iTunes Error 1 When iPhone/iPad Restore? Here Are Fixes

You may encounter unknown iTunes error 1 when you try to restore iPhone, iPad, or iPod from backup. Just try the solutions in this guide to help you out.

Demi

By Demi / Updated on June 7, 2023

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iPhone could not be restored, an unknown error occurred (1)

Just got a replacement iPhone and when I tried to restore it with the backup I made before taking in my old one, I keep coming up with the same error message “iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (1). How can I fix the issue and without losing my old backup?

- Question from Apple Community

Sometimes, you may need to restore your iPhone or iPad to factory settings to fix software problems. After the troubleshooting process, you can connect your iPhone to computer and restore iTunes backup to iPhone so that you won’t lose anything. However, when you run iTunes, you may receive an error message, saying “The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (1).”

iTunes Error 1

The iTunes error (1) happens for many reasons. An outdated iTunes, enabled firewall software on computer, and unknown hardware error can lead to such iTunes error. Here in this guide, you can get four useful solutions to iTunes unknown error 1. A quick way to restore iTunes backup to iPhone is also mentioned in the second part.

4 solutions to fix iTunes error 1

There are four solutions available for you to bypass the iTunes error 1. You can try them one after another until your issue gets fixed.

Disconnect other USB devices from computer

First of all, please make sure you have only iPhone connected to your computer because it is known to all that any other USB devices can conflict with your iPhone when they are connecting to one computer at the same time.

Please disconnect all USB devices from your computer, which include but not limited to cameras, scanners, readers, and so on. You can restart your computer and run iTunes again to check whether you can restore iPhone now.

Update iTunes to the latest version

An outdated iTunes can cause kinds of iTunes errors when you are utilizing it. Just in case, you can simply repair the error by updating iTunes to the latest version.

Just run iTunes, click Help from the menu bar > Select Check for Updates. Follow the onscreen instruction if you need to update iTunes.

iTunes Check For Updates

Disable antivirus and firewall software on computer

If you have any antivirus or firewall software downloaded on your computer, iTunes might be restricted from accessing certain services. You can turn off iTunes and disable antivirus and firewall software.

You may need to go thoroughly with your firewall program settings and follow the process accordingly to turn it off. Then, launch iTunes again to have a try.

Download IPSW file manually

It is suggested to manually download the IPSW file using iTunes to fix the iTunes error (-1) fully. Follow the steps below to make it.

Step 1. Run iTunes and connect your iPhone or iPad to computer > Click the phone icon in iTunes.

Step 2. Click Summary > Press the Shift key and click Update at the same time > When a window prompts, click Update.

Restore iTunes backup to iPhone/iPad with FoneTool

To save your time, you can let a professional tool help you restore iTunes backup to iPhone or iPad without wasting time troubleshooting iTunes restore error (-1). It is recommended you FoneTool, a powerful computer-based tool for iPhone backup.

It allows you to restore iTunes backup with no effort. You can also rely on it to backup your iPhone to PC without iTunes. Click the icon below to get the tool on your computer.

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How to restore iTunes backup to iPhone/iPad
Step 2. Click the three-line icon from the upper-right corner > Select Import Backup Files.

Import Full Backup

Step 3. Locate and choose your iTunes backup. Usually, your iTunes backup is saved in \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\ on Windows computer.

Step 4. Click Start Restore to begin the task.

Start Restore

As a iTunes alternative for iPhone backup, you can make use of its Full Backup function to backup your iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

How to selectively backup your iPhone
Different from iTunes, FoneTool provides you with a way to selectively backup your iPhone files in three steps.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to computer > Click Phone Backup from its main interface > Locate Selective Backup and click Get Started.

Custom Backup

Step 2. Check each icon to preview and select files you want to backup to computer > Click OK to confirm.

Select Files

Step 3. Choose a destination to save the backup files > Click Start Backup to begin.

Click On Backup

Conclusion

Hope the solutions in this guide can help you out of iTunes error (1). For the safety of the data on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod, you can also utilize FoneTool to backup data in a stable and simple way.