Introduced in 2010, the Mac App Store is Apple's digital software distribution platform for OS X applications that run on Mac machines.
The Mac App Store offers a wide range of games and apps from both Apple and third-party developers. It is also used to distribute new versions of OS X, security fixes, and firmware updates, along with updates to stock Apple apps like Safari. While developers have the option to offer apps through the Mac App Store, Mac apps can also be installed outside of the Mac App Store through traditional downloads.
Apps installed through the Mac App Store typically offer greater security as they have been vetted by Apple and are free from malicious code.
Mac App Store
By MacRumors Staff
Mac App Store Articles
Assassin's Creed Shadows Launches for Mac
Assassin's Creed Shadows is available for download on the Mac as of today, and it is the first Assassin's Creed title that is launching for Mac at the same time that it is launching on PlayStation 5, Windows machines, and the Xbox.
Set in 16th century Japan, Assassin's Creed Shadows is part of the main Assassin's Creed gaming lineup, and it is the successor to Assassin's Creed Mirage. The...
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Assassin's Creed Shadows Coming to Mac on March 20
Assassins's Creed Shadows is set to be released for the Mac on Thursday, March 20, Apple announced today. The game will launch on Mac at the same time as it is released for PlayStation 5, Windows machines, and the Xbox.
Ubisoft first announced plans to bring the game to the Mac in May 2024, and at that time, it was supposed to be released in November. The game has been delayed multiple times ...
Microsoft Launches Copilot App for Mac
Microsoft today introduced a new Copilot app designed for Macs, letting Copilot users access the AI companion with a native macOS app.
Copilot is Microsoft's generative AI product, built on OpenAI technology. Copilot is similar to ChatGPT, and users can have questions answered, get coding help, upload images for context, generate images and text, summarize content, conduct research, launch...
Mac App Store Stops Working on Older macOS Versions
Mac users running macOS Mojave (10.14) and earlier versions are reporting widespread issues accessing the Mac App Store, with many unable to sign in or download previously purchased apps.
Based on reports compiled by Michael Tsai, the problems appear to have emerged around January 24, 2025, coinciding with Apple making changes to Mac App Store receipts. Users attempting to access the store...
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Launches on Mac App Store
Popular Ubisoft game Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is available for download from the Mac App Store as of today, allowing Mac users to play the title for the first time since its January 2024 launch.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is an action adventure game that joins a long list of other Prince of Persia titles that are based on Persian mythology. Players take on the role of Sargon, a ...
Mac App Store and Apple Books Experiencing Outage [Update: Fixed]
The Mac App Store and the Apple Books are both having issues at this time, according to Apple's System Status page. There are no specific details on what the outage entails, as Apple only says that some users are experiencing a problem with the services.
Apple says that the outages started at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time. Only some users are affected, so not all users will see problems with the M...
macOS 15 No Longer Needs Twice the Free Space for App Store Installs
Starting with macOS Sequoia, app downloads and installations from the Mac App Store will no longer require double the amount of local storage space available. Instead, the free space requirement now matches the final install size of the app, plus a small buffer, according to Apple.
The new space requirement in macOS 15 should significantly benefit users who download large games. Currently in ...
Apple Launches Sale on Mac App Store Games
Several popular Mac App Store games are on sale for the next week, with discounts of up to 75 percent off available. Valheim, Death Stranding Director's Cut, and Inscryption are all half price, with several other titles also on sale at even lower prices.
Valheim - $9.99, down from $19.99
Death Stranding Director's Cut - $19.99, down from $39.99
Inscryption - $9.99, down from $19.99
...
Steam Link Launches on macOS, Enabling Game Streaming to Mac
Steam Link, which allows users to stream Steam games from a computer to another device, has officially launched on the Mac App Store.
Steam users have been able to stream games from within the Steam Mac app for sometime. However, with the availability of Steam Link on macOS, users now have the option of choosing a lightweight download (29.8MB) to stream games to their Mac, rather than having ...
Today Marks the 10th Anniversary of the Mac App Store
While the App Store launched on the iPhone in July 2008, the Mac App Store did not become available until January 6, 2011, when Apple released Mac OS X Snow Leopard version 10.6.6. Accordingly, today marks the 10th anniversary of the Mac App Store.
Apple announced that the Mac App Store was "open for business" in a press release timed with the launch. "With more than 1,000 apps, the Mac App...
