Problems with the Mac App Store? Solution here

All Apple users know that the Mac App Store is a useful resource for finding, downloading and keeping our applications updated to their latest version, assuming that all of them work correctly.

If the App Store is not working on your Mac, possible solutions include: force quit, disable any running VPN, restart your Mac, use secure boot mode, update macOS, sign out, check your linked Apple ID, and reset default keychains, among others. It's also possible that Apple's Mac App Store servers are down.

Some apps can only be found in the Apple Store, which makes it even more frustrating when the App Store doesn't work on your Mac, and it's not clear why. Therefore, in today's article, I bring you some solutions that you can try to implement to get the Mac App Store working again. Go for it!

Fast solutions

It does not matter that a download is stuck or that you cannot redeem a code, if this method does not solve it, it will be difficult for you to do it in any other way. So fingers crossed and see if they work for you these simple steps:

1. Close the Mac App Store.
2. Enter Activity Monitor and end the execution of the "storeagent" process
3. Copy, paste and run the following commands in Terminal:

   rm -r ~ / Library / Caches / com.apple.appstore rm -r ~ / Library / Caches / com.apple.storeagent rm ~ / Library / Preferences / com.apple.appstore.plist rm ~ / Library / Preferences / com .apple.storeagent.plist rm ~ / Library / Cookies / com.apple.appstore.plist

It is done. After that everything should come back to normal. At least it has worked for me the times it has gotten stuck and I couldn't get it done. If you know other methods you can explain them in the comments of the entry.

Force quit the Mac App Store

One of the possible solutions to Mac application store failures is force exit of the same, because sometimes, exiting an application is not enough. macOS tends to hang out and wait for the app to finish what it's doing, such as saving a document, before it closes. If the App Store application has crashed and is not working, it may never close, in this case, you have to take control and try to fix the problem with your own hands.

Now you will have to right-click on the Mac App Store icon and then press the «Option» on your keyboard. You will see what is shown "Force exit", which you can use to delete the app immediately.

Once the app has been closed, you will no longer see a dot under the app icon, indicating that it is no longer running, and it will no longer appear in the list of processes in Activity Monitor. Now you would have to try to open it again. If it was a simple crash that caused the problem, the Mac App Store should be working properly again.

Disable your VPN

Una VPN route your traffic through a «tunnel» end-to-end encryption to hide your browsing activity from your ISP, hide your IP address and other privacy-related things. Sometimes a VPN can cause problems, so try turning off your VPN completely if the Mac App Store seems to be having connectivity issues.

Some VPN clients even allow you to make exceptions for some applications, where the traffic is not encrypted. This depends on the VPN service and client you're running on your Mac, but if turning off your VPN fixes the problem, you might want to consider it in the future and switch clients.

A possible solution is to restart your Mac

Restarting your computer solves all kinds of problems, and a malfunctioning Mac App Store may be just one of them. Sometimes background processes stop working or become unresponsive, causing problems for applications or services that depend on them. Restarting your Mac also restarts all of these processes, so it's always worth a try.

Click on the logo "Apple", then choose "Restart" and wait to restart your Mac.

Try secure boot instead

Restart your Mac in safe mode forces macOS to find and potentially fix outstanding issues. It also prevents software like startup items from starting as they normally would. It may take a little longer than a standard boot, but it's worth doing if you run into unexplained problems that nothing seems to fix.

The process to start your Mac in safe mode differs slightly, depending on the model of devices you have. Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the Home screen, then select “About this Mac” and pay attention to the description of the «chip«.

Different methods

If you have an Apple Silicon Mac with an M1 or later, models produced after 2020, these are the steps you need to follow:

• First use Apple > Shut down to shut down your Mac completely.
• Once your computer is turned off, press and hold the power button, Touch ID button, until appears «Loading startup options».
• And now you will have to hold down the Shift key.
• Click on "Continue in safe mode" to continue with a secure boot.

The process changes if you have an Intel-based Mac, those produced in 2020 or earlier, so follow these steps:

• First use Apple > Shut down to shut down your Mac completely.
• Once your computer is off, press the power button, Touch ID button, and immediately hold down the Shift key.
• Sign in as usual, you may have to do this twice.
• You can confirm that you are in safe mode by clicking the Apple logo in the top left corner of the screen, then holding down the "" button.Option» on your keyboard and selecting "System information" of the list.
• Click on the heading «Software» in the sidebar, then search for «Insurance" beside "Boot mode".
• If you see "Normal«, you are still in standard boot mode, so you will have to try again to do the process correctly.

Once you've booted into safe mode, restart your Mac as usual and try launching the Mac App Store again. Now it should work correctly.

Update macOS to the latest version

Updating your Mac software can fix all kinds of problems with the App Store and other things that don't work on macOS. But even though it may seem like a joke, updates can also occasionally introduce new problems.

You can update your Mac's operating system, at System Settings > General > Software Update, In the System Preferences> Software Update It depends on macOS versions.

Sign out and then sign in again

Sometimes the problem is with your account rather than the underlying software. This may solve your problem if the App Store keeps asking for a password.

With the Mac App Store open and in the foreground, click Store at the top of the screen, then select  "Sign off" at the bottom of the list. Now you will have to log in again with the option Store > Sign in.

Check your linked Apple ID

Did you know that it is possible to sign in to another person's Apple ID using the Store > option Log out/Log in, download an app you have purchased and then log back into your own account? While this may sound like a solid way to share purchases with friends and family, it introduces problems when it comes to updating apps.

This can cause the Mac App Store to constantly ask for a password to update an app that is linked to someone else's Apple ID. If you don't know the password, the app cannot be updated and password requests continue constantly. You will need to know the password associated with the account or simply delete the application from your Applications folder to solve this annoying bug.

Check the status of Apple servers

Sometimes the problem is not on your end, but is caused by a service interruption. Before proceeding to the next step, double-check Apple's system status page to see if there are any issues with the Mac App Store or associated services. If they are, consider waiting a reasonable amount of time before moving forward.

Reset default keychains

There is some evidence to suggest that an unresponsive Mac App Store can be resolved by resetting the default local and iCloud keychains. This is a drastic move, as you will lose all stored passwords and have to log in to the entire system again, a huge hassle.

To continue with this process, launch Keychain Access, or you can search for it with Apple Search or you can find it in Applications> Utilities and then click Keychain Access at the top of the screen, followed by Settings or Preferences. Now press “Reset default keychains…” to continue with this process.

Other ways to install software

The Mac App Store is just one of the many ways you can install and update apps on your Mac. Some apps are available both in the App Store and directly from the developer, and others can be easily installed using a service like Homebrew.

Conclusion

I hope that with this compilation of the most common errors when it comes to the Mac App Store I have been able to help you solve your problems with the application store. If you have also suffered a problem, and have solved it in another way, let us know in the comments.