Error 1004: Unable to Download from the App Store / iTunes

Trying to work with the App Store on your Mac or with iTunes and your iDevice (iPhone, iPad, or iPod) but keep seeing error 1004 and need help? Seeing a message to please try again later, an unknown error occurred, or unable to download?

Several people have reported that they receive the error 1004 (error message: Error 1004, try again later) message when they want to download apps from the App Store.

How Do I Fix App Store Error 1004 When Using iTunes and My iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch?

To troubleshoot this problem please follow each tip until you resolve this issue:

1. Quit iTunes, unplug your device, then relaunch iTunes and plug your device back into the computer
   1. Try using a different cable, if available or a different port, if available
2. Restart BOTH the device and the computer and try again
3. Check for an iOS Update, if available back up your data via iTunes or iCloud and then update the iOS 
4. Temporarily disable any antivirus apps on your device, such as Norton, McAfee, Avira, and so forth
5. Open the App Store > Updates Tab
   1. Check if any apps are listed as Resume or Waiting. If so, tap them to restart the updating process  
6. Reset your network settings by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings 
7. Try logging and log back into the Apple store
   1. To do so, go to Settings > iTunes & App Store > Tap your Apple ID > Sign Out 
   2. Once you sign out, then sign in entering your Apple ID and password
8. Some people have reported that clearing Safari’s data and history fixes this problem
   1. To this, simply tap Settings > Safari 
   2. Scroll down to Clear History and Website Data and tap it 
   3. Confirm you want to Clear History and Data
   4. Back in Settings > Safari, scroll down to Advanced at the bottom and tap it
   5. Choose Website Data 
   6. After data populates, select Remove All Website Data
   7. Confirm the selection by tapping Remove Now 
   8. Close the Settings App
   9. Restart your device (iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch)

How Do I Fix App Store Error 1004 on My Mac or MacBook?

• Update your macOS or Mac OS X–make sure you back up your Data first and then update 
• Temporarily disable any antivirus software
• Look for Apps that need to Resume installing or downloading
  • Hold the Option Key and then tap on the Resume button–this cancels the update
  • Then try to update or download/install the app again from the App Store

Isolate Some App Store User Files

1. Quit the App Store
2. Open the Finder
3. From the Top Finder Menu choose Go > Go to Folder 
4. Type in this text (or copy/paste) ~/Library/Cookies 
5. Choose Go
6. Locate the file com.apple.appstore.cookies or com.apple.appstore.binarycookies in the Cookies folder
7. Isolate this file by moving it to the Desktop, Trash, or another folder you’ll remember
8. Go back to the Top Finder Menu and choose Go > Go to Folder 
9. Type in this text (or copy/paste) ~/Library/Preferences
10. Click Go
11. Locate and then isolate the file com.apple.appstore.plist from the Preferences
12. Close open windows and apps
13. Try the App Store again

How Do I Fix App Store Error 1004 on My Windows PC?

• Shut down your computer completely and then restart
• Repair iTunes
  • Locate and then right-click the iTunes installer iTunesSetup or iTunes6464Setup—and choose “Run as administrator.”
  • You see a prompt to repair the software
  • After the repair is complete, restart your computer and try launching iTunes again
  • If you can’t locate the iTunes installer, Download the latest iTunes from Apple’s website, then click Download to download the iTunes installer. When prompted, click Save instead of Run and repeat the above steps
• Try running the feature Run Diagnostics from the iTunes Help menu
• View Network Connections
  • On your PC, click Start, then click Control Panel
  • Click Internet Connections
  • Right-click the network interface you want to enable, then choose Enable
  • Click Start, then click Turn Off Computer
  • Click Restart
• Clear DNS Cache
  • On your PC, click Start, then choose Run
  • In the dialog that appears, type “cmd” (don’t type the quotes), then click OK
  • After the DOS prompt (C:\), type “ipconfig /flushdns” (without the quotes) and press Enter. Make sure you enter a single blank space after “ipconfig”

Note: Errors 1004, 1013, 1638, 3194 are results of similar problems; this fix may work for these error messages also.

Sudz Kar

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.