The following questions about Bonjour are discussed in the following post: what it is and what it is for, whether this program can be uninstalled, cómo descargar e instalar Bonjour (if required, qué puede suceder repentinamente después de la desinstalación).
¿Qué es el programa Bonjour en Windows, detectado en los “Programs and components” de Windows y como un Servicio Bonjour (O “Servicio Bonjour”) en los servicios o como mDNSResponder.exe en los procesos, los usuarios preguntan una y otra vez, recordando la mayoría de ellos que nunca han instalado nada parecido.
Recuerdo la primera vez que tuve Bonjour en mi computadora, no podía averiguar de dónde venía y qué era, debido a que siempre tuve mucho cuidado con lo que instalé (and what people tried to install for me).
First, No need to worry: Bonjour is not a virus or anything like that, otherwise, as Wikipedia tells us (and it really is), a software module for the automatic detection of services and benefits (more concretely, devices and computers on the local network) used in the latest versions of Apple OS X, an implementation of the Zeroconf network protocol. But here remains the question what does this program do in Windows and where does it come from?.
What is the Bonjour program in Windows for and where does it come from??
Apple's Bonjour software and related services generally arrive on your computer when you install the following products:
- Apple iTunes for Windows
- Apple iCloud para Windows
In other words, if you have installed any of the above on your computer, the program in question will also appear automatically in Windows.
Having said this, if I'm not mistaken, this program was also distributed in its day with other Apple products (I think I first encountered it a few years ago, after installing QuickTime, but Bonjour is no longer included, This program is also included with the Safari browser for Windows., now not supported).
What is it for and what does Apple Bonjour do?:
- iTunes uses Bonjour to search for shared music (share at home), AirPort devices and work with Apple TV.
- Additional apps listed in Apple Help (which has not been updated on this topic for a long time, https://support.apple.com/ru-ru/HT2250) include: Network Printer Discovery Supported Bonjour Alerts and Bonjour Discovery Supported Network Device Web Interfaces (as a plugin for IE and as a feature in Safari).
- At the same time, used in Adobe Creative Suite 3 to detect “network asset management services”. I don't know if the current versions of Adobe CC are used and what it means “Network asset management services” in this context, I guess it means NAS or Adobe Version Cue.
I will try to explain everything described in the second paragraph (I can't vouch for the accuracy). as far as i can understand, Bonjour, using the Zeroconf Cross-Platform Network Protocol (mDNS) instead of NetBIOS, detects LAN network devices that support this protocol.
This, at the same time, makes it easier to get into them and, when using the plugin in a browser, speeds up access to router settings, printers and other web-enabled devices. How exactly is this implemented: I haven't seen it (from the information i found, all devices and computers in Zeroconf are available in network_name.local instead of IP address, and the plugins probably somehow automate the search and selection of these devices).
Can Bonjour be uninstalled and how to do it?
Yes, you can delete Bonjour from your computer. Will it still work as before? If you do not use the functions mentioned above (share music online, Apple TV), it will. Possible problems will be that iTunes notifies you that Bonjour is left, but regularly all functions commonly used by users will still work, In other words, you can copy music, back up your apple device.
One controversial issue is whether syncing iPhone and iPad with iTunes over Wi-Fi will work.. I can't check here, Unfortunately, and the information I found varies: some of the info says that bonjour is not needed for this, another says if there are issues with iTunes syncing over Wi-Fi, so Bonjour must be installed first. The second option seems more likely.
Now let's see how to uninstall Bonjour, like any other windows program:
- Go to Control Panel – Programs and components.
- Select Bonjour and click “Uninstall”.
One thing to pay attention here: if Apple Software Update updates iTunes or iCloud on your computer, you will have Bonjour installed again during the upgrade.
Note: You may have Bonjour installed on your computer, it is feasible that you have never owned an iPhone, iPad or iPod, and you may not be using Apple software on your computer. In this circumstance, we can take care that this software came to you accidentally (as an example, installed by a friend of a child or a similar situation) and if you don't need it, just remove all apple programs in “Programs and characteristics”.
How to download and install Bonjour
In situations where you uninstalled Bonjour and later discovered that the component is required for features you've been using in iTunes, on your Apple TV or to print to airport-connected printers, you can use one of the following options to reinstall Bonjour:
- Desinstale iTunes (iCloud) and install it again by downloading it from the official https web portal://support.apple.com/ru-ru/HT201352. Also you can only install iCloud if you have iTunes installed and vice versa (In other words, if only one of these programs is installed).
- You can download the iTunes or iCloud installer from Apple official web portal and then unzip this installer, as an example, using WinRAR (right click on the installer – “Open in WinRAR”. Inside the file you will find Bonjour.msi or Bonjourmsi which is a standalone Bonjour installer that you can use for installation.
This completes the task of explaining what Bonjour is on a Windows computer.. But if you have any doubt, feel free to do it and i will try to answer it.
