Help! iTunes lost my purchase. What to do?
Anyone who has purchased music, videos or apps from Apple’s popular iTunes store has probably seen this once in a while: You’ve bought something, but it’s not showing up. Don’t panic, as we have the solution.
While I generally like iTunes as a media manager and digital store, it does have a few issues that creep up from time to time.
One problem I’ve found is not all purchases I make show up in the library without a problem. Just last week I purchased an app and while I saw it start to download, it stopped for some reason and then wasn’t listed in my App area.
Note: this might be a problem with your Internet connection, for example, and not iTunes, but the end result is the same: something you bought isn’t showing up in iTunes.
Your immediate reaction might be to call Apple, but keep that as a last resort. Here are two tricks that have worked for me.
If you’ve bought something on iTunes — music, audiobook, music video, movie, TV show or application — and it isn’t showing up in your iTunes library, the first thing you should do is click the Store tab at the top of the screen and then select the last option called “Check for Available Downloads.”
When you click this, you should see any queued or incomplete media begin to download. Voila! Problem solved. I did this last week and the game I downloaded began downloading again so I can sync it with my iPhone.
Another way I’ve recovered media that I know I’ve purchased is by attempting to download it again. When I’ve done this in the past, I’d get a message saying something like “You already purchased this item. Click to download it again,” which is what I do.
I’ve found both of these little tricks will work — something to keep in mind just in case you experience a similar problem.
You are WRONG! I have been fighting with apple for over a year to be able to download my previous purchases that were lost. It will NOT let me. Where is it you find this “click to download it again” thing??? It’s not anywhere on my itunes.
I lost everything as well. Makes no sense . Will not deal with them again.
This only works with apps but if you go to buy an app for that you have already purchased after you click buy it will pop up and say that you have already bought it and that it is free.
This link may help. It’s an article that details how to recover lost music and other files from your devices and iTunes.
http://www.infobarrel.com/How_to_Download_Music_Apps_and_Books_previously_purchased_on_iTunes
Len,
In iTunes, click the “Store” tab at the top of the screen. It can be found beside “File,” “Edit,” View” and “Controls” at the top left of the screen.
Once you click “Store,” the last option is called “Check for available downloads.” Click this and it should find anything queued up (such as a download that stopped prematurely).
If that doesn’t work, try my second solution in thsi blog post.
Cheers,
Marc
Sure these 2 things work, but if your Itouch/Iphone is in sync to another Itunes library you have no chance of getting anything back. I:E: when purchasing a new computer if you don’t do a transfer of some type you then lose everything. Also when you use the “Check for available downloads” it tells you that this item has already been downloaded so your only option is to remember everything you have purchased and go to that specific App or song or movie again.
Thanks I’ll share this with my son for next time. Don’t you love it when somebody criticizes without having all the information! Most people do appreciate you sharing your knowledge with those of us who are less “involved in the industry”.
Thank you, Terry! I don’t take it personally.
I certainly understand technology can frustrate people beyond belief, which is why I enjoy helping them whenever I can.
Best,
Marc
Hi John,
For that I’d recommend to back-up all your apps using Windows Explorer (it’s in the iTunes directory) and copy and paste them to, say, a USB thumbdrive.
Then on the new PC, all you have to do is open iTunes, then drag and drop all the apps from your USB drive into the iTunes windows itself (over the word Apps on the right hand side) and it will import them all.
Best,
Marc
A good solution is to get away form itunes.. there are better alternatives and many players with better sound quality than any ipod. THe best thing to do is never to get in with that company.. All the icrap has going for it is the publicity.. many other players, phones, even tablets that put it all to shame..
I tried to download an albumn they told me Vista was the problem, and gave instructions. I followed said instructions to no avail. Eventually the songs disappeared. I was charged for them but the problem was never resolved to my satisfaction. So I never again would use Itunes.
Hi,
i have a long problem (2 yrs ?)in my pc.
I have a red squares or rectangulars instead of a advertised fotos or…
with yahoo is worst,almost every advertisings are red patches instead of the comencials.
I took my computer for repair and they can’t have a clue!
any ideas?
they told me to download flash and something else,
I can’t open a lot of email with atach from friends also,
I got a don’t have the program to open this bla bla bla!
same with emule music, I have my songs stil,
but can’t open to download more for the las’t 1 yr
after that not problem ,
thanks for any info.
