how to download iMovie on an Catalina MacBook

First, check to make sure that the iMovie 10 app is not just hidden from your purchases account folder. (It happens.) At the upper right of your account folder screen you will see an item called view Information. Click on that and another window will open that will give you the option of showing any hidden items.

If iMovie 10 does not show, then probably you never did have iMovie 10 or you had it and lost it somehow. Even if you lost it you still would be able to get the download. But if you really never had iMovie 10 you won't be able to get it now, at least by normal means. (Puzzling that iMovie 10 wasn't automatically on your Mac when you bought it, but go figure.)

Having said that, take a look at this link for some possible hope:

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/301762/is-it-possible-to-download-acquire-imovie-10-1-6/378247#378247

And this one, particularly the last three posts that discuss the above link:

iMovie for High Sierra 10.13.6 ???? - Apple Community

-- Rich

Let's try something else before dragging iMovie 9.0.9 to the trash.

Sign into the App Store and put iMovie in the search box.

When you get 'Results for iMovie" as in the screen shot that I have added below what does your's show in the place where it says open.

Does it say "Get'?

If so click on it and you may get an option to download a compatible version for your Catalina.

Come back and let us know what happens before dragging iMovie 9.0.9 to the trash.

HI,

If you purchased your Mac new it should have come with iMovie pre-installed, without the necessity of you having to manually install it. Try looking in the Applcations folder on your Mac to see if iMovie is there. In the event that you purchased a pre-owned Mac, the previous owner may have deleted iMovie from the Mac. In that case, you would need to use the previous owner's Apple I.D. to obtain an iMovie download. Absent that, you could be out of luck.

In any event, try the following procedure to get an iMovie download. It should work if you ever had iMovie on your Mac before but for some reason it is now missing.

To update/redownload iMovie 10, drag your iMovie 10 app from the Applications folder into the trash, but do not empty the trash. (You can skip that step if you had iMovie 10 on your computer before, but deleted it.) Sign in to the app store and open your purchases folder by clicking on your name at the bottom of the app store side bar. You will see your purchases displayed, including iMovie 10. Redownload/update iMovie from there. If not successful, drag your present iMovie app out of the trash (if you moved it there) and return it to the Applications folder.

If the above procedure does not result in a successful download of iMovie, try contacting Apple Support by clicking on the Get Support item in the upper right hand corner of this forum's screen. Navigate to iMovie by following this path:

Contact Support/See all products and services/Apps and Software/MacApps/iMovie.

Enter you phone number. Perhaps the techs there can give you some guidance.

-- Rich

Having iMovie 9.0.9 may just enable you to get iMovie ver 10, even though you never had it before.

Some years ago Apple provided a download for ver 10 to those that did not have it but who had ver 9.0.9

Don't know if this is still the case with later OSs.

So do not move your iMovie 9.0.9 to the trash, leave it where it is.

Follow the instructions from where Rich says "Sign into the App Store and open your purchases......"

You may see iMovie listed . If so see if you can download ver 10 if it is offered.