Apple Backtracks After Popular Mac App 'Amphetamine' Threatened With Removal Over Branding
Popular Mac app "Amphetamine" will remain on the Mac App Store after reportedly being threatened with removal over its name and branding, which Apple had said breached App Store guidelines.
Amphetamine is a free Mac app that helps users to keep their machine awake for a set amount of time. Launched in 2014, the app has been downloaded over 432,000 times and is highly rated on the Mac App...
Apple Highlights Popular Apps Optimized for M1 Macs
Apple recently shared a list of popular apps optimized for Macs with the M1 chip that are available in the Mac App Store, such as Pixelmator Pro, Adobe Lightroom, Affinity Designer, Darkroom, Fantastical, BBEdit, Instapaper, and Twitter.
"Macs with the new Apple M1 chip offer unprecedented performance, and developers can optimize their apps for the M1 to deliver game-changing speed and...
Malware Injected Into Xcode Projects Could Infiltrate Mac App Store
Last week, we reported on a severe new kind of Mac malware that has been found to infect via Xcode, discovered by security researchers at Trend Micro.
In an exclusive interview with MacRumors, the security researchers behind the discovery, Oleksandr Shatkivskyi and Vlad Felenuik, have provided more information about their research.
The malware, which is part of the XCSSET family, is "an ...
Apple Explains BlueMail Reinstatement, Says BlueMail Finally Complied With Gatekeeper Security Requirements
Last week, BlueMail co-founders Ben Volach and Dan Volach penned an open letter that encouraged any developers who feel that Apple kicked them out of the App Store or has treated them unfairly to share their stories.
BlueMail itself was removed from the Mac App Store in June 2019 after Apple found the app to be in violation of several App Store Review Guidelines, but the Volach brothers...
BlueMail Returns to Mac App Store, Developers Still Suing Apple Over Anticompetitive Behavior [Updated]
Back in October, the developers behind email app BlueMail sued Apple, alleging that the "Hide My Email" feature of "Sign in with Apple" infringes on its patented technology. The complaint also accuses Apple of anticompetitive behavior, including removing BlueMail from the Mac App Store.
Last week, after months of making little to no progress with Apple towards having its Mac app reinstated,...
Apple Asks Devs to Submit macOS Catalina Apps to Mac App Store, Reminds About Notarization Requirements
Ahead of the launch of macOS Catalina, which Apple says will "soon be available," Apple is asking developers to submit Mac apps compatible with Catalina to the Mac App Store.
Apple encourages developers to take advantage of macOS Catalina technologies like Sign in with Apple, Sidecar, Core ML 3, and Metal. Apple also highlights Mac Catalyst, designed to bring iPad apps to the Mac.
macOS...
Adobe Lightroom Returns to the Mac App Store
At WWDC 2018, Apple introduced a redesigned Mac App Store alongside changes to sandboxing parameters on macOS Mojave. Since then, several well-known apps have launched on or returned to the Mac App Store, including the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft To-Do, BBEdit, Transmit, and others.
Next up is Adobe Lightroom CC, which is available on the Mac App Store as of today. The professional...
BBEdit Returns to Mac App Store
Bare Bones Software today announced the return of BBEdit to the Mac App Store after a nearly five year hiatus.
The popular text, code, and markup editor is a free download on the Mac App Store with full features available for $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year via in-app purchase. BBEdit remains available on a perpetual license basis for $49.99 via Bare Bones Software's online store and at...
Apple Removes 11 Categories From the Mac App Store Categories Tab [Update: They're Back]
Apple has slashed the number of app categories listed in the Mac App Store's Categories tab, an apparently intentional move that may irk Mac users and developers who rely on the tab to aid app discoverability.
The tab now lists just 10 categories, down from the 21 it had listed since the revamped Mac App Store debuted with the launch of macOS Mojave in September. The missing categories...
Apple Encourages Developers to Get Their Mac Apps Notarized
In macOS Mojave, Apple introduced a new notarization feature for apps distributed outside of the Mac App Store that's designed to further protect users from malicious Mac apps.
Apple is encouraging Mac app developers to submit their apps to Apple to be notarized. An Apple-notarized Mac app comes with a "more streamlined Gatekeeper dialog" to assure users that an app is not known malware....
