Authorization issue (yep, I have less than 5 authorized devices)

Hello lizedwards,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I understand that you're receiving an alert indicating that you need to authorize your Mac in iTunes, and you're unable to do so due to an incorrect number of devices shown as authorized. You've come to the right place for a resolution.

Let's start by signing out of iTunes on this Mac, restart the computer, then sign back in and see if you're able to authorize it. If not, and if you previously attempted to deauthorize only the computer that you're encountering the alert on, you may want to consider deauthorizing all computers instead. After that, re-authorize the devices that you still use:

• Deauthorize your computer using iTunes - Apple Support
• Authorize your computer in iTunes - Apple Support

If you're still unable to authorize this Mac in iTunes, see if you can authorize it by logging in to your Mac with a different user. This could help determine if the issue may be related to specific files or settings with this user account. If you don't have another user account you can use, here's how you can create one for testing:

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac - Apple Support

Keep us posted on the results.

Cheers!

As noted in Authorization vs. association - Apple Community there is no record of which computers are authorized, but you can deauthorize all, then authorize the ones you want to use and keep your own notes. You cannot deauthorize all again for a year. Associations are listed and can be removed after 90 days. Your home videos shouldn't be subject to restrictions from either mechanism.

tt2

I would like to contribute to this as i experienced that Authorisation seems to mean, "authorisation of additional computers which are not signed into iCloud and iTunes with the same account. "

I have authorised my wife`s and two of my "children" computers. In my account i read "3 authorised computers". Now i bought a new Mac and set it up with my Apple ID. Result: Still 3 computers authorised.

And myself i own now 2 Computers (same account)

So setting up a new Mac with the same apple ID does not count as this "Authorization" So u can own as may computers u like and use them under ur apple id. and purchase and play everything from your iTunes account.

So deauthorisation of all computers will not solve the problem if u sold a computer and forgot to sign out and wiping off all data.

Just a conclusion which should be true if the info in my iTunes account is correct.

So one could create a title like "Apple ID ownership vs Authorisation vs. Association."

A computer needs to be authorized to play or transfer DRM protected content.

A computer or device will become associated with an Apple ID when used to download previous purchases.

These are two different mechanisms. Signing into your Apple ID with iTunes won't automatically cause it to become authorized. You will be required to authorize the machine before you can play or transfer DRM protected content.

tt2

Some computers of my family which are older , showed my content but it was not possible to unauthorise them or to prove if i authorised them, but they were associated before apple changed some "rules" i now manget to unauthorize a newer just to find out which are authorised and which are not.

I wonder why even homevideos (self-made) are restricted to. five Computers

My account says 3 at the moment ; I know two of them certainly; But i am not sure, if the on Computer i can run under Sierra and under Snowleopard (from an external disk) counts as 1 or 2 Computers.

Then i have an Imac G4 ("Lamp design")running Tiger.. it didnt let me unauthorize it.. maybe, i unauthorized it years vefore , may be not.

See also Authorization vs. association - Apple Community. The device list you see in your account details associations, not authorizations.

tt2

De-authorize all computers in iTunes menu 'Account' then re-authorize those you need.

Ur right i wa wrong just proved that i have to authorise to play some of my purchased titles , some of them worked without authorisation a bit weird but what i wrote above is not true.

Thank you. but sharing homevideos needs to make the itunes library accessible by the users on the network. So i dont see a way to share homevideos in itunes without authorization? is there a way?

How many authorized computers do you have? Have you attempted to use the deauthorize all option and then reauthorize up to five computers where you have an active iTunes library?

tt2

A multiboot Mac will count as a single authorization. With Windows each version of the OS gets authorized independently, and reinstalling the OS loses the authorization.

tt2