Whether you’re a Mac user or a Windows user, you should be able to play Apple Music, however, this doesn’t always seem to be the case. If you’re having trouble opening Apple Music on your computer, you are not alone.
Windows users have noticed a variety of errors when attempting to play music via Apple Music or iTunes. So why won’t my Apple Music play on my computer and how do I go about fixing it?
Why won’t my Apple Music play on my computer?

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash
There are numerous reasons why Apple Music won’t play on your computer. These include:
- You’ve tried to sign in from too many devices
- There is an issue with your iTunes
How do I fix Apple Music not playing on my computer?
Sign out of your devices
Apple Music only allows music to be played from up to 5 devices, therefore if you are attempting to play it on more than this, you may receive an error code.
To see if this is your issue we’d recommend signing out all of your devices. However, if you’re not sure where you’re signed into, change your password, then choose log out of existing sign-ins.
Following this, sign back in and see if the issue still occurs. If it does, we’d recommend following the next steps.
Uninstall and Reinstall iTunes
If you’re still unable to play music on your Windows device, the next steps would be to uninstall iTunes, then try to reinstall it again.
To uninstall iTunes
- Click Start and search for the app or programme.
- Once you’ve found the item, click and then select uninstall.
How to reinstall iTunes
After you’ve uninstalled your iTunes, it’s time to reinstall it. The best way to do this is via Apple as opposed to Microsoft. You can find a link to download iTunes here.
Once this is downloaded, click through to install iTunes.
How to listen to Apple Music on my PC?

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
First things first, how do you listen to Apple Music on your PC? For Mac, it is via the Apple Music app or a web browser.
There are also two main ways you can listen to Apple Music in 2021 on your Windows PC. Which are on a web browser and via iTunes. Yes, that’s right, for Windows users, iTunes is very much still alive and well.
Listen to Apple Music via iTunes
To listen to Apple Music via iTunes here’s how:
- Download iTunes from the Microsoft Store on your Windows PC or on Apple directly
- When iTunes has downloaded, go ahead and set this up
- Once it has loaded, click on account > sign in
- After you’ve signed in, you will be able to access your iCloud music library, as well as your Apple Music subscription
- If you’re unsure how to listen to Apple Music, click browse or search via the bar on the top right
On a web browser
If you don’t want to download a program, why not listen on a web browser? Here’s how to listen on your web browser:
- Open your browser e.g. Chrome, Firefox and search music.apple.com/us/
- Next, you will need to sign in, this on the right of the screen in a red box, sign in using your Apple Music login
- As part of this process, you may be asked to verify your account on one of your Apple Devices, this will be done via a code.
- Once this is completed you should be able to listen to music as you would on any device.
Apple music not playing on windows

Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash
If you find yourself trying to play Apple Music on iTunes but you are unable to do so, here are some troubleshooting techniques to try in order to get this issue resolved.
Sign in and out again
If your Apple Music won’t play on Windows, we’d recommend attempting to sign in and out again. Although this seems like a simple method, it can often fix issues as it resets your account.
Change playback settings
Users have reported the following steps helped them to resolve the iTunes not playing on Windows 10 issue.
- Sign in to your iTunes or Apple Music account
- Click Edit > Preferences > Playback
- Search for ‘Play Audio Using’, which usually will be set to ‘direct sound’ or Windows Audio Session
- Change to the other setting and try to play your music again
- If this does not help, do the same again
Is your Apple Music stopping at 15 seconds? Here’s how to fix this error and get back to listening to full songs again.
Music stuck at 0:00 on Apple

Photo by Barbora Dostálová on Unsplash
As a Windows user, this issue has been flagged more frequently recently, although Apple hasn’t advised on how to fix this error, we’ve found the best tips to provide iTunes with the capability to play that song you’re trying to listen to. Attempting to change the playback settings as advised above can help fix this error.
1: Delete old devices
Apple Music only allows a user to have 5 devices linked to their account. If you find you have devices you don’t use, remove these from your account as they may be hindering you from listening to music.
2: Repair iTunes app on Windows 10
Another troubleshooting tip is to repair the settings of iTunes, if you’re unsure how to find this setting, follow these steps:
- Open Settings
- Click on Apps, then Apps & Features
- Select iTunes > Advanced Options
- Click repair
- Reopen iTunes on Windows 10
3: Reset iTunes
If repairing iTunes doesn’t work, we’d recommend attempting to reset iTunes. Not to worry as this won’t remove your music, songs or other content. If you’re looking to reset your iTunes app, here’s how to do it:
- Open settings, then click on apps followed by apps and features
- Then select iTunes, followed by advanced options
- Click the reset button
- After you’ve completed this all of your settings on Apple Music should go back to their original state
Conclusion
We hope you’ve found these troubleshooting techniques to be of use to you. If you’re still wondering why won’t my Apple Music play on my computer? try using a web browser such as Chrome or Firefox instead of the app.