iPhone cannot be synced error 54
I was using iTunes to sync song albums to my iPhone until it said the
iPhone cannot be synced and an unknown error occurred (-54). I don’t know what’s
going on. Some one could tell me how can I fix it?
- Question from An Apple User

Transferring files from PC to iPhone is not so easy as you transfer files to an Android
phone. If you want to do it in Apple’s way, you could only sync files from
PC to iPhone with iTunes. Because the rule of iOS, sometimes you might have problems
when syncing iPhone. One of the problems is “An unknown error occurred (-54)” and then you
cannot sync iPhone. This could be annoying because Apple has given its only way for you to
transfer files from computer iPhone but it seems corrupt. This problem often happens on
Windows 10, but Microsoft does nothing to solve it.
When issues arise, you could also have the solutions. The following content would tell you
why the error 54 happens and how to fix it. Your files should always be successfully
synced.
Why iPhone cannot be synced and
what’s iTunes error 54?
Technically, the file security would be the reason if you make sure the connection is good.
Apple always keeps the files on iPhone complete and safe, so if iTunes find that some files
could be incomplete or unsecure, iTunes would stop transferring data and report error.
Therefore, every time you sync iPhone with iTunes, you should always keep the folder clean.
Do not add unnecessary files to it.

Solution 1: Consolidate media files
If you are syncing media files with iTunes, iTunes error 54 might happen for the location of
the files could be unclear. Your purchased content might be saved in different folder on PC.
The media files you are preparing to sync could be just the shortcuts.
To consolidate media files, you should go to File > Library > Consolidate
Files.

Consolidating media files could gather all the iTunes contents to one folder. You could
go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced to see the location. Don’t worry
about that the original files would be deleted because iTunes would just copy the files to
the destination. To save the space on computer, you might need to delete some files after
syncing. You could also backup iTunes library after consolidating media files.
Solution 2: Update iTunes to the
latest version
Your iTunes should be up to date to avoid system glitches. If you downloaded iTunes from
Microsoft Store, it would check update by itself every time you launch iTunes. If you
downloaded iTunes from Apple Support, you need to check update by yourself.
To update iTunes, you should go to Help > Check for Updates.

Solution 3: Grant permission to
iTunes
If iTunes doesn’t have the permission to read the folder, your iPhone cannot be synced and
error would happen. There are two ways to grand permission to iTunes.
First, you should unlock the folder or files. Find the folder or files you want to
sync > right-click it > select Properties > select Compatibility > uncheck Read
Only.

Then, you need to grand the administrator rights to iTunes. Right-click iTunes and
select Run as administrator.

Solution 4: Delete and then
download iTunes content again
If all the contents you want to sync are the purchased content from iTunes, you could
re-download them to solve syncing error 54. Make sure you have signed in your Apple ID and
follow the steps:
Go to account > Purchased (or family purchased) to select and download the music
and movies you have purchased.
After that, you should try sync your iPhone again.

Solution 5: Delete and then import
iTunes content again
If you want to sync the music or movies from other sources, you should reimport these files
to iTunes because they might have been modified.
Go to File > Add File to Library (or Add Folder to Library) or just simply drag
the folder to iTunes.

Solution 6: Sync a small number of
files every time
If there are just one or two songs stop you to sync iPhone, you should sync several files at
a time to see whether error 54 happens. If there is no error, you should add more files and
then sync iPhone with iTunes again until you sync all the files to iPhone or find the bad
files.
Use alternative to avoid errors
iTunes has too many limitations. If you want to freely transfer music or movies to from old
iPhone to new iPhone without downloading them again, you should use another professional
tool.
AOMEI MBackupper is a free iPhone backup
software. It could help you transfer all the media files or part of selected items to
another device without errors.
Preview all the songs and videos on iPhone and select the wanted ones
Transfer songs and videos to another iPhone including iPhone 4s/5/5s/6/6s/6 plus/6s
plus/SE/7/7 plus/8/8 plus/X/XS/XS Max/XR/11/ 11 Pro /11 Pro Max
Support transferring data to iPad and iPod Touch
Support the iOS 13
Step 1: Download AOMEI MBackupper for free. Connect old iPhone to computer with USB cable and tap “Trust”
on it.
Step 2: Select Custom Backup. Click the icon of Music or Vides to preview
and select the media files. After that, click OK to return to the home
screen.

Step 3: Click Start Backup on the home screen. Disconnect old iPhone and
then connect the new iPhone to AOMEI MBackupper.

Step 4: Select the task in Backup Management and select
Restore.

Conclusion
When you sync files from iTunes to iPhone, you might have the problem that iPhone cannot be
synced and an unknown error occurred (-54). This could be caused by that iTunes cannot read
the complete files. You should follow the solutions above to solve it.
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