Connect with us

Apple

How to Get iWork for Free on Older Macs

Published

on

Apple announced yesterday that its iWork suite of apps, which consist of Keynote, Pages and Numbers, would come free with any new Mac that you buy. Previously, these apps were $20 a piece. However, current Mac users with older Macs aren’t able to take advantage of that deal, seeing as how the company is only making iWork free for new Macs bought after yesterday.

However, there’s a clever loophole that a Redditor discovered that allows older Macs to get the iWork suite of apps for free. It does require a little bit of elbow grease — certainly more effort than just downloading and installing the apps, but it may be worth it for some users who have been wanting the apps for some time.

UPDATE: For clarification, iWork is free for users who purchased a new Mac computer on or after October 1, 2013 or a new iOS device on or after September 1, 2013.

Screenshot 2013-10-23 12.07.56

Getting iWork for Free on Older Macs

To get iWork on older Macs that previously don’t have iWork installed, follow the simple steps below. However, before you begin, make sure that app installation permissions are properly set: Go to System Preferences > Security > General and allow apps downloaded from Everywhere.

  1. Screenshot 2013-10-23 12.04.56Visit this Softpedia link to download a free trial of iWork ’09.
  2. Click Download, and then click External Mirror 1.
  3. Double-click on the downloaded file. This will open up a window with a couple of files inside.
  4. Double-click Install iWork ’09 Trial and follow the installation instructions.
  5. After installation, close out the install windows and wait a few minutes for your Mac to recognize the newly-installed apps.
  6. Next, open up the App Store app and click on the Updates tab at the top. You should see updates for Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
  7. If you don’t see updates for these apps yet, close out of the App Store and wait a few minutes before opening it back up.

Once you see updates for these three apps appear, simply just click Update next to each one to download the latest versions. After that’s done, you’ll have the new version of iWork installed on your older Mac without spending a dime.

Better yet, you don’t need OS X Mavericks in order to take advantage of this loophole. Enjoy!

 

169 Comments

169 Comments

  1. tivoboy

    10/23/2013 at 1:42 pm

    Didn’t really work at all

    • pjkiPJ

      06/02/2014 at 11:35 pm

      Yup, doesn’t work. My computer can’t even find iWork — it’s there — but it says no updates are needed.

    • WORKS

      06/25/2014 at 8:24 am

      WORKS! – probably most of you fail at opening the installer. Go to System Preferences>Security&Privacy and allow “Anywhere” as source. After you installed the trial DO NOT START it, first upgrade following the instructions in this post. Tested Jun 25, 2014 Mavericks.

      • Monte

        06/25/2014 at 12:03 pm

        so are you now using iWork 09, or the new 2013 version? i’m slightly confused.

        • Monte

          12/09/2015 at 10:10 am

          IWorks ’09 I removed it long ago but am trying to reinstall

  2. marcomistretta

    10/23/2013 at 1:47 pm

    It just doesn’t work…
    I’ve reinstalled iWork apps over the existing ones, waited, but the App Store doesn’t show up any update…

  3. Dave

    10/23/2013 at 2:02 pm

    My mac won’t open .mpkg files. Any suggestions?

    • Dave

      10/23/2013 at 2:15 pm

      Figured it out, works for me.

  4. devonair (@devonair)

    10/23/2013 at 2:07 pm

    Installer complains that the PKG is from an unverified developer, and refuses to launch =(

    • Dave

      10/23/2013 at 2:16 pm

      Hold down command when you click on it, the hit open.

    • Lane Jasper

      10/23/2013 at 8:49 pm

      You need to change your security preferences to allow from anywhere. Its off by default. Worked perfect for me.

    • PR

      12/05/2013 at 5:18 pm

      change your security settings

  5. Martijn Vervoort

    10/23/2013 at 2:09 pm

    nothing shows up in the update window..

    • Christian Juresh

      12/07/2013 at 1:49 pm

      Same

    • Treshan Mogatas Remolano

      06/25/2014 at 5:15 am

      Just wait several minutes to show updates.

  6. tivoboy

    10/23/2013 at 2:44 pm

    Yeah, sounds good in theory, but I’ve tried it on a couple macs now, all on ML and it doesn’t work. Okay, one was on Lion.

  7. Fletch

    10/23/2013 at 3:23 pm

    worked a treat! thanks for that!

    @devonair change your security & privacy settings to allow any app

  8. appple

    10/23/2013 at 3:27 pm

    worked for me

  9. It Works

    10/23/2013 at 3:48 pm

    Thank you. Works fine on MacBook Pro Late 2008 with OSX 10.9.

  10. pr

    10/23/2013 at 3:55 pm

    Security–privacy –>allow apps downloaded from any where and run the pkg of trial
    it worked with out any issues

  11. Dex

    10/23/2013 at 4:23 pm

    Well it seems to have worked…downloaded the trail and was given option to purchase licence or 30 day trial…all three have updated as stated in the above article and all three are working without any purchase or trial screens…we will see in 30 days if they are still running… Mac Mini 2013 with Maverick OS

    • Test

      10/23/2013 at 5:11 pm

      Doesn’t work in my case.

