You’ve probably heard of the Chromebook. Chrome OS laptops are an extremely well-designed, upgradeable, affordable alternative to other laptops. They are powerful, speedy and simple. Perfect for work, school or personal use, many people have already made the switch from other operating systems to Chromebook laptops.
For iPhone users, particularly, the question, “how to download iTunes on Chromebook?” is very important. However, the methods to do this are a bit complicated, but don’t worry; we’ll walk you through each step in detail!
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Can You Directly Download iTunes on Your Chromebook?
Chromebooks run on Chrome OS, a Linux-based operating system designed by Google. This operating system is built around Google Chrome. Instead of downloading programs and applications, users use web apps they have bookmarked on any website. However, Chromebooks also allow users to download Windows and Android apps!
So, can you download iTunes on a Chromebook? Well, iTunes is not natively supported by Chrome OS. Apple has not released an official Chromebook version of the iTunes app.
Due to this reason, it’s not possible to directly download iTunes on Chromebooks. You’ll need to use a different method.
How To Download iTunes On Chromebook. 6 Easy Steps
iTunes is a software program that acts as a media player and mobile device management utility for iOS users.
Apple has released a Windows version of the program for computers running Windows as an operating system. Users can download the program from the Microsoft store or the Apple Website. But what about Chromebooks? How can you download iTunes on Chromebook laptops? We’ll walk you through the steps.
Step#1) Linux Support
To download iTunes on Chromebook laptops, you’ll need to enable Linux on the computer. We’ll explain the steps to do this.
To enable Linux on Chromebook, complete the following steps:
- Turn on your Chromebook.
- Once at the home screen, move your cursor to the bottom right of the screen.
- Click on time.
- On the window that pops up, go to the Settings icon.
- Go to Linux (Beta).
- Click Turn on.
Once Linux has been installed, a Terminal window will open. We can now move on to the second step.
Step#2) Install the Wine Application
In the Terminal window, complete the following steps:
- Copy, paste, and execute sudo apt-get update in the Terminal window. This will update all system packages and their dependencies.
- After you get a prompt that says Done, copy, paste, and execute the sudo apt-get install Wine command.
This will download the Wine application to your Chromebook. This is a necessary step to download iTunes on Chromebook.
Step#3) Enable 32-bit support
The Wine application is not ready for use yet. You’ll need to enable support for 32-bit applications on your Chromebook first.
To do this, copy, paste and execute the following commands in the Terminal window:
- sudo dpkg –add-architecture i386
- sudo apt update
- sudo apt-get install wine32
Once these commands have been executed, the Wine app has been set up for use on your Chromebook. We can proceed to the next step.
Step#4) Download the iTunes Windows Setup to your Chromebook
To download iTunes on Chromebook, you’ll need to download the set-up file. The 64-bit version iTunes app is not compatible with Chromebook. You’ll need to download the 32-bit version instead.
To download iTunes Windows Setup, complete the following steps:
- Go to Apple Support Website.
- Go to the iTunes for Windows (32-bit) download page.
- Click Download.
- Choose a location for the file.
- Once the iTunes setup file has been downloaded, move it to the Linux files directory.
- Rename the file iTunesSetup.exe.
Step#5) Install iTunes on Chromebook
To install iTunes on the Chromebook, complete the following steps:
- Open the Terminal Window.
- Copy and paste the following command: WINEARCH=win32 WINEPREFIX=/home/name/.wine32/ wine iTunesSetup.exe
- Replace the word ‘name’ in this command with the name of your Chromebook.
- An installation window will open. Click Next.
- On the next window, click Install.
- You may get a prompt saying AutoRun is turned off. Click Yes.
- When the installation process is over, click Finish.
iTunes will now be installed on your Chromebook. To launch the device, simply go to the Applications menu and launch iTunes. It’ll be found in the Linux apps. You can also create a shortcut.
Step#6) Create a Shortcut for the iTunes app
You’ll be able to find the iTunes app in the list of Linux apps on your Chromebook. You can also create a shortcut.
To do so, complete the following steps:
- Go to File Manager.
- Go to Linux Files Directory.
- Click on the three dots found on the top-right of the screen.
- Choose the option that says Show hidden files.
- Follow this path: .local -> share -> applications -> wine -> Program Files ->iTunes.
- Right-click on the desktop file.
- Select the option that says Open with Text Editor.
- Add the following code: env WINEPREFIX=”/home/name/.wine32″ wine “/home/name/.wine32/drive_c/Program Files/iTunes/iTunes.exe”
- Replace the word ‘name’ with the name of your Chromebook.
- Press Ctrl+S
- Close the app. A shortcut will have been created.
Other Ways to Use iTunes on Chromebook
Method#1) Using the iTunes Website
The Wine Application method to download iTunes on Chromebook can be complicated. Luckily, there’s still another way to use iTunes on Chromebook laptops without going through all those steps. If you don’t wish to download the app, you can use the iTunes website instead!
To use the iTunes Website method, complete the following steps:
- Turn on your Chromebook laptop.
- Launch Chrome.
- Go to the Apple Website and go to the Apple Music page.
- Click the three dots on the top-right corner of the screen. (These are a part of the Chrome menu, not the website)
- Click More Tools.
- Select Create Shortcut.
- A prompt will appear asking what the shortcut should be named. Enter the name iTunes.
Method#2) Using the Virtual Machine Application Method
If you wish to know how to download iTunes on Chromebook, there’s another method that you can try. This method is also a bit complicated. However, you’ll be able to use all the iTunes features if you download the application using this method.
If you’re using a high-end Chromebook, make sure to download a Windows ISO before trying this method. Make sure the Chromebook has enough space for the guest OS of the Virtual Machine.
To download iTunes on Chromebook using the Virtual Machine Application Method, complete the following steps:
- Turn on your computer.
- Launch Chrome.
- Go to the VirtualBox website and go to Linux Downloads page.
- Go to the heading that says VirtualBox 7.0.4 for Linux.
- Choose Debian 10. Don’t forget to save the download.
- Go to Downloads on your Chromebook.
- Scroll down to the downloaded file and double-click.
- You will receive a prompt asking permission to install. Select Install with Linux.
- Follow the remaining prompts until the set-up process is complete.
- Once the files have been installed, go to the Linux Apps Folder.
- In the VirtualBox window, select New.
- Follow prompts to install guest OS in VirtualBox.
- Once the guest OS is installed, launch Virtual Machine.
- Install iTunes to the guest OS.
Once iTunes has been installed, launch the application to see if it works. The Virtual Machine Application method is quite heavy on Chromebooks. Therefore, we recommend that you try the other methods to download iTunes on Chromebook first.
Final Thoughts
As iTunes is not an app natively supported by Chrome OS, we can’t download the app directly. To download iTunes to chrome for free, you’ll need to either use the Wine App method or the Virtual Machine Application method. If you don’t wish to download the iTunes app, you can just use the iTunes website instead.
In this article, we’ve discussed the steps for all these methods in detail. If you read the article closely, we’re sure you won’t encounter any problems. Good luck!