What’s the best way to download Aperture 3.6?

Open the Mac App Store and check the Purchases and Updates tabs, or if you have it in a backup, restore it from there. Aside from these, you can't get it.

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Apple appears to have fully removed any ability to update, even if you have purchased it from the App Store. So if you make the mistake of upgrading from 10.9 to 10.10, you no longer can use Aperture at all as 3.6 is non-existant, even if you select "Update" from your "Purchased" tab. Horrible "pro" move by Apple.

I'm going to assume you previously bought Aperture on the App Store. Here's how to get Aperture 3.6:

Step 1: move your current copy of Aperture to the trash

Open the Applications folder, and drag the Aperture icon to the trash. This will not delete your photos (unless you managed to put your vault in the same folder, but this would be a rather exotic and crazy setup).

Step 2: install Aperture 3.6 from the App Store

Open the App Store app. Click on the Purchased icon. Find Aperture, and click on the Install button. Aperture will be downloaded and installed.

Apple could definitely have made this easier. I got a good fright thinking I had lost my Aperture setup, like for example the ability to use plugins.

Thank you for the tip! This appears to be the only way to get the latest version now.

Hi, sorry to jump in on this but I am having the same problem. What happens if you have bought a hard copy of Aperture and it doesn't exist in my purchases? Any other way to get the update?

I can confirm that this approach has worked on my MacBook Pro and one of my iMacs. I originally started with boxed versions (last one was 3.0) and have been upgrading ever since to 3.51.

In my App Store app under the Purchases, it said that it was downloaded April 30, 2014 with the choice to Update. When I clicked Update, nothing happened. But have a removed Aperture to the Trash, closed the App Store app, logged out and then back in, the choice had changed to Install. At that point I installed Aperture 3.6.

Clearly this is a serious bug in the App Store app for Aperture users.

Can I assume this will not work if I buy a hard copy (DVD) version of Aperture now (if I can find one), and then try to update it?

That is, having never upgraded any version of Aperture on the App Store before now, I'm not likely to be able to update a hard copy now, right?

Does anybody know what was the last version of Aperture to come out on DVD, and if there is any way to get a *legal* copy now?

-gw

I believe the last DVD version was 3.0. I don't know whether you would be able to upgrade it or even install it, depending on the OS you have installed.

I just purchased new macbook pro w yosemite. tried to upgrade to Aperture 3.6. It is completely GONE. Disaster. Any suggestions welcome.

I just purchased new macbook pro w yosemite.

Did you previously own a version of Aperture purchased from the AppStore? Then sign into the AppStore with the AppleID you used to buy or update Aperture on your other Mac.

Open the Purchases tab. Is it still there? You may need to unhide it: Mac App Store: Hiding and unhiding purchases

Thanks! Right now I have Lion - presently trying to upgrade to Mountain Lion, but that is not going well.

app store error "this item is being modified"

I was just about sold on buying Lightroom 5, which would run on Lion - but then Adobe upgraded to Lightroom 6 which requires Mountain Lion. Like with Apple, there is a lot of hassle and uncertainty when you want to buy an Adobe product which is not the most recent version. As near as I can tell, Adobe does not typically offer incremental updates to it's stand-alone software, so I'd want the most recent version, anyway.

Being able to update Aperture from the box version of 3.0 to which ever is the latest version that will run on Mountain Lion would make Aperture a possibility for me, but if I can't upgrade, then it's no longer an option for me. I believe Aperture 3.4.5 should run on either Lion or Mountain Lion, and version 3.5 requires Mavericks - but I am still researching that.

I see there are still a few new Aperture 3 DVDs available on Amazon, but due to the following, I am now leaning back towards Lightroom:

- uncertainty of being able to upgrade from v3.0 (or whatever is on the DVD) to 3.4.5

- many negative reviews of Aperture on Amazon

- Aperture at end of life - this not really a deal killer for me - if I thought I could use it for a few years, and if I thought Photos will eventually mature into something worth using (I know, BIG if). Some speculate that the stand-alone version of Lightroom 6 may also be at the end of it's life, so there is a good chance that I'll have to switch to something else in a few years, anyway. Not ready to rent my software, yet.

I don't see a 'Purchases' tab. There is a record of my orders from past 18 months, but the purchase of Aperture 3 upgrade was prior to that time.

Not sure if this helps but If you have aperture 3.0 you can download and update to 3.4.5

here Aperture 3.4.5

Cool!

I think.

That puts Aperture back on the table for me. Which means I am no closer to making a decision about how I am going to organize my photos - (Aperture vs Lightroom vs Something Else). Maybe I will just stick with my present workflow, which is iPhoto v.9.4 plus Adobe Elements v.10, for as long as I can.

I'm not going to do anything until Apple can provide me with a Mountain Lion download - and who knows when that may be? (I recognize your name from the thread about that fiasco.)

Good luck with the Mountain Lion download, just got off of chat with Apple customer service.

No answers, no support, regarding the app store errors.