iTunes all of a sudden not able to connect to the Apple Account server

Connect one PC to a phone’s mobile hotspot and retry iTunes; if sign-in works there, the shared router, DNS, or ISP path—not Windows—is the common point of failure.

Recent October 2026 reports describe the same Windows 10/11 iTunes or Apple Music sign-in failure while browser access still works, but Apple has not identified a particular Windows update as the cause.^1^ Apple’s status page also does not currently identify an Apple Account or iTunes Store outage.^2^

1. Isolate the shared network

Test only one PC initially:

1. Disconnect it from the home Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
2. Enable the hotspot on a phone using cellular data.
3. Connect the PC to that hotspot.
4. Open iTunes and attempt to sign in.

If it works: report the hotspot result to the ISP. Restart the modem/router, then check the router for parental controls, security filtering, custom DNS, HTTPS inspection, or blocked Apple destinations. Both computers failing through the same connection, despite different Windows versions, makes this branch the priority.

If it still fails: continue with the Windows checks below. Since disabling Defender Firewall, removing Malwarebytes, and checking the VPN and credentials did not help, there is no reason to repeat those steps.

2. Check for a hidden system proxy

A browser and a desktop application can use different Windows networking paths. An old WinHTTP proxy may therefore affect iTunes even when browser access works.

Open Command Prompt as administrator, then run:

netsh winhttp show proxy
netsh winhttp reset proxy
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /flushdns

netsh winhttp show proxy displays the machine’s WinHTTP proxy configuration; reset proxy changes it to direct internet access.^3^ Restart Windows and test iTunes again.

Also open Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy and turn off Use a proxy server only if you do not intentionally use one.

3. Repair the rest of the network stack

If the commands do not help, use Network reset on one computer before changing both:

• Windows 11: Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset > Reset now
• Windows 10: Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network reset > Reset now

This removes and reinstalls network adapters and restores their settings to defaults.^4^

Network reset can remove virtual adapters and may change the network profile to Public, so note any custom networking configuration first. If it fixes the first PC, repeat it on the other.

4. Identify whether an update correlates with the failure

There is not enough evidence to name a specific recent Windows update as responsible. Compare the installation dates against the date iTunes last worked:

• Windows 11: Settings > Windows Update > Update history
• Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history

Also check iTunes itself for a Store-app update installed around that date.

Only if one computer shows a Windows quality update installed immediately before the failure—and the hotspot test also fails—consider temporarily removing that update:

• Windows 11: Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates
• Windows 10: Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall updates

Select the relevant update and choose Uninstall.^5^

Removing security updates reduces protection. Do not uninstall updates merely because they are recent, particularly when both PCs have different Windows versions and update histories.

5. If the failure remains

Run Apple’s official connection checks and give Apple Support these specific results: whether the hotspot worked, the exact iTunes error text, iTunes version and installation source, Windows builds, and whether WinHTTP originally showed a proxy.^6^

Avoid unverified registry or TLS changes. The available TLS registry workaround applies to a specific documented .NET connectivity condition, not generally to iTunes, and the reported symptom alone does not establish that condition.

References

1. Cannot sign in to Apple Music and iTunes … - Apple Community
2. Apple - Support - System Status
3. netsh winhttp
4. [Windows 11](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/experience/connectivity-networking/fix-ethernet-connection-problems-in-windows#on-your-pc)
5. [Windows 11](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/deployment/updates-lifecycle/how-to-uninstall-a-windows-update#summary)
6. If you can't connect to the App Store, iTunes Store, or other Apple ...