Installing Apple Sync Drivers without iTunes

To Sync with Apple iOS devices, MediaMonkey for Windows requires the latest Apple Mobile Device Drivers to be installed. This is normally done by installing the iTunes desktop version, but if you prefer not to install iTunes, and are technically inclined, you can install the Apple Mobile Device Driver and its services independently of iTunes using a number of approaches. Note that these approaches aren’t supported for iOS synchronization as they may not work for all users.

If you’ve previously installed/uninstalled iTunes:

  1. Install the drivers from a residual copy of the drivers on your C: drive
    • Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers
    • Right-click on usbaapl64.inf and click ‘Install’
  2. OR, Install the drivers using the device manager
    • Connect your iPhone/iPad
    • Click the Windows Start button and run the ‘Device Manager’
      • Click Universal Serial Bus devices/controllers and right-click on the Apple Mobile USB Devices to Update & Enable them
      • OR, Click Portable devices > Apple iPhone and right-click to Update & Enable it

If you’ve never installed iTunes

  1. Install the drivers directly from iTunes (without installing iTunes)
    • Download the latest desktop version of iTunes ( 64-bit version | 32-bit version ).
    • Download and install a program that can open and extract contents from a CAB file such as 7-zip or WinRar .
    • Inspect the content of the iTunes installer iTunes64Setup.exe or iTunesSetup.exe (that you downloaded in step 1) with 7-zip (right click, 7-zip, Open archive). 7-zip will show the files inside the installer.
    • Extract AppleMobileDeviceSupport64.msi or AppleMobileDeviceSupport.msi from the installer file to your harddisk.
    • Run AppleMobileDeviceSupport64.msi or AppleMobileDeviceSupport.msi
    • After Apple Mobile Device Support have been installed, connect your iOS device to your PC and Windows should be able to detect it correctly.
    • Start MediaMonkey and your Apple device will be detected, so that you can use MediaMonkey for Windows to Sync to the device.
  2. OR install the drivers without installing iTunes using a third party app (note that these aren’t supported by Apple or MediaMonkey). Possible options are:

Whichever approach you take, the device will not be visible in Windows until you respond to the device prompt to ‘Trust’ this computer when you connect it.

Applies to: ,

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