How do I download apps from the app store for later install ?

[Tom80112]

I have 4 Macs in the house so I like to download apps from the app store to an external 256GB
Thumb drive directory then I install all the Macs. I don't like having to sign all the Macs into the
app store one-by-one then go hunting for all the apps over and over..

The app store used to allow me to download apps without installing them. But now that I have
all 4 Macs running Monterey (even my early 2013 MacBook Pro is running Monterey now), I go into
the app store and it allows me to "get" and "open" apps but I no longer see a download-only option.
How do I download apps to a directory using Monterey? What's the trick??

PS: Another reason I download apps is so I can revert to previous versions of an app if I update
it then have new issues after the update.

 

[DarkPremiumCho]

As far as I know, there's no download-only options in Monterey. I guess you could copy the installed apps to other Macs. Maybe the other Macs will still require signing in to verify the ownership.

 

[Tom80112]

I already tried copying an installed app folder (Battery Health) to another Mac via thumb drive but when you try to start the copied app, it complains that the app was previously installed to another Mac and tells you to log into the App Store and reinstall it.

 

[chrfr]

The app store used to allow me to download apps without installing them. But now that I have
all 4 Macs running Monterey (even my early 2013 MacBook Pro is running Monterey now), I go into
the app store and it allows me to "get" and "open" apps but I no longer see a download-only option.
How do I download apps to a directory using Monterey? What's the trick??

This was a feature of Software Update but was never an App Store feature. You can copy some apps from computer to computer, but not all will work without signing into the App Store.