Authorizing Your MacBook for iTunes: Easy Steps

Over 78 million active iTunes users access Apple’s massive library of music, movies, and more every single day. Unfortunately, nearly 23% of new Macbook owners report issues getting set up with iTunes for the first time. Don’t get left in the dark! Our quick guide will have you rocking out to your tunes library in no time.

What Is iTunes Authorization Anyway?

iTunes authorization links your Apple ID to a specific device, allowing you to access media purchased through your account. It acts as a DRM (digital rights management) protection. You can authorize up to 5 computers and an unlimited number of iOS devices to the same Apple ID simultaneously. This means you can play your purchased content on any of these authorized computers, but not beyond this limit. 

How To Authorize iTunes on a Mac

Let’s break down iTunes authorization step-by-step so you don’t have to put up with common issues.

Open iTunes or Music App:

If your Mac runs macOS Catalina or later, you’ll use the Music app. However, for earlier versions of macOS, use iTunes.

Sign In to Your Apple ID:

In the Music app (or iTunes), click on “Account” in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Select “Sign In” from the dropdown menu. Enter your Apple ID and password. If you don’t have an Apple ID, you’ll need to create one.

Navigate to the Authorization Option:

Once signed in, go back to the “Account” menu. Hover over “Authorizations” in the dropdown menu to reveal a submenu.

Authorize This Computer:

In the “Authorizations” submenu, select “Authorize This Computer”. A dialog box will appear, prompting you for your Apple ID password.

Enter Your Password:

Enter the password associated with your Apple ID. Click on the “Authorize” button again.

Confirmation of Authorization:

After clicking “Authorize”, your computer will be authorized to access music, movies, and other content purchased with your Apple ID. A confirmation message should appear, indicating that the authorization was successful.

Check Authorization Status:

If you want to see your authorized devices, you can go back to “Account” > “View My Account” and sign in. In the “Apple ID Summary” section, it will show the number of computers authorized with your Apple ID. But what you should keep in mind is that while this option shows the number of authorized computers, it does not list them by name or provide detailed information about each device.

How To Fix iTunes Authorization Error Codes

If you are encountering iTunes authorization error codes, common error codes like 6, 10, 16, and others may appear. Here are some general tips that you can follow: 

• Check Your Apple ID and ensure you’re using the correct Apple ID.
• Update iTunes and make sure you have the latest version of iTunes.
• Deauthorize other devices if the limit is reached. But if that’s not the case then try deauthorizing and reauthorizing again.
• Verify your internet connection is stable.
• For very specific error codes, look up Apple’s support website for more targeted solutions.

How to Deauthorize iTunes on a Mac 

Deauthorizing iTunes on a Mac is a simple process as well – people often use it in case of reaching the limit of authorized devices, or if they plan to sell, give away, or stop using a Mac. Here’s how you can do it:

• Start by launching iTunes on your Mac and make sure you are signed in with your Apple ID. You can check this by going to the “Account” menu at the top of the iTunes window.
• Navigate to Account Authorization in the iTunes menu bar, click on “Account”, then hover over “Authorizations”. A submenu will appear.
• In the “Authorizations” submenu, select “Deauthorize This Computer”. This will prompt you to confirm your Apple ID and password.
• Finally, enter your Apple ID and password, then click “Deauthorize” to confirm. This action will remove the authorization from your Mac, meaning it no longer counts against your limit of five authorized computers.

How to Deauthorize All Devices

Deauthorizing all devices associated with your Apple ID can be necessary in several situations, such as if you’ve sold or lost a device, or if you’ve reached your authorization limit and are unsure which computers you’ve authorized. But remember that you can only do this once a year. Here’s what you can do:

• Open iTunes and access your account by clicking on the “Account” menu at the top of the screen and choosing “View My Account”. You might need to sign in with your Apple ID.

• Find the Authorization section and scroll down to the “Apple ID Summary” section of your account page.
• In the “Computer Authorizations” section, if you have more than one computer authorized, you’ll see an option to “Deauthorize All”. Click this option.

• Finally, you will be asked to confirm that you want to deauthorize all computers. Click “Deauthorize All” to confirm.
• After this, if you want to use iTunes content on any of your computers, you’ll need to reauthorize them individually.