iTunes and Windows don’t always play nicely, and, more often than not, you will be confronted by an error message or two. One of the most common is error 11556, typically resulting from iTunes not being able to connect to the iTunes Store.
There are several reasons why this might happen and several solutions to resolving it.
The main reasons this error might appear are:
- Apple’s Servers are Down – the server you are attempting to connect to may have gone down, and iTunes will not be able to reach it
- Problems With Your Internet – You may have a slow or unstable internet connection that interrupts the connection
- Date and Time Settings are Wring – if your date and time settings are incorrectly configured, iTunes cannot connect
- Your Firewall is Blocking it – iTunes needs to go through your firewall to connect to the store, and if the connection is blocked, it cannot connect.
Let’s have a look at some of the solutions you can try to fix this issue:
- Wait Until the Servers are Working
Sometimes, waiting is the best policy. Apple doesn’t usually take too long to get their servers up and running after an outage, but you may have to wait a few hours. You can check the Apple Server Status webpage to see which server is down or just wait and try again later.
- Check Your Internet Connection
iTunes requires your internet connection to connect to the iTunes store, and if your connection is unstable or too slow, iTunes will struggle to connect and throw up the error message. Check your internet connection by trying to open a webpage. If it won’t open or the connection keeps dropping, speak with your ISP to get the issue fixed.
- Reboot Your Computer
Sometimes, a simple reboot can fix lots of things, and it’s one thing you should try when iTunes cannot connect to the store. This is nothing to do with the iTunes store and more to do with component issues on your computer. Click on the Start menu on your Windows PC and choose Restart from the power options. Try iTunes again once the computer has rebooted, and it should work.
- Set the Right Date and Time
If your date and time settings are wrong on your computer, it can interfere with all sorts of things.
- Right-click your mouse on the date and time in the bottom corner of your screen and choose the Adjust Date/Time option.
- If Set Time Automatically is enabled, disable it
- Click Set the Date and Time Manually and then click on Change
- Set the date and time
Reboot your PC and try iTunes again
- Remove the iTunes Restrictions
Have you ever looked at the iTunes settings menu? You may have noticed that some features can be disabled and if iTunes has been disabled, whether deliberately or accidentally, the error will appear. The restrictions need to be removed to fix the issue:
- Open iTunes and click Edit>Preferences
- Click the Restrictions tab
- Uncheck the box next to iTunes and click OK
Now iTunes should successfully connect to the iTunes store.
- Change to a Different Admin Account
This has been suggested by users on the Apple forums. If you only have one admin account, the first step is to create a second one:
- Open Settings > Accounts on your Pc and click on Family & Other Users
- Click Add Someone Else to This PC and add the new user details. Ensure the new user has admin access
- Now log in to the new account by clicking on your Start menu and clicking your profile icon. Sign out of the original account and sign in to the new one
- Once logged in as the new admin user, open iTunes and log in
Now try connecting iTunes to the iTunes store again.
- Disable Your Firewall
The Windows Defender firewall may be blocking outgoing connections from iTunes, and the only way to let iTunes connect to the store is to disable the firewall temporarily. Do not forget to re-enable it once you have done what you need to do.
- Launch your control panel and click on the Defender Firewall
- Click on the option to Turn Windows Defender Firewall On or Off
- Turn the firewall off in the Public and Private network settings sections and click on OK
- Try connecting iTunes to the iTunes store again and, when you are done, enable the firewall again.
There are so many reasons why the connection cannot be made to the iTunes store, and the above are the most common reasons and solutions. Hopefully, one of these will fix the issue on your Windows PC, and you can get back to doing what you want to do with iTunes.