  12. Carlos Pfister

    10/23/2013 at 6:25 pm

    I only had the option to update all of iwork. Now pages is fine, but keynote and numbers still have the trial.

    • Carlos Pfister

      10/23/2013 at 6:28 pm

      Update, now numbers works and keynote is on trial. Weird.

    • Farsighted (@farsighted99)

      10/23/2013 at 9:17 pm

      iWorks09 is in a folder. When you get the updates, they should appear in your Applications root directory, not the folder. So keep trying to update. They should show up. I opened up the trial versions before updating. Not sure if it matters. I got all 3, but it took a little time.

  13. Derek Lui

    10/23/2013 at 9:00 pm

    It seems that Mavericks is needed.

  14. Amory Blaine

    10/23/2013 at 11:04 pm

    As soon as iWork 09 installed I saw the update screens in the store. I have a Mid-2013 Macbook Air I bought before these announcements and it asked me to pay beforehand. This seems to have worked. All the apps are updated to the newest one and I do not see any mention of a trial or anything.

    Thanks a lot!

  15. Irish Badger

    10/24/2013 at 1:47 am

    Sweet! Thank you!

  16. Dave Matthews Fan

    10/24/2013 at 6:38 am

    Worked for me too! Thank you!! P.S. We’ll see for sure after 30 days… :)

  17. pyteranne

    10/24/2013 at 7:37 am

    It didn’t work for me either… I’m from Holland..

    • Fox

      10/24/2013 at 11:29 am

      According to users on reddit, you need to set your system language to English before the updates will show up. I don’t know if this applies to you, but worth a mention!

      • Sérgio Nascimento

        11/05/2013 at 1:12 pm

        yes, you are right. Updates only appeared when you turn your system to english language.

  18. alca

    10/24/2013 at 7:46 am

    not work for me…. from Mexico…. I installed them yesterday and still today they don’t show in the update window from apps

  19. jackharvest

    10/24/2013 at 7:56 am

    I opened each app individually and selected “trial”, then quit each one, as well as quit the app store update. Still don’t see it. :\

  20. Gopal

    10/24/2013 at 8:24 am

    Worked like a charm…thank you very much

  21. Teatiller

    10/24/2013 at 8:27 am

    This works, I have a 2012 MBPro, 13 inch, non-super-duper-display. I updated to Mavericks, I installed iWork ’09 trial (I had no iWork apps on my computer at all before this), and then waited a few minutes, went to the app store, and the iWork apps tabs just said “update” instead of “$19.99” like they were before I installed iWork ’09 trial. Now I have all three iWork apps on my mac and they all seem to be iworking.

    Keep trying, it should work, until Apple figures out how to fix this blessed loophole.

    I bought my computer only a few months ago, so I did not like how Apple made it free only for new purchases.

    • Teatiller

      10/24/2013 at 8:38 am

      Also, since the new iWork apps seem to be working, I uninstalled all the iWork ’09 trial files. Everything seems to be working fine. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

  22. Ryan Lindsley (@ryanlindsley)

    10/24/2013 at 8:50 am

    only worked for me after i updated to Mavericks

  23. Yuki

    10/24/2013 at 10:06 am

    Worked for me!! :)
    Thanks!!

  24. LWZ

    10/24/2013 at 10:42 am

    Does not work for me. No updates. (Mavericks and US)

  25. Fox

    10/24/2013 at 10:48 am

    Worked on my MBA 13″ and on my mother’s 11″ (both mid-2012 models). I actually opened one app at random (keynote on mine, pages on hers) and selected Trial, let the app register me, and then when it went to open it immediately alerted me that an update was available and directed me to the App Store.

    Note that both Macs are running Mavericks, and that on both I had to ctrl-click to install the trials.

    Really pleased with this loophole, as when I saw the initial announcement that iWorks would be free for anyone who bought a new device, I for some reason assumed it meant on iOS AND OS X (I bought a 5S when they came out). I was quite disappointed to realize it would only apply to iOS, but now I have iWorks on my phone and Mac and couldn’t be happier. :)

    • LWZ

      10/24/2013 at 11:35 am

      It also alerted me about the update and directed me to App Store, but App Store tells me “No Updates Available”.

  26. Fox

    10/24/2013 at 10:52 am

    Also, it would probably be helpful if people mentioned their model and what OS they were running, rather than just “it worked” or “it didn’t work”… Anyway, thanks for the trial link, GBM!

  27. John

    10/24/2013 at 12:18 pm

    It worked for me but only after I changed the system language back to English (I had it set to Greek). If OS X is set to any language other than English, go to System Preferences, Language & Region, and drag English to the top of the list. I’m running Mavericks on a MBP mid 2009.

    • Aleksandar Kojić

      11/21/2013 at 10:10 pm

      Thank you very much. I`m from Croatia, had Pages 09 installed on the system and after changing the system language to English (and restart the system), upgrade started!

