I just authorized iTunes against a laptop and I was expecting it to be my third of five computers authorized on my iTunes account. But iTunes said it was the fourth.
How do I find out what machines are authorized against my account?
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6 Answers
Go to iTunes on a computer and select your Account (on the right hand side of the window towards the top once you are signed in). Select Manage Devices under iTunes in the Cloud. All computers in this list count against the 5 total computer authorizations each Apple ID can have.
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4Hmm. That list is completely wrong. It shows two Macs (should be three) -- neither of which are the new Mac I just added. An iPad and two iPhones. I thought iDevices didn't count, it was only computers. So as to where it's getting 4/5 from is still a mystery to me.– Ian C.Dec 28, 2012 at 3:16
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1Open a ticket with iTunes billing support if the information is outdated or incorrect. They can and should reset things if your account doesn't match what iTunes lists. The once a year reset does complicate things since some older computers could be authorized against the "last 5 slots" and not the "current 5 slots".– bmike ♦Dec 28, 2012 at 3:40
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1My list is empty. But apparently I have authorized five devices already since Home Sharing cannot be activated on my Mac.– gentmattDec 28, 2012 at 10:43
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1@IanC. What you describe matches my experience with a reset. Any computers and devices continue to work and cen re-auorize yet no longer show or enumerate on a list of user machines.– bmike ♦Dec 31, 2012 at 20:11
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1@grgarside. The Manage Devices screen you are showing is for associations not authorizations. Confusing, I know, but Apple defines these similar terms very differently. See my answer for clarification and a working solution to the original question. Nov 30, 2013 at 20:54
The question asks about computer Authorization. But some of the answers here confuse Authorization with Association. I'd like to clarify the terms first, using Apple's own definitions, then answer the question.
Authorization
Authorization refers to computers only. Authorizing a computer allows you to play media purchased from the iTunes Store with a specific Apple ID. In order to use apps, audiobooks, books, DRM-protected music, and movies on a computer it must be Authorized. Each Apple ID can authorize a maximum of 5 computers.
You can deauthorize each computer individually. If you've forgotten which computers you have authorized in the past, there is not a way to list all authorized computers. Apple only tells you the number that are authorized. However, once a year you can
Deauthorize Allcomputers from within your iTunes Store account settings.More information about Authorization can be found in this Apple Tech Note.
Association
Association allows you to download past iTunes purchases onto a different device. Apple calls this iTunes in the Cloud. In addition, association allows the use of Apple features such as iTunes Match and Automatic Downloads.
You can associate up to 10 devices with each Apple ID. By device Apple means an iOS gadget or an authorized computer. (Since every associated computer must also be authorized that limits you to 5 associated computers for these features.) So you can associate one computer and 9 other devices, or 5 computers and 5 other devices, but not 9 computers and 1 other device. You're limited to 5 computers.
There is a list of associated devices which can be found in the Account section if iTunes Store.
For more information on Association see this Apple Tech Note
So the only way to determine which computers are authorized is by trial and error: Deauthorize each computer you own in turn using Store > Deauthorize This Computer… within iTunes.
If after doing this the iTunes Store still says you have authorized computers, you only have one option: Use the Deauthorize All feature of iTunes Store, and then reauthorize the computers you own. But keep in mind, Apple only allows you to Deauthorize All once every twelve months.
Special note about about Association and Android phones.
Using Apple's own definition from the Support site.
You can't view a list of your associated devices or remove any of your associated devices using an Android phone, but Android phones do count against your ten-device limit.
More information about Authorization and Association can be found on the View and remove your associated devices in iTunes page.
answered Nov 30, 2013 at 19:58
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It looks like there is no way to see which specific computers are authorized; you can only see how many are authorized.
Per this Apple discussion thread, you will have to deauthorize all of them and reauthorize only the ones you want to be able to play.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3065517?start=0&tstart=0
I'm not sure if devices count toward this limit.
To see what computers are authorized you have to go to directly to the apple website (appleid.apple.com) and sign into your account. This is different from going to your account via the iTunes app itself.
On your account on the apple website, you will see all computers including Apple TV. When I did this, there were 2 authorized computers (that I had previously used) that showed up online but did not show up when I went through my iTunes app account.
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I see the exact same list of authorized devices in this web view as I do in iTunes. But this is definitely a prettier view of the authorized devices.– Ian C.May 24, 2018 at 0:46
the easiest way to do is first deauthorize all accounts , then authorize all computer as you wish :) according to https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204385#all
Deauthorize all computers
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If you need to deauthorize your computer but you can't access it,
you need to deauthorize all computers. This option is available after you authorize 2 computers using your Apple ID.
You can deauthorize all computers once per year.
You should deauthorize all computers if:
Your computer doesn't work anymore.
You sold or gave away a computer and didn't deauthorize it first.
To deauthorize all computers:
To automatically open iTunes and sign in to your Account Information page from your computer,
click this link: View My Account. Or follow these steps:
Open iTunes.
If you’re not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID.
From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or
at the top of the iTunes window, choose Account > View My Account.
Enter your password, then press the Return or Enter key on your keyboard,
or click View Account.
On the Account Information page:
Scroll to the Apple ID Summary section. To the right of Computer Authorizations, click Deauthorize All.
The Deauthorize All button appears only if you have more than 2 authorized computers.
If you don't see the Deauthorize All button, that means that you only have one authorized computer.
When you deauthorize all, you don't lose content
When you deauthorize a single computer, you don't lose content. The same applies to if you choose to deauthorize all computers.
You just won't be able to access the content that you bought from iTunes on those computers
until you reauthorize them. You need to have the computer to reauthorize it.
After you deauthorize
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Reauthorize each computer that you want to use with iTunes:
Open iTunes.
From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or
at the top of the iTunes window,
choose Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer.
Enter your Apple ID and password.
Click Authorize.
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2Welcome to Ask Different. We prefer you don't post link-only answers, even to an Apple site. Links can change over time and then your answer would lose all relevance. Please see How to Answer for tips on providing good, complete answers. - From Review– fsbMar 7, 2018 at 19:48
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Thank you for point me Sir, I will try to post like you advise later. Mar 8, 2018 at 4:17
Here is how to do it on macOS Catalina.
Open Music application, go to menu Account -> View my account, under the iTunes in the cloud section click Manage devices, from here you can remove old devices that you authorised earlier.
