App Store Help

Before using App Store

To use App Store, you need:

An Internet connection: You can use Ethernet or Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet.
An Apple ID: To make purchases, you need to sign in to App Store using an Apple ID.

If you already have an iTunes Store account, a MobileMe account, or another Apple account, you can use that Apple ID. If you don’t have an Apple ID, you can create one.

Although anybody who logs in to your Mac can browse available applications, only an administrator can purchase, download, and install applications.

Sign in and out

When you’re ready to buy an application, you need to sign in to App Store using an Apple ID.

If you already have an iTunes Store account, a MobileMe account, or another Apple account, you can use that Apple ID. If you don’t already have an Apple ID, you can create one in App Store.

To sign in if you have an Apple ID:

Choose Store > Sign In, or click Sign In in the Quick Links section.
Enter your Apple ID and password, and then click Sign In.

To sign in if you don’t have an Apple ID:

Choose Store > Create Account.
Choose Store > Sign In or click Sign In in the Quick Links section, and then click Create Apple ID.
Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new Apple ID.
Choose Store > Sign In or click Sign In in the Quick Links section.
Enter the new Apple ID and password, and then click Sign In.

To sign out:
When you are finished using App Store, you can sign out to prevent anyone who can access your computer from making purchases using your Apple ID.

Choose Store > Sign Out.
Choose Store > View Account, and then click Sign Out.

To determine the currently active Apple ID:

Choose Store > View My Account, or click Welcome in the Quick Links section.

Accessibility

The following App Store features provide solutions for people with disabilities:

VoiceOver: You can use VoiceOver, a screen reader included with Mac OS X.
Keyboard shortcuts: You can use the keyboard to perform many tasks.

Search and browse

If you want to explore the applications you can download, there are several ways to browse. But if you’re looking for a specific application or kind of application, use search to find it quickly.

To browse:
Click a button in the toolbar.

Featured: Browse new and noteworthy applications.
Top Charts: Browse the most popular applications.
Categories: Browse applications in specific categories, such as photography. (You can browse applications in a particular category by choosing an item from the All Categories pop-up menu in the Quick Links section.)
Purchases: Browse applications you’ve purchased.
Updates: Browse updates to applications you’ve installed on your Mac.

To search:

Type text in the search field at the top right of the App Store window, and then choose an item from the pop-up list or press Return to display results.

Learn about applications

App Store helps you learn about an application’s features and requirements, and shows you customer ratings and reviews.

App Store displays a special rating that helps you understand whether an application may be inappropriate for children of a certain age. For example, “Rated 17+” tells you that the application may not be suitable for children under the age of 17. You can use ratings to set up parental controls to limit the App Store applications your children can use.

Buy, download, and install applications

You use an Apple ID to purchase applications and download them to your Mac.

After downloading, applications are automatically installed in the Applications folder, and application icons appear in your Dock.

To buy, download, and install an application:

If you want to make a purchase using an iTunes gift card or other iTunes credit, click Redeem in the Quick Links section.
Find the application in App Store.
Click the application’s icon or name, and then click Buy (click Free for free applications).
If you’re not logged in to the computer as an administrator, enter an administrator’s name and password.
If you’re not signed in to App Store, enter your Apple ID and password, and then click Sign In.
If requested, click Billing Info to enter or verify your billing information.
Click Done to download and install the application.

After downloading begins, the application’s icon and a progress indicator appear in the Dock.

To pause, resume, or cancel an application download:

Control-click the application icon in the Dock, and then pause, resume, or cancel the download by choosing an item in the pop-up menu.
Click the Purchases button in the toolbar, find the application in the list, and then pause, resume, or cancel the download.

If a download is interrupted because you lose your Internet connection or quit App Store, App Store starts the download again when the Internet connection is restored or the next time you open App Store.

View and manage your purchases

You can display a list of applications purchased using App Store. The list tells you the date of an application’s purchase, and lets you manage an application’s download status.

To learn about applications purchased using App Store:

Click the Purchases button in the toolbar.

For any application in the list, you can:

Pause, resume, or cancel a download.
Download and install an update to an installed application.
Download and install an App Store application purchased on another Mac using the Apple ID currently signed in.

Use applications on multiple Mac

After you purchase an application, you can install it free of charge on every Mac you use.

Here are ways to install a purchased application on another Mac:

On the other Mac, find the application in App Store, click Buy or Free, and then provide the Apple ID you used to purchase the application.
Copy the application from one Mac to another Mac. When you open the copied application on the other Mac, enter the Apple ID used to purchase it.
Open App Store on the other Mac, and then log in using the Apple ID used to make the purchase.