    • cghera

      12/03/2013 at 2:00 pm

      Thank you so much for this tip, i thought it would not work on my Macbook

  28. John

    10/24/2013 at 1:26 pm

    Worked for me on a 2013 MBA with Mavericks.

  29. Carlos Pfister

    10/24/2013 at 2:11 pm

    Update**** You MUST have mavericks installed to make this work on older macs. Also, Apple announced today that they are completely fine with this and it’s ok to update like this from the trial version or even pirated copies!! They are currently more concerned about putting everyone on the latest version of the software. This also applies to iLife and Aperture!!

  30. Phil L

    10/24/2013 at 2:18 pm

    Worked nicely!

    Macbook Pro, 2009 with 10.9.

    WIN!

  31. erman

    10/24/2013 at 4:57 pm

    The final solution who couldn’t update; if you use OSX in an other language than English, is to change the language to English and restart your Mac.

  32. Turbulent

    10/24/2013 at 6:57 pm

    For those of you who couldn’t get this to work, heres what I did and it worked. I downloaded the iWork 09 trial. It created a folder within applications. I then downloaded iWork 9.3 update dmg from apple. Then moved the files from the iWork’s 09 folder straight to the applications directory. once done the mac store instantly recognized, and updated iWork.

  33. Baba

    10/24/2013 at 8:28 pm

    An easy way is to extract iwork apps out of the iwork folder and check the language is in english

  34. Freakflyer

    10/24/2013 at 9:44 pm

    This worked like a charm for me. Thanks

  35. ricardoye

    10/24/2013 at 9:54 pm

    It worked on my imac with the latest version OSX.

  36. JC

    10/24/2013 at 10:50 pm

    Followed all the steps,tried everything, updated Pages and Keynote but when I launch them I have an error that says thaI should check with the developper to make sure Keynote works with this version, or try to reinstal it.
    Macbook Air 13-inch, Mid 2011, OSX 10.9 and set to english.??????????????

    • JC

      10/25/2013 at 2:58 am

      Fianlly it worked, but only over Maverick, trying to do it in Leopard (yes leopard) but it doesnt go…Leopard is so stable that I really would like to keep on it, but…

      • phoebe

        10/25/2013 at 3:16 am

        Did you re-install over Mavericks? Or you just upgraded then the updates already appeared on Mac App Store? Thanks

  37. phoebe

    10/25/2013 at 2:52 am

    I have an MBA 2013 with Mountain Lion and I followed all the steps here except for upgrading to Mavericks. Now I am planning to Upgrade to Mavericks. Do I need to uninstall iWork before upgrading? Then re-install after the upgrade. Or it will work even if I don’t re-install? Thanks!

  38. Queer1

    10/25/2013 at 4:33 am

    id gotten mavericks yesterday and this didn’t show up when i was running regular updates due to the new OS only an update for Garageband. But today i randomly checked out my updates to find updates to all my iWork apps, iPhoto, AND aperture, weird thing about all this is my garageband installed itself as a new copy leaving the old one where it was, and so far since i am updating the others as i type this, pages does the same thing as well as keynote. check my blog for updates on the rest. I’m gonna reinstall Final Cut Pro too and see if this works, I’ve been hoping to be able to get app store updates for all those apps cuz i got em all before their app store debut. before i was having to go to the support downloads for updates to these. also I have full version working DMGs of all of these which i will upload and post the links to on my blog for anyone who wants to try this.

  39. Nigel Strudwick

    10/25/2013 at 8:45 am

    It does look like it isn’t possible to get it to work if you don’t have 10.9, as implied in the Macrumors article. All the stages described above worked for me except that I, on 10.8.5, am left with just the trial version.

  40. Megat Ahmad Izzat

    10/25/2013 at 2:15 pm

    Software Update

    Use this method if you originally purchased iWork in a box or downloaded and then activated a trial version of iWork.

    Choose Software Update from the Apple () menu to automatically check for the latest Apple software, including this update. (Software Update might have linked you to this article to learn more about the update.) If your computer is not up-to-date, other software updates available for your computer may appear. Note that an update’s size may vary from computer to computer when installed using Software Update, since it automatically selects the best update for your computer. Also, some updates must be installed prior to others, so you should run Software Update more than once to make sure you have all of the available updates. OS X Lion v10.7.4 or later is required to run this update.

    // use this method if u download this trial.

  41. tivoboy

    10/25/2013 at 2:30 pm

    I got it to work. Hooked up an older version of my SL 10.6.8 HD via USB, booted from that, updated it to Mavericks, ran the trial installers for both iwork and aperture (using a found serial from I think 3.0) and once I opened app store, boom all the items were there. Clicked to download all, and associated with my itunes account, and then hopped back over to my rMBP running ML and boom, they were all there waiting for me to download from the app store.
    Nice find all, and nice that apple makes it all easy peasy!

  42. MVMn-personal-en (@mvmn_prs_en)

    10/25/2013 at 3:13 pm

    Reboot after installation. That should help.