A couple of users have stated that they are having problems connecting to the Mac
App Store.
To be precise, users reported that this problem started after updating their Mac devices. The error message: “Cannot Connect to the App Store”.
The following errors may also appear:
- An unknown error has occurred.
- We could not complete your request.
If you are Experiencing this issue on your iPhone or iPad, please check
this guide.
Why can’t my Mac connect to the App Store?
The Mac App Store is a fantastic place where you can download all types of applications and programs designed specifically for your Mac. However, the Mac App Store is not, like all other App Stores, without its fair share of hooks. One of the most common issues with the Mac App Store is where it returns an error message saying “Cannot connect to the App Store” every time an affected user tries to launch it.
This is a problem in which the affected Mac user’s simply can’t connect to the Mac App Store. The cause for this issue ranges from a unreliable internet connection to a problem with certificates in the KeyChain app. In most situations, simple solutions such as closing and then re-launching the Mac App Store or logging out of the Mac App Store by clicking on Store > Logout and then logging back in to it fixes the problem. However, if none of these fixes manage to resolve this problem, fear not as in this troubleshooting guide, I’ll explain the most effective solutions that you can use to try and fix the “Cannot connect to the App Store” error message and re-establish a connection back to the Mac App Store:
Please note: Before you jump into it, make sure that the date and time is set correctly on your device. If the time and date is incorrect, the appstore will not connect.
Here are step-by-step instructions which you can follow to troubleshoot when your Mac can’t connect to the Apple App Store and won’t download, install, or update apps.
See also:
Cannot Send or Receive Messages on Your Mac?
- First, let’s ensure that your network is working properly. Make sure that your Mac is connected to the Internet. Check to see if websites load in Safari or other web browsers. If you are experiencing “Cannot connect to the App Store” error, you would, at your earliest, suspect your internet connection as the culprit. As such, the first fix you can try is to check to see if your internet connection is working. Please follow these steps:
- Click on the Apple logo in the toolbar at the top. Click on System Preferences in the contextual menu. Click on Network. Check to see if there is a green icon next to the network you are connected to. If the green icon is present, your internet connection is not to blame. However, if there is a red icon next to the network you are connected to, your internet connection is down and that is most probably why your Mac can’t connect to the Mac App Store. If that’s the case, here are troubleshooting tips you can try:
- Restart your Mac: Go to Apple menu > Restart.
- Restart your router/modem (Disconnect your Mac from the power source, wait a few seconds and then plug it back in).
- Turn off and on Wi-Fi. (Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar).
- Contact your Internet service provider to find out if there are any outages.
- Make sure that Apple Mac App Store servers are up and running. Head over to
Apple’s System Status website
and check.. - Sign out and back to iTunes. Open iTunes. From the top menu bar, click Account and then Sign out. After signing out, sign back in.
- Launch the App Store on your Mac and then click Store (top menu bar) and click sign Out and then sign back in.
- If you are using a VPN or proxy to connect to the Internet, turn them off and check if that fixes your issue.
- Update your Mac. Make sure that your Mac is running the latest version of OS. If you are running macOS Mojave or later, head over to System Preferences > Software Update and then click Check for Updates. If an update is available, update the software on your Mac by following the on-screen prompts. If you are running an earlier version of the macOS software (for instance, macOS High Sierra, etc,) please launch the App Store and click Updates.
- On your Mac, make sure that the date and time are set correctly. Head over to System Preferences > Date & Time to check this. Also, consider checking the box for “Set date and time automatically”.
- Restart your Mac in Safe Mode. You can restart your Mac by pressing and holding the Shift key as your Mac starts up (turn off your Mac then turn on and immediately press and hold the Shift key). Try the App Store in Safe Mode and then restart your Mac normally (this time, do not press the Shift key).
- The KeyChain application stores passwords and certificates that your Mac uses to establish secure connections from apps, and that includes the Mac App Store. An issue with some certificates that the KeyChain app contains can also cause “Cannot connect to the App Store” error. If that is what’s causing this problem in your case, here’s what you can do in order to edit certain certificates in the KeyChain application and fix this issue. On your Mac, try the steps below:
- Launch the Keychain Access app (Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access).
- Now, click “System Roots”.
- Next, double Click “DigiCert High Assurance EV root CA”.
- Next on, click “Trust” to expand it.
- Now, you need to change “When using this certificate” from “Use System Defaults” to “Never Trust”.
- Next, restart your Mac.
- Finally, when your Mac is on, follow the same steps to change “When using this certificate” back to “Use System Defaults”.
- Launch Finder.
- From the top menu, click Go > Go to Folder and type in the following command:
- /var/db/crls/
- Hit Go.
- Now, delete these files: “crlcache.db” and “ocspcache.db”. If asked, type in your admin password.
- Finally, restart your Mac.
If the above solutions did not fix your problem, you could
contact Apple.