, you can take the following steps to diagnose your Windows PC network. If everything is fine with your network connection, please go to the next solution.

1. Go to Settings on your computer > choose Update & Security > select the Troubleshoot option.

2. Click Additional Troubleshooters> Internet Connections.

3. Then click the Run the troubleshooter button. and it will start to diagnose the Internet connection.            

4. When the diagnosis process to complete, follow the on-screen prompts to solve the problem.

Solution 2. Restart your iPhone and computer

When you can't see apps on iTunes, you can also attempt to reboot both devices. Because it is possible that the problem is on one of the devices when syncing the iPhone with iTunes. Before restarting, disconnect the USB cable (if the iPhone is connected to this computer). After restarting, connect the iPhone to the computer again to see if iTunes shows iPhone apps.

Solution 3. Change the version of iTunes

As mentioned already, in iTunes 12.7 and later, Apple has removed the ability to sync apps and ringtones, focusing only on transferring music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks. So you can’t use iTunes to view installed apps either in the iTunes library or in Device Options. This means that you can't manage apps in iTunes that have been downloaded from your device.

If you are in this situation, the easiest way to resolve the issue of apps not showing on iTunes is to uninstall the current version of iTunes on your computer and re-download the pre-12.7 version of iTunes. Just click here and you will be able to get the version you want.

Solution 4. Sign Out and Sign In Apple ID

If you don't have iTunes 12.7 or later installed on your computer, but the iTunes not showing apps tab issue still occurs after connecting to your device. Sometimes, signing out of your account on your iPhone and then signing back in can solve numerous problems, including iTunes home sharing not working, etc. Please refer to the following steps.

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > iTunes & App Store.

2. Tap your Apple ID to open other options and select the Sign Out option.      

3. Then click the Sign In button and enter the Apple account and passcode to see if the problem of iTunes iPhone apps not showing is resolved.

Tip: This method also applies to the iTunes apps not showing on iPad problems, so come and try it out.

Solution 5. Transfer purchased apps to iTunes

Of course, if purchased iTunes music not showing up on iPhone, you can also take full advantage of the Transfer Purchase function to transfer all the purchased apps on your device to your computer. Thus you can make the apps available on both the device and iTunes. 

These upcoming instructions will walk you through how to troubleshoot this problem of iPhone apps not showing up in iTunes by transferring apps. Let’s get started.

1. First, open the iTunes app on your computer and then connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.

2. In iTunes, click the File button and then scroll down to the Device tab.

3. Right-click on it. Select Transfer Purchase from the presented options.

It will transfer all your purchases and downloads to the iTunes application so that when you open iTunes, your device and the apps will be synced to iTunes on your computer.

Solution 6. Restore with Recovery Mode

If the above methods don't work for solving the apps not showing up on iTunes library error, there is another possibility that there is an iPhone problem. You can use iTunes to restore your iPhone in recovery mode. 

However, before you begin to take action, you need to note that using iTunes to restore iPhone will first erase the original data on your iPhone and then import the backup. So please remember to create a new iPhone backup with iTunes in advance. Follow the steps to deal with “apps in iTunes not showing” step-by-step. 

Here we provide the corresponding steps to access the recovery mode according to different iPhone models.

● iPhone 8 or later: Press and release quickly the volume+button, and quickly press and release the volume- button. Press the power button for seconds until the recovery mode appears on iPhone screen.
● iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Battery drain has always been an issue on iOS due to inefficient battery usage and lack of app optimization. This problem is not small and can be a very big one for many users.
● iOS 16 app crash issue: Press both the power button and volume- button for seconds and release both buttons until you see the recovery mode.
● iOS 16 Wi-Fi not working: Wi-Fi issues are a common problem with almost every new iOS release. We may also see Wi-Fi connectivity issues on iOS 16. 
● iPhone 6s or earlier: Press both the power button and the Home button. Then release both buttons when the recovery mode appears.

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer via the USB cable. Run iTunes on your PC.

2. You will see a window pop-up prompting "There is a problem with iPhone that required need to be updated or restored.” Click Restore.

3. Tap on Restore from iTunes Backup. You can select the latest iTunes backup.

4. Wait patiently for a while and your device will restore successfully.

Bonus tip: An iTunes alternative to backup and restore iPhone

If you are already tired of handling various iTunes problems, why not choose a better iTunes alternative? As you may have noticed, one of the biggest drawbacks of iTunes is that it will delete all existing data on your device. This means that there is a high chance of data loss. Here we present an excellent backup and restore tool - FoneTool.

It has been considered the best iTunes alternative to backup iOS data, and it is completely free. With its help, you can effortlessly backup and restore important data such as photos, music, videos, contacts, files, etc. to avoid data loss. It also has a simple and clean interface, which is easy to operate. You can have a better experience than using iTunes.

 Preview and select files. You can preview and select the files you want when you backup and restore your device.

 Faster transfer speed. Using FoneTool won't take up much of your time and you can transfer 1000 songs in a few minutes.

 No data loss. This tool promises a secure transfer process that does not put your device at risk of any data.

 Wide compatibility. It works well with all kinds of iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, iPad pro, iPad mini. Besides, it is perfectly compatible with iOS 16/15.

Click this button to download FoneTool for free and then try to explore how to backup and restore iPhone without iTunes.

Full Backup and Restore iPhone

1. Run FoneTool on your PC > Connect your iPhone to the computer with the USB cable.

2. Click Phone Backup on the left pane. Go to Full Backup and click Get Started.

3. You can enable backup encryption if you want to backup your private data. Click Backup Storage Path to choose a path to save the backup. Then click Start Backup.

4. You can click the Backup History option to view your backup. Click the three dots to select Restore.   

Selectively backup and restore iPhone

1. Click Phone Backup on the left pane. Go to the Selective Backup and click Get Started.

2. You could click the icons to select the wanted files on your iPhone. Click the OK button to confirm.

3. Click the Backup Storage Path to choose a destination to save the backup, then click Start Backup.

4. Go to Backup History to select a backup task and click Restore.

Final words

After going through this article, you can refer to the 6 suggested ways to address this issue of iTunes apps not showing. You should also figure out “why are my iPhone apps not showing in iTunes”. If you don't want to be bothered by the iPhone 13/14 apps not showing errors anymore, here is also a better software for backing up iOS data.

Compared to iTunes, with FoneTool you don't have to worry about losing your data or not being able to view your backup files. Besides, you can also make use of some of its other highlight features, such as transferring iPhone, erasing iPhone and so on. Go for it by yourself and have a try.