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I have too many devices authorized, by some of them have crashed and are no longer in use, going back several years. How do I deauthorize non-fuctional devices so that I can authorize my current computer?

I have too many devices authorized, some of them have crashed and are no longer in use, going back several years. How do I deauthorize non-functional devices so that I can authorize my current computer?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Oct 17, 2021 2:20 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 17, 2021 2:22 PM

Use the "Deauthorize All" button in the second screenshot below in the instructions from Authorize or deauthorize your computer for iTunes Store purchases - Apple Support and then authorize any you still have and want to use:


See your authorized computers

To automatically sign in to your Account Information page from your computer, click here. Or follow these steps:

  1. On a Mac, open the Music app, Apple TV app, or Apple Books app. On a PC, open iTunes for Windows.
  2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
  3. In the menu bar on your Mac or PC, choose Account > View My Account.
  4. Sign in with your Apple ID.
  5. On the Account Information page, scroll to the Apple ID Summary section. You'll see the number of computers that you've authorized with your Apple ID. You can’t see the names of those computers. If you haven't authorized 2 or more computers, you won't see this section.

If the number of authorized computers listed is more than what you expect, you might not have deauthorized the computers that you no longer use, gave away, or sold. You need to deauthorize all of your computers and then authorize each one that you still use.

7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 17, 2021 2:22 PM in response to matthewfryejacobson1958

Use the "Deauthorize All" button in the second screenshot below in the instructions from Authorize or deauthorize your computer for iTunes Store purchases - Apple Support and then authorize any you still have and want to use:


See your authorized computers

To automatically sign in to your Account Information page from your computer, click here. Or follow these steps:

  1. On a Mac, open the Music app, Apple TV app, or Apple Books app. On a PC, open iTunes for Windows.
  2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
  3. In the menu bar on your Mac or PC, choose Account > View My Account.
  4. Sign in with your Apple ID.
  5. On the Account Information page, scroll to the Apple ID Summary section. You'll see the number of computers that you've authorized with your Apple ID. You can’t see the names of those computers. If you haven't authorized 2 or more computers, you won't see this section.

If the number of authorized computers listed is more than what you expect, you might not have deauthorized the computers that you no longer use, gave away, or sold. You need to deauthorize all of your computers and then authorize each one that you still use.

Oct 21, 2021 12:47 PM in response to FLFrank

See Authorization vs. association - Apple Community. You can see a list of associations, but not the authorizations. You can remove associations without having access to the device in question, but deauthorizations must either be preformed individually and locally, or remotely en masse. Presumably there was a logic to this choice when it was made back in 2003.


tt2

Oct 17, 2021 8:11 PM in response to matthewfryejacobson1958

Hi, I just went to "my account" then started reading and scrolling through it all...at the bottom, in fine print, you see options for managing various aspects of one's account. One of them says Manage Devices, click on that and you find all your registered devices, with a button next to each one with the option to "remove" that device. Then click on the DONE button at the bottom.

Oct 18, 2021 7:56 AM in response to allisonfromsan rafael

allisonfromsan rafael wrote:

Hi, I just went to "my account" then started reading and scrolling through it all...at the bottom, in fine print, you see options for managing various aspects of one's account. One of them says Manage Devices, click on that and you find all your registered devices, with a button next to each one with the option to "remove" that device. Then click on the DONE button at the bottom.

That is not the same thing as removing authorizations.

I have too many devices authorized, by some of them have crashed and are no longer in use, going back several years. How do I deauthorize non-fuctional devices so that I can authorize my current computer?

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