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If I buy an app on through the Mac App Store, can I install it on both of my Macs?

I use the same iTunes account on both of them.

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5 Answers

up vote 21 down vote accepted

Yes. Just run the App Store app on the second Mac and go to the Purchases tab. You'll see a list of the apps you've already purchased, with an Install button next to each one - click the button to install on the second Mac.

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According to the current terms of sale, you get 10 devices up to 5 of which can be computers per store account. apple.com/legal/itunes/us/terms.html#SERVICE – bmike♦ Jun 23 '11 at 23:13
@bmike Your link currently points to the iTunes Terms and Conditions. The Mac App Store Terms and Conditions are a bit further down the page: apple.com/legal/itunes/us/terms.html#APPS – Rich Sep 19 '11 at 9:27
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Indeed - I'm also rethinking whether the 10/5 limitation even applies to app store purchases. My science training serves me poorly when reading lawyerly documents. Figuring what parts are included from the common wording and what is excluded is far from clear, the more I look at it. :-( – bmike♦ Sep 19 '11 at 16:14
up vote 5 down vote

There is no numerical limit, and you don't need to run App Store on every Mac. The App Store's own online Help document explains all this -- from App Store, open Help, then select Purchase Applications>Use Applications on Multiple Macs for details.

The only restriction on this is if your purchase was for commercial use and more than one person uses the apps. In that case the language of the license asks for one purchase per user or one purchase per computer.

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There is currently a limit of 5 computers for running licensed software per store account. – bmike♦ Jun 23 '11 at 23:14
Yes. For computer limit check Apple Support Community 'As many as you like...'. – user13755 Nov 16 '11 at 17:53
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Hmm, where did you find out about this limit? The online help makes no mention of such a restriction, it just says "After you purchase an application, you can install it free of charge on every Mac you own". I know iTunes has such a limit, but I can find no evidence of it for App Store. – scottishwildcat Nov 16 '11 at 23:50
I should delete that comment - there is clearly no wording in the license agreement limiting Mac OS X to a set number of computers. Either I was dreaming/in error or it was a short lived restriction. – bmike♦ Nov 17 '11 at 2:33
up vote 3 down vote

Yes, you can install apps bought from the Mac App Store on any and every Mac that you personally own and use.

I suggest you read this article about mac app-store

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up vote 3 down vote

You can in fact do this. There may be a limit to the number of devices similar to how iTunes limits you to 5 "authorized" computers. I'm not sure though. The concept is that the computers you install them on are supposed to be your own, but the truth is there is not literally any verification process to determine this. Fortunately, Apple never makes you jump through annoying anti-piracy hoops. I know this because I have Mac App Store apps on 2 computers in my house.

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up vote -1 down vote

No, you cannot. According to my research in the field, it is not allowed, except in North Korea.

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Looks like you missed April 1st by two weeks :-) – patrix♦ Apr 15 at 11:49

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