I am 63 and not to experience in this things
If the options above don’t work, try searching for the name of the file (title of song/tv episode) in Windows Explorer. Worked for me.
I would like to thank the author for this. I recently had to restore my iphone and all of my apps were no longer in my library. After checking for available downloads itunes said everything was there and there was nothing of course. After going into the app store and purchasing an app I had already bought a year ago it did not charge me. Instead when the icon popped up on the screen and it looked like it was installing I got a pop up saying “you have already purchased this app, tap to download again.” I am now able to retrieve all of the apps I lost. THANK YOU!!!
i bought an entire album and it said it had an error in downloading so i restarted and checked for available downloads on itunes and it said everything was downloaded. I went back just to click on one song from the album to see is if would download it again for free because i have already bought it and it didnt. it said i can buy it again but no option to download it again for free.. wtf
Your second option is not correct. The prompt that comes up states
“you’ve already downloaded this….check your library…” followed by
“if you want to purchase this you may have duplicates” but I did not see any option that would allow you to download the music again without a purchase.
yea you guys are wrong there is no “download this again” its “do you want to buy this again” which is a farce. i consider this a broken feature in itunes and i hate dealing with things like this when it doesn’t recognize that the computer doesn’t have the file but recongnizes that yes you have purcashed it and when you go to get the file from the store it says “O you already have purchased it but you can’t download it using our broken software but you can sure buy it again.”
The reason i don’t use itunes to store my music because its horrible at sharing or moving files around from other computers. i had to buy an irip program just to get music off an ipod without losing it all in a resync to add new music, even if its the same account if there are 2 computers involved its a pain! i love mac’s products but there proprietary software is bloated crap and i avoid it like the plague (i am looking at you quicktime and safari).
it is possible to restore your purchase of coarse in a way only apple can do it. basically login and then go to your account details, review you billing history and make note of all your purchase you need to know what they are exactly. Then go to the app store look up each one individually then click buy, yes confirm that you want to “Buy” this app then it will come back and say you have already purchased it would you like to add it to your d/ls. Download sync and there ya go.. time consuming and a pain in the @ss but it works
Marc,
What if you purchased from an outside source? I purchased an entire album from Amazon.com but only one of the songs made it onto iTunes..
When I followed your first suggestion, I was told that “all purchases have been downloaded for this account”
When I try your second suggestion, I have to go to Amazon in order to do so. Amazon tells me that if I choose to download again, I’ll have to pay again.
Any other suggestions?
– Pat
According to apple the only items you can download more than once are Apps.
“When you buy a song, video, iPod Game, or album from the iTunes Store you are entitled to download it a single time. If you want to download it again, you must purchase it again”
Source:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1469
Thankfully this will change with iOS 5 and iCloud.
This totally helped me!!! Thank you!
Wow. I just purchased an Apple App for $119.00 on my iMac. I could have saved $50 by buying the same app directly through the vendor’s website, but thought the extra money would insure easier handling. Boy was I wrong. I just spent two hours straight following all the instructions on planet earth to make this app show up on my second Mac. Nothing is working. No matter what I do … my second Mac iTunes acts like I never purchased anything.
Unbelievable.
I should have listened to my long-time Apple Store trainer friend who told me NOT to buy it from the Apple App Store. Should have listened.
Gonna call Apple when they open and try and get a refund. This is completely 100% ridiculous.
Good point. The Apple App Store might be convenient, but because it isn’t the only place to buy apps for OS X, you might find better prices elsewhere.
When will the people who use inferior Apple services and products learn that paying Apple is a ripoff?
Gordon,
Wow your bright! If your here who is guarding Hell!
To All: You can re-download everything with the new iTunes software with the exception of Movies, which there are still issues with copy-right laws etc.. My simple suggestion would be to save a copy of you iTunes library and if your using a Mac use Time Machine. There is also the iCloud, which can come in handy, I just don’t think one should have to repay for anything, especially if they bought it.
To itunes hater: use what best suits you, complaining only gets you in line with Gordon. ;) I just transferred all my iTunes music with one swift drag and drop from a hard drive to my Mac Mini, and it took a few minutes.