6 Ways to Fix iTunes Extracting Software Stuck Issue

Are you experiencing the same problem as this user? Trying to restore or update iPhone with iTunes but stuck on the Extracting software... process. What's more annoying is that it doesn't prompt any error message so you can try to fix the problem. Don’t worry too much! This guide will tell you why is iTunes stuck on extracting software and what you can do to make it move on.

FAQs About iTunes Extracting Software

Here are 3 questions you may be interested in regarding iTunes extracting software. If you want to get rid of this iTunes extracting software stuck problem as soon as possible, you can skip to the next section to get the solution.

What Does iTunes Extracting Software Mean?

“Extracting software” is the first part of the entire restore process. It will download firmware, then it will extract and verify. When you see the “Extracting software” in iTunes, it means that iTunes has connected to your iPhone and is going through the restore process to fix your device.

How Long Does Extracting Software Take on iTunes?

The time iTunes takes to extract software can usually be completed in less than 30 minutes. If it hasn't been more than 30 minutes, maybe you can wait a little longer. If the process bar has not moved in a few hours, it’s time to take some action to fix the iTunes extracting software stuck issue.

Why Is iTunes Stuck on Extracting Software?

• Poor Internet connection will make it difficult to extract software.
• Anti-virus software may prevent iTunes from connecting to Apple servers.
• iTunes is not up-to-date and is not compatible with the latest iOS version.
• System glitches on your iPhone can also cause the iTunes extracting software slow issue.

How to Fix iTunes Stuck on Extracting Software

You can try the following methods in turn to troubleshoot the iTunes extracting software stuck problem.

Tip 1. Restart Your Computer and iPhone

A simple restart may help fix system glitches on computer or iPhone that caused the “iTunes stuck on extracting software” problem. You can choose to hard reset your iPhone.

• iPhone 8 or later: Press the volume + button and then quickly release. Press the volume - button and then quickly release. Press the side button for seconds until you see the Apple logo.
• iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press both the power button and volume - button for seconds until you see the Apple logo.
• iPhone 6s or earlier: Press both the power button and the Home button for seconds until you see the Apple logo.

Tip 2. Check Internet Connection

Make sure your computer has connected to stable and active Wi-Fi. If the network is bad, then iTunes will have trouble downloading software so you will meet the iTunes extracting software slow problem.

Tip 3. Disable Firewall or Security Software

The security software or other third-party security software on computer might block the connection between iTunes and Apple servers. You can temporarily disable such security software or antivirus and see if that solves the iTunes extracting software stuck problem.

How to disable Firewall on Windows:

Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall and choose Turn off Windows Firewall.

How to disable Firewall on Mac:

Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall and choose Turn off Firewall.

Tip 4. Update iTunes to the Latest Version

Incompatible software versions can cause many problems including iTunes extracting software stuck. For a smooth recovery/update, an up-to-date iTunes is indispensable.

Update iTunes on Windows: Open iTunes > Select Help from the menu bar > Select Check for Updates.

Update iTunes on Mac: Click Apple logo from the menu > Choose System Preferences > Select Software Update in macOS Mojave.  Go to App Store > Choose Updates > Click Update next to iTunes in an earlier macOS.

Tip 5. Update/Restore iPhone in Settings

A quick way to bypass iTunes extracting software stuck problem is to update/restore iPhone via Settings app.

How to update iPhone:

Go to Settings > General > Software Update and choose Download and Install if there is a new version available.

How to restore iPhone:

Go to Settings > General > Reset (Transfer or Reset iPhone in iOS 15 and later ) and choose Erase All Content and Settings. When it is completed, you can choose to restore from an iTunes or iCloud backup during the setup process.

Tip 6. Put iPhone in Recovery Mode

You can put iPhone in recovery mode and then restore or update it.

1. Make sure you have installed the latest version of iTunes.
2. Connect iPhone to computer.
3. Hard reset your iPhone (Tip 1 shows the steps) to put it in recovery mode.
4. Click the Device tab and you will see the option to ask you to Update or Restore the device.

• Restore will erase data on iPhone and reinstall iOS.
• Update will reinstall iOS without erasing iPhone data.

Bonus Tip: How to Make A Custom Backup for iPhone

When something goes wrong with the iPhone, we can restore it via iTunes to bring it back to life. The restore will erase all existing data on iPhone so we need to make a backup in advance. You know that you can make a full backup with iTunes but how to make a custom backup?

Well, if you want to make a custom backup, just backup selected contacts, messages, photos, videos, songs, etc., then you can use FoneTool.

FoneTool is one professional iOS data backup and transfer tool for Windows PCs. It lets you preview and select the files you want to backup. In addition, it also allows you to restore selected files to iPhone without data erasing.

Steps to make a custom backup

1. Download, install and launch FoneTool.

2. Connect iPhone to computer and click Phone Backup > Choose Selective Backup and click Get Started.

3. Choose the data you want to backup > Click OK to confirm.

4. Select a path to save your backup and click Start Backup.

If you want to restore data to iPhone, please go to the Backup History page to make it.

Final Words

Hope one of these methods can help you fix the iTunes stuck on extracting software problem. To ensure data security, it’s recommended to backup your iPhone before the update or restore. If you only want to back up some important data to save time and space, you can try FoneTool.