How to Reinstall Apps from the Mac App Store

  Matt Cone       December 21, 2011      Tutorials Mac Apps

The Mac App Store is a good way to find applications for your Mac - maybe a little too good, in fact. The applications you download from the App Store can start to accumulate, and over time you may need to start deleting them. But feelings change. If you want to reinstall an application that you downloaded from the App Store and then later deleted, this is the tutorial for you.

Telltale Signs that an App Needs to be Reinstalled

There are several indications that an application from the Mac App Store needs to be reinstalled. Looks for these signs to tell whether or not you need to reinstall an application:

• The application is not in your Applications folder.

• You use Spotlight to search for the application and cannot find it on your hard disk. (For instructions, see How to Find Files on Your Mac.)

• The App Store indicates that the application is already installed on your hard disk, as shown below.

  

• The application is displayed in your App Store purchases list, as shown below. The button in this window also indicates that the application is installed.

  

If your missing application fits this description, it’s time to reinstall it! Go ahead and follow the instructions in the next section.

How to Reinstall Apps from the Mac App Store

Here’s how to reinstall an application from the Mac App Store:

1. Open the App Store application. (It’s on the Dock, or in the Applications folder.)

2. Hold down the Option key and click Purchases.

3. An Install button appears next to the missing application, as shown below.

   

4. Click Install.

The “missing” application won’t be missing for much longer. It’s now downloading to your computer! When the download is finished, you’ll be able to find the application in Launchpad and the Applications folder.

Related Articles

• How to Hide and Show Purchases in the Mac App Store