My iMac Will Not Identify My iPod & My iPad

Power and Ports

Charge your iPod and iPad before you plug them into your computer. Although your iMac should recognize the devices even if they are not charged, iTunes can take up to 30 minutes to recognize the devices if they have little to no battery life. Your iMac may also have trouble finding the devices if they aren't plugged in directly. Modern iMacs come with four USB ports, so even if you use a USB mouse and keyboard, you can still plug your devices directly into the computer without using hubs or other external USB ports, which can interfere with your iMac's ability to sense the devices.

Restart your iMac. When it powers back on, if you receive a message that says software updates are available, follow the instructions on your screen to update that software. Try plugging in your devices one at a time after the updates finish. Launch the "Finder" application to see if your devices are visible there. If they are, but iTunes still does not recognize them, then iTunes is the problem and not your iMac or devices. To fix this, uninstall and reinstall iTunes.

Older Macs and older versions of the Mac operating system may not support peripheral devices such as the iPod and iPad. If you run any operating system prior to OS X Leopard, your software may be too outdated to be compatible with these devices.

Try restarting your iPod and iPad before plugging them in, and make sure your iMac is not in sleep mode when you connect them. Use only the cables included with your iPod and iPad to connect them to the iMac, and unplug any other USB or FireWire devices connected to the computer. An iMac will also not recognize either device if that device is frozen. For iPods, slide the "Hold" switch back and forth a few times, and then make sure it is in the "On" position. For iPads, simply make sure the device is powered on and not frozen. If your iMac and software all appear operational but it still does not recognize your devices, consult a licensed Apple repair specialist to resolve the problem.