Click Purchases in the toolbar to list applications purchased. Any application that has an INSTALL option was purchased using the Apple ID, but not installed on the Mac you’re using. You can download and install the application on the Mac.

Update applications

App Store keeps track of updates for the applications you’ve purchased. The Updates button in the toolbar shows the total number of application updates available for downloading.

The number of updates is also displayed on the App Store icon in the Dock.

To manage application updates:

Click Updates in the toolbar.

For updates in the list, you can:

Download and install all of the updates at once, or download and install a specific update.
Pause, resume, or cancel a download.

Provide feedback for an application

You can review any application you’ve downloaded. You can also post a concern about another person’s review.

To provide feedback for a downloaded application:

Click the application’s icon or name to display information about it.

Do any of the following:

Rate the application by clicking one of the stars next to “Rate this application.”
Submit a review of the application by clicking “Write a Review.”

To report a concern about an existing review:

Click “Report a Concern” next to the review you’re concerned about.

Review and change your Apple ID settings

You can review and change billing information, the password, and other settings associated with an Apple ID at any time.

To access your Apple ID settings:

Click Account in the Quick Links section.
Enter the Apple ID and password for the settings you want to work with.
Click View Account, and then use the links to review and edit your settings.

Use parental controls

Use the Parental Controls pane of system preferences to control access to App store or to installed App Store applications. This is helpful if you are a parent and you want to ensure that your children use only applications that are simple or appropriate to their age.

To limit a user’s access to App Store or to installed App Store applications, you must first turn on parental controls for the user’s account.

To turn on parental controls for a user:

If the user account already exists, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Parental Controls, click the lock if it’s not unlocked, and then enter an administrator’s name and password.

Select the account, and then click Enable Parental Controls.

If the user account needs to be created, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accounts, click the lock if it’s not unlocked, and then enter an administrator name and password.

Click the Add button (+) below the list of users, choose “Managed with Parental Controls” from the New Account pop-up menu, enter name and password information, and then click Create Account.

To restrict the installed App Store applications a user can open:

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Parental Controls.
Click the lock if it’s not unlocked, enter an administrator name and password, select an account in the list of accounts, and then click Apps.

Select Limit Applications, and then choose an option from the Allow App Store Apps pop-up menu:

Don’t allow: Choose this option to prevent opening of any applications purchased from the App Store.
Numerical ratings: Choose “up to 4+” or another numerical option to restrict application access based on App Store application ratings. For example, an application rated 4+ contains nonobjectionable material, but an application rated 9+ may not be suitable for children under the age of 9. If you choose “up to 9+,” the user can open applications rated 9+ and lower.

All: Choose this option to allow opening all applications purchased using App Store.

To control a user’s access to App Store:

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Parental Controls.
Click the lock if it’s not unlocked, enter an administrator name and password, select an account in the list of accounts, and then click Apps.
Select Limit Applications.

In the Allowed Apps list, click the Other Apps arrow to display a list of applications, and then do one of the following:

Select App Store to let the user open App Store.
Deselect App Store to prevent the user from opening App Store.

If you have trouble

If you’re having trouble using App Store, try these solutions:

If you see a message that your computer can’t connect to App Store, make sure your Internet connection is working. If you can open a web browser and view a website, there may be a problem with the store. Try using App Store again later.
Make sure your computer’s date, time, and time zone are set correctly in Date & Time preferences. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Date & Time.
Make sure your Apple ID information is accurate and that you don’t need to correct a problem with a previous purchase. To verify your Apple ID information and review your purchase history, choose Store > View My Account or click Account in the Quick Links section.

Keyboard shortcuts

You can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly accomplish many actions in App Store. To find shortcuts for common commands, look in the menus or use the table below as a reference.

App Store menu shortcuts
Hide the App Store window - Command+H
Hide all other applications - Option-Command+H
Quit App Store - Command+Q

Edit menu shortcuts
Undo your last typing change - Command+Z
Redo your last undo operation - Command+Shift+Z
Cut the selected items - Command+X
Copy the selected items - Command+C
Paste the selected items - Command+V
Select everything - Command+A
Enter special characters - Option+Command+T

Store menu shortcuts
Go to the previous page - Command-Left bracket ([)
Go to the next page - Command-Right bracket (])
Refresh the current page - Command+R
Search for an application - Command+F

Window menu shortcuts
Close the App Store window - Command+W
Put the App Store window in the Dock - Command+M