Frequently Asked Questions on the Mac App Store

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Why are most of your applications not available in the Mac App Store?

Software sold by Apple through the Mac App Store underlies certain limitations with respect to content and technologies used. Such programs, called “Apps”, are restricted. For example, an application that is capable of accessing files of the operating system or of other users after entering an administrator password is too powerful to be an App, so it cannot be sold in the App Store.

It would not be in the interest of our customers to cripple our pro applications, so that they could be offered through the App Store.

I have lost one of your Apps. How can I get it back without having to pay again?

After you have purchased a license to use an App, you can download it as often as you like. Such downloads are free. Just navigate to the list of purchases shown for your account in the App Store application.

I like to use the App on more than one of my computers. Do I have to buy multiple licenses?

If you are a private consumer, the answer will be no. Licenses you purchased in the Mac App Store are valid for an unlimited number of computers that you own. So there is no need to buy more than one copy.

If you represent a company or other organization, a license bought via the App Store is valid for either one single computer or one single person using multiple computers. For details in this case, please click the link App License Agreement which is displayed on the page of each App in the App Store.

How I can purchase older versions of an App for older operating systems?

Most of our Apps are available in old versions which support operating systems down to Mac OS X 10.6.6. Unfortunately, Apple has shut down the App Stores of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. However, if you are using OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or later, and you have updated to the latest version of the App Store application available for your operating system, it won't be a problem to purchase an old version of our software:

1. Initiate a purchase of an App license.
2. When the App Store asks whether you like to download the last compatible version instead of the up-to-date version, confirm this.

Can I download a previous version of an App if I use an older operating system which is no longer supported by the up-to-date version of the App?

Yes, in this particular case, this won't be problem. If you are using OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or later, you only have to ensure that you are using the latest version of the App Store available for the old operating system:

1. Launch the App Store application.
2. Ensure you are logged in to the App Store with the Apple Account you had used when you purchased a license for the respective App from Apple.
3. Select the “Store > View my Account” menu item.
4. In the list of purchases, click on the cloud button next to the App you like to download.
5. Confirm that you like to download an old version compatible with your operating system.

Apple automatically selects the highest version compatible with your specific operating system. You cannot choose a version manually.

An App I have bought suddenly does not launch any longer. I am either told the App is damaged, or that it was bought for another computer. What now?

Due to an architectural design issue with the way Apple generates the technical license confirmations for Apps bought from the Mac App Store, most of such receipts for paid Apps will expire at a specific date and time. The last time this happened was

February 10, 2025, 12:18:14 a.m. UTC.

Most paid Apps purchased before but launched after this date, will expect that you re-confirm with Apple that you are a legitimate license holder. After you have specified the correct Apple Account and password matching your purchase, the App Store will re-issue your receipt and the App will start again. We have no influence on Apple's policy.

If you see a window like the following, just specify your App Store credentials used to purchase the App to resolve this problem. If you receive a message that the App is damaged, please see the next question.

Note: This is a regularly occuring issue. Previously, such problems occurred on

• February 9, 2023, 09:48:47 p.m. UTC,
  
• February 14, 2016, 06:56:35 p.m. UTC and
• November 11, 2015, 9:58:02 p.m.
  

macOS refuses to start an app because it is supposedly damaged. How can this happen?

In rare cases, you may receive an error message from macOS or the App Store stating that an app is damaged and needs to be downloaded again. The message depends on the macOS version you're using and looks similar to the following example:

The app itself is not responsible for the issue. It doesn't run in the first place because macOS blocks the start. Typically, technical errors in macOS, especially in the security component Gatekeeper, are to blame. Common causes for such issues include:

• A problem with Apple's security certificates stored in your macOS installation or communication failure with Apple's internet servers for checking revoked certificates via the protocol OCLP.
• The app was copied to an insecure or non-native storage medium, such as a file server or a storage card using a FAT file system.
• The app is started very early after logging in (e.g. as a user's Login Item) before all macOS security components are ready for operation.
• You are still using macOS 10.14.6 or an earlier version of macOS, OS X, or Mac OS X after January 24, 2025.
  

This list does not claim to be exhaustive, but you should check if any of these conditions apply. From our side, there is no way to prevent such system errors. Note that this case differs from other error messages where the app itself confirms to be damaged. Further information can be found in the next section.

After an update, the App itself tells me its resources are damaged. What can I do?

When you update an App from the App Store, it can sometimes happen that Apple's update installer destroys parts of the software. This can especially happen if you allow automatic updates for Apps which are supposed to run all time. Because we know of this problem, all our Apps contain a security feature to detect this type of damage. In this case, you'll see a warning message similar to one of these examples (“Warning: The resources of this application have been damaged.” or “Warning: This App has been partially damaged.”):

If the App Store application has destroyed the App, please use the following instructions to resolve this problem. All documents and settings of the App will remain intact:

1. Quit the App in case it is still running.
2. Locate the icon of the App in the Finder and drag this icon to the Trash.
3. Open the App Store application and go to the section “Purchases”. You may need to identify as the user who has originally purchased the App, using your Apple Account and password.
4. Locate the damaged App in your list of purchases.
5. Press the Download button for this App in the list to initiate a new download. The download is free. A fresh copy of the App will be installed on your system, avoiding the update mechanism of macOS which has damaged the App before.

The App should now work fine. If you still experience the same problem, your computer should be checked by a service technician.

Can I copy an App to a computer which is not connected to the Internet?

You can copy the App, but it won't work. All paid Apps require an Internet connection the first time they are started on a different computer. Apple verifies if you are the legitimate user of that App.
As of summer 2024, an Internet connection may always be required, not only for the first launch.

Can you help me if placing an order or downloading an App is not working?

Unfortunately, no. Apps are sold by Apple. It is neither legally, nor technically possible to give you any direct support regarding issues with the App Store or unlocking Apps with your Apple Account.

Who should I contact if I experience problems with the Mac App Store?

Open the App Store application and click on the item Support. It will direct you to a web page which can be used to contact the App Store. Note that there are actually five different App Stores, depending on country. The following companies are the actual vendors responsible for the transactions: