How to Fix iTunes Cannot Connect ‘Unknown Error 0XE80000A’

Having problems connecting your iOS device on iTunes and presented with an ‘Unknown Error 0XE80000A’ message?

Well, as it turns out, you are not alone. If you search for ‘0xE800000A’ in Apple Support Communities, you would see a good number of users who are asking about the same problem when connecting their device on iTunes. 

The ‘Unknown Error 0xE80000A’ problem on iTunes is often caused by improper installation of iTunes or bugs and errors on both Windows and iTunes that may have occurred during use. 

 

 

Today, we are going to show you a few ways on how to fix the ‘Unknown Error 0xE80000A’ error message on iTunes. 

Let’s get started. 

• 1. Restart iTunes.
• 2. Restart Windows.
• 3. Stop iTunes Related Process.
• 4. Check for Updates.
• 5. Disable Third-Party Antivirus.
• 6. Reset Privacy Settings.
• 7. Reset Lockdown Folder.
• 8. Repair iTunes.

 

 

1. Restart iTunes. 

For the first method, what you can try doing is to restart the app itself. iTunes might have encountered a temporary error within its resource files that causes some of its functions to not work. 

To restart iTunes properly, check out the guide below:

1. First, press on Windows key + X to open the Quick Access Menu. 
2. After that, click on Task Manager. 

 

3. Inside the Task Manager, click on the Processes tab and find iTunes from the list. 
4. Lastly, click on iTunes and hit the End Task button to stop it from running on your computer. 

 

Once you’ve closed iTunes, go back to the desktop and try to open the application once again. Now, try to connect your iOS device to verify if the issue is resolved. 

 

 

2. Restart Windows. 

If restarting iTunes was not enough to fix the connection issue between iTunes and your iOS device, what you can do next is to restart Windows. Allowing your operating system to reboot will give it a chance to reload all of its resources that can eliminate temporary bugs and glitches. 

1. On your computer, press on the Windows key to open the Start Menu. 
2. Inside the Start Menu, click on the Power button to open the Power Options menu. 
3. Lastly, click on the Restart button to begin rebooting your operating system. 

 

Wait for your computer to complete its restart then go back to iTunes and try to connect your iOS device once again to confirm if the issue is already fixed. 

However, if you are still seeing the same ‘0xE80000A’ error code on iTunes, proceed to the next method below to try and solve it. 

 

 

3. Stop iTunes Related Process.

Extension programs like AppleMobileDeviceService.exe and iTunesHelper.exe are vital when it comes to connecting your iOS device to iTunes. These programs contain the USB drivers needed by your computer to recognize iOS devices like your iPhone. 

Possibly, one of the two programs encountered a temporary error that causes the ‘0xE80000A’ error message. 

To fix this, simply close the two programs using Task Manager:

1. First, press the Windows key + X on your keyboard to open the Quick Access Menu. 
2. After that, click on Task Manager to open it. 
3. Inside the Task Manager, click on the Services tab and locate AppleMobileDeviceService and iTunesHelper from the list. 
4. Lastly, right-click on the two programs and hit the Stop button to stop it from running on your computer. 

 

Once done, connect your iOS device again on your computer to see if the error message would still occur. 

 

 

4. Check for Updates. 

If you are not fond of updating your devices from time to time, this can cause compatibility issues between your devices. To rule this scenario, make sure that all of your devices are up to date including Windows, iOS, and iTunes. 

To check for an update on Windows, simply follow the steps below:

1. On your computer, press on Windows key + I to open Windows Settings. 
2. After that, click on Update & Security. 

 

3. Inside Update & Security, click on Windows Update from the side menu. 
4. Lastly, follow the on-screen prompts if an update is available to install it on your system. 

 

Now, for your iOS device, you can check for an update by doing the following steps. 

1. First, tap on the Settings app from your home screen to open it. 
2. After that, tap on the General tab. 

 

3. Lastly, tap on Software Updates and it will automatically check for any update available on iOS. If available, follow the on-screen prompts to install the update. 

Finally, for iTunes, you can check for an update by doing the following. 

1. On your computer, open iTunes from the desktop. 
2. Now, click on the Help tab from the menu bar. 
3. Lastly, click on Check for Updates. Follow the on-screen prompts to download and install the latest version of iTunes on your computer. 

 

After ensuring that your devices are updated, go back to iTunes and try to connect your iOS device once again to see if the problem is already fixed. 

 

 

5. Disable Third-Party Antivirus. 

While antivirus programs are great in keeping your system safe from malware, it can often cause problems with other apps like iTunes which mistakenly flags it as a threat to your system and blocks any form of connection. 

If you are using antivirus software on your computer, try to disable it temporarily while you are connecting your iOS device on iTunes to check if it is really the cause of the error code. 

Alternatively, you can remove the antivirus software permanently from your system and just use the built-in Windows Defender software which is also great in preventing viruses and malware.

 

 

6. Reset Privacy Settings. 

Corrupted privacy settings on your iOS device can also cause the ‘0xE80000A’ error on iTunes. Privacy settings on your device carry the trust permissions that were granted to your computer the first time you connect it on iTunes. 

Check out the steps below on how to fix corrupted privacy settings on your iOS device:

1. On your iOS device, tap on the Settings app to open it. 
2. Inside the Settings, tap on the General tab. 

 

3. After that, tap on Reset. 
4. Lastly, tap on Reset Location & Privacy then tap on Reset Settings. 

 

Wait for your iOS device to complete the reset then try to connect it to your computer once again to see if the problem is already fixed. 

On the other hand, you can proceed to the next method below if you are still having connection issues between your iOS device and iTunes. 

 

 

7. Reset Lockdown Folder. 

The Lockdown folder contains security certificates needed by iTunes to communicate with previously connected iOS devices. If the files inside the Lockdown folder got corrupted on your hard drive, then it can cause the ‘Unknown Error 0xE80000A’ error message. 

To fix this, you can try resetting the Lockdown folder on Windows: 

1. First, press on Windows key + R to open the Run Command Box. 
2. Now, type %ProgramData% and click Ok. 

 

3. After that, click on the Apple folder. 

 

4. Lastly, right-click on the Lockdown folder and click on Rename. Change the name of the folder from Lockdown to Lockdown.old. 

 

Go back to iTunes afterward and try to connect your iOS device once again to verify if this solution worked in fixing the connection problem on iTunes. 

 

 

8. Repair iTunes. 

Another reason for the connection issue on iTunes is that some of its files got corrupted and causes other features of the app to malfunction. To fix this, you can try repairing the installation files by doing the steps below:

1. First, press on Windows key + I to open Windows Settings. 
2. Inside Windows Settings, click on Apps. 

 

3. Now, find iTunes from the list and click on Modify. 

 

4. Lastly, select Repair on the iTunes installer and click on Next. Follow the on-screen prompts to proceed with the repair. 

 

After repairing iTunes, try to connect your device once again to see if iTunes is already working properly. 

On the other hand, you can also try installing the Windows Store version of iTunes which is better in terms of performance and stability. 

This wraps up our guide on how to fix the ‘Unknown Error 0xE80000A’ error message on iTunes. If you know other ways on how to deal with this issue, kindly share it in the comment section below and we would give credit to your name for the solution once we update this article. 

 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