When you buy Apple Mac, you get tons of user-friendly apps pre-downloaded onto your desktop. These apps can help you surf the web, record audio, listen to music, and more.
However, there are over 2 million more apps to be found on the Apple app store, the second-largest app store in existence. That means that you can download any apps you have on your phone to your computer–and more! How do you download apps onto your Apple Mac? You’ve come to the right place to find out.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about downloading apps on your new Apple Mac.
Why You Should Always Use Apple’s App Store
Looking for an app that isn’t on Apple’s app store? It’s probably not worth it.
For starters, Apple products don’t make it easy to download applications that they have not approved for their own store. To do so, you have to “jailbreak” your device. While some people are tech-savvy enough to do so, most run the risk of permanently altering their devices in a bad way.
Second of all, it’s a lot simpler to just stick with the Apple app store. If you have other Apple products, you can use the same Apple ID that you already have for your phone or tablet. Plus, if you purchase a Mac in the future and sync it to your iCloud, you’ll be able to easily see which apps you had on your old Mac and redownload them quickly.
Finally, Apple doesn’t just put apps in their store willy-nilly. If an app has appeared in the Apple app store, it means that it has passed Apple’s rigorous app review process. Ultimately, those apps are compatible with your device and they are safe to use–whereas jailbroken apps could be riddled with viruses.
At the end of the day, with over two million apps to choose from, there’s no real need to look elsewhere.
Can You Download Apps to Your Apple Mac From Your iPhone?
When you sync up your phone with your Mac, you’ll notice that you can transfer just about all of your content from your phone onto your computer. That includes photos, contacts, music, and other data.
Does it include apps? Not exactly.
Your Mac is using different software from your iPhone, which means that in order to use apps on your Mac, you need to download the ones designed for Mac. That doesn’t mean you can’t download and login to your Instagram on your Mac–it just means that you’ll need to manually download the Instagram app from your Mac’s app store.
However, what you can do is use your Mac to look at the apps you have on your iPhone. You can even delete or move iPhone apps from your Mac. To do this, you will need to sync your phone and head to your Mac’s iTunes app to view the apps installed on your phone.
How to Download Apps to Your Mac
So, you can’t quite sync up your apps directly from your iPhone. The good news is that downloading apps onto your Mac is incredibly easy.
First, you need to locate and open your App Store. You’ll be able to find your App Store by looking at your Dock or Launch Pad, or by using the Spotlight Search.
Next, decide on the app you want to download. If you have an app in mind, you can search for it by name. If you have a general idea of what you’re looking for (ie “photo editor”) but not a specific app (ie “VSCO”), you can simply type in your keywords and look through a list of possible options. Alternatively, you can look at Apple’s “Featured” apps or browse by category to discover something new.
If an app is free of charge, you’ll see a button with the word “Get” next to the app’s icon, if you click on this button, it will turn green and give you the “Install” option.
The application costs money? you’ll see a button with the word “Buy” next to the app’s icon, if you click on this button, it will turn green and give you the “Buy App” option.
If you aren’t already logged in, clicking “Install” or “Buy App” will prompt you to log in with your Apple ID. Once you do, the app will automatically begin the installation. Within a matter of minutes or even seconds, the app will be ready to use.
Troubleshooting App Store Problems On an Apple Mac
Every once in a while, you may find that you can’t get an app to download. It could be that your device does not have the proper update required for that particular app to run. If this is the case, head to your settings to see if you have any available updates.
In some cases, you may get the message, “Mac cannot connect to App Store.” If this occurs, follow the link to find a simple fix to your problem so that you can get back to downloading new apps in no time!
Stick With the Apple App Store and Download Apps You’ll Love
One of the many reasons that Apple is such a popular company is that its app store grants users access to over two million apps. With our guide, you can download apps with ease and troubleshoot the problems that may come your way.
Apps are a great way to stay entertained and they’re only getting more popular with age. Looking for more ways that tech and entertainment collide? Take a look around for the latest in tech and entertainment and bookmark our page to stay up to date.
