How to Authorize A Computer on iTunes

Whatever you get from the iTunes store is DRM protected. DRM refers to Digital Rights Management which (in layman terms) enforces security to prevent piracy of the content. In a nutshell, only you (the one who downloaded/purchased the content) will be able to play it.

DRM protection is good enough but it comes with a problem of sharing the content across different platforms. So, it requires an additional authorization to verify the ownership. And, that’s the reason why you would need to Authorize a computer on iTunes if you did not realize earlier.

But, how to Authorize a computer on iTunes? How do you authorize a computer using iTunes on Mac? Is the procedure for a Windows-powered PC and Mac the same? Let us get to know on how to authorize a computer on iTunes by looking at the steps mentioned below.

What do you need to know before authorizing a computer on iTunes?

It can surely be said that the process is way too easy. However, authorizing a computer does come with certain limitations and things that you should know.

• Up to 5 Computers can be authorized
• You cannot authorize a different computer through iTunes (you have to log in via iTunes on the computer you want to authorize first)
• There is no option to authorize a computer using your iPhone or iPad. If any of the third party applications claim that, do ignore it!
• De-authorize the computer before re-installing Windows as it might count two computers to be authorized instead of one.

Note: The same steps apply whether you have iTunes installed on a Mac or a Windows-powered system.

Steps To Authorize A Computer on iTunes

1. Install iTunes on the computer you want to authorize and ensure that you have the latest version of iTunes running.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID if you have not already.
3. Now, you will observe an option “Account” on the main menu. Click on it to expand and check for several more options followed by.
   
4. You will have to then click on “Authorizations” (just hover the cursor above it) and you will find more options listed.
5. Simply, click on “Authorize This Computer“. You might be again asked to sign in with your Apple ID. After you are done, the computer is successfully authorized.

You may not get a message telling you of the confirmation but you can head back to the “Account” option and then click on “View My Account” to check your account information where the computers authorized would be mentioned as shown in the image below.

How many computers have you authorized via iTunes? Having trouble following this guide? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Ankush Das
Categories: Apple, Web
Tags: apple, iTunes, mac os, Windows