[Best 6 Methods] How to Fix iTunes Error 53

In some cases, when your iPhone comes into trouble, you may first use iTunes to fix it by restoring or backing up. iTunes always performs perfectly as an iOS official tool, which can help users download media resources, sync data between iPhone and PC, restore and backup your iPhone.

Though it is such a wonderful tool, it occurs unexpected iTunes error code when restoring an iPhone. This nettlesome issue stops us from connecting our iPhone to iTunes and computer, and can not update or restore our iPhone on iTunes or Mac. So, what is iTunes error 53? And what is the best way for us to solve it? In this post, you can find everything you want.

Part 1. What is iTunes error 53?

iTunes Error 53 is an error code displayed by iTunes when an iPhone or iPad fails a certain verification check during an update or restore process. When this error occurs, the device cannot complete the restore or update, and iTunes will stop the process to prevent the device from being left in an unstable state. On the computer, iTunes typically shows a message like: "The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (53)."

Part 2. Why Does iTunes Error 53 Occur?

1. Touch ID Hardware Mismatch: The primary cause was a security check failure related to the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Each Touch ID sensor is uniquely paired with the phone's Secure Enclave for security. If the sensor had been replaced by an unauthorized repair shop, damaged, disconnected, or not correctly recognized during the restore process, iTunes would detect a mismatch and halt the restore with Error 53.

2. Damaged or Faulty Touch ID Cable/Sensor: Even if the device hadn't been repaired, damage to the Touch ID flex cable could trigger the error.

3. Corrupted Restore or Update Process: In rare cases, data corruption or software integrity issues could cause the error during a security validation check.

Part 3. Top 6 methods to fix iTunes error 53

Now that you understand what iTunes Error 53 is and the reasons behind it, here are the top six proven methods you can follow to quickly resolve the issue and get your device working again.

Method 1. Update iTunes

Older versions of iTunes may not correctly communicate with newer iOS versions, causing restore/update failures and triggering Error 53. So make sure your iTunes version is the latest.

For Windows user:

Step 1: Open iTunes. In the top menu bar, click Help. Select Check for Updates.

Step 2: If an update is available, choose Download iTunes. Follow the on-screen installer steps to complete the update. Restart your PC after installation.

For macOS user(macOS Mojave (10.14) or Earlier):

Step 1: Open the App Store.

Step 2: Click Updates in the sidebar.

Step 3: Look for iTunes in the list.

Step 4: Click Update.

Method 2. Reinstall iTunes

The corrupted files of iTunes on your computer will cause this issue. If your computer encounters the error code 53 iTunes while using an old version of iTunes to upgrade or restore an iOS device, reinstalling iTunes would be useful for fixing it.

For a Windows user, you can uninstall iTunes on Control Panel, then click on the Programs option, find iTunes, and click the Uninstall option to uninstall it from your computer.

For a Mac user, you just need to drag and drop iTunes.app to Trash on Application.

After the uninstallation, you can visit the Apple website, and download a brand new iTunes and install it. Then you can try to use iTunes to restore or upgrade your iPhone again to check whether this problem has been fixed.

Method 3. Fix unknown error 53 iTunes using TunesKit iOS System Recovery

TunesKit iOS System Recovery is a reliable tool for iOS users to fix iTunes error. It has a professional iTunes Repair feature and you can fix iTunes errors like iTunes error 53 and iTunes error 42408 for free.

In addition, it is a one-stop and professional iOS fixing program that can fix various iOS issues like the blue line on the iPhone screen, iPhone audio skipping, etc., within several steps without causing any data loss. What's more, though you know nothing about iOS fixing, you can easily use this program because of its concise interface.

Now, let's see the step-by-step editing tutorial about error 53 iTunes fix.

Step 1 Connect iPhone to your PC

Launch TunesKit iOS System Recovery on your computer. When all is done, you can select iTunes Repair (Windows) or Repair Sync Errors (Mac) to the next step.

Step 2 Detect iTunes errors

TunesKit iOS System Recovery will start checking your iTunes on your computer. Click the Repair button to fix your iTunes.

Step 3 Fix iTunes error 53

Wait a minute until the repair process ends. Click the Restart (Windows) or Done (Mac) button to apply the repair result.

Method 4. Update your iOS version

In fact, this issue will occur frequently on the devices that are still using the iOS version before iOS 9.3. This is mainly about the Touch ID sensor bugs in the Home button on iOS devices. After knowing this bug, Apple quickly released a new iOS version to resolve it. Hence, updating your iOS version should be an effective method. You can update your iOS version via Settings > General > Software Update.

Method 5. Reset all your iPhone settings

Reset all your iPhone settings is a possible method to resolve error code 53 iTunes. Different from factory reset, resetting all your iPhone settings won't erase your iPhone content. So you don't need to worry about your personal data, although all the customized settings will be restored. And the fault settings that may cause this error code will be recovered.

Here is how to reset your iPhone settings: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone> Reset all Settings > Enter your passcode to confirm the settings.

Method 6. Contact Apple Support

The above 5 methods are workable for error code 53 iTunes. If this error still appears after using these methods. You may consider if your iPhone has suffered a hardware glitch. You can ask for help from Apple Support by visiting App Store or iPhone repairing center, or you can contact Apple from the Apple website to have full service.

Part 4. FAQs about iTunes Error 53

Part 5. Summary

Now, you have learned the full guide in solving error code 53 iTunes, and you can solve it easily by yourself at home. Here, we recommend TunesKit iOS System Recovery to you. It is a one-size-fits-all program that aims at solving different iOS system issues without data loss.