Enter your email below to get exclusive access to our best articles and tips before everybody else. By Chris Hoffman on April 24th, You should deauthorize iTunes before getting rid of a computer or reinstalling Windows. The authorization system is a form of DRM, so it involves jumping through hoops. You must authorize a computer — Mac or Windows PC — in iTunes before that computer can download and use your purchased movies, TV shows, music, eBooks, audiobooks, apps, and other content.

Help with "authorizing computer" | Official Apple Support Communities

Note that this only applies to media with DRM. You can have a maximum of five authorized computers tied to your Apple ID at the same time.

Macs and Windows PCs both count towards this combined total. This authorization system is a form of DRM, and it restricts access to the content you purchase on iTunes. Authorization systems were once fairly common — for example, witness the authorization limit in the old SecuROM system for PC games or the activation limit that can be built into Windows Media audio and video files.

Authorizing a computer is simple. On Windows, click where is the authorize this computer option in itunes menu button in iTunes, point to iTunes Store, and select Authorize This Computer. On Mac, click the Store menu and select Authorize This Computer.

Sign in with your Apple ID to complete the process.

This menu option will revoke the authorization, high risk stock market investing DRM-encumbered iTunes content from being watched, viewed, or downloaded on your computer. Apple also advises deauthorizing your computer before you upgrade its hardware components.

Deauthorizing a computer is important broker binary option it gives you one of your limited five authorizations back. The old systems will probably count towards your maximum of five authorized computers.

Apple only allows you to fix this in one way. To do this, click iTunes Store in iTunes, sign in to your Apple ID, click the name of your Apple ID, and where is the authorize this computer option in itunes Account.

From here, you can click the Deauthorize All button next to Computer Authorizations. This button will only appear if you have more than one computer authorized. It will revoke the authorizations from all authorized computers, allowing you to start authorizing computers from scratch. You can only use the Deauthorize All button once per year.

After using it, try to be more careful with your authorizations — deauthorize computers before getting rid of them, reinstalling Windows, or upgrading their hardware. This is all you can do, short of attempting to break the DRM.

Richard Giles on Flickr.

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Although the children of identical twins are, legally speaking, first cousins, they are, genetically speaking, more like half siblings.

Enter Your Email Here to Get Access for Free:. Articles l l How and Why Microsoft Blocks Windows 7 Updates on New PCs. How to Make Chrome More Touch-Friendly on the Microsoft Surface.

iTunes - Wikipedia

RSS ALL ARTICLES FEATURES ONLY. Click Here to Join the Discussion. What Parents Need to Know About Web Filtering and Parental Controls. They Can Actually Make You Less Safe. What Is NVRAM, and When Should I Reset It On My Mac? GET ARTICLES BY EMAIL. Most of the pages on the internet include affiliate links, including some on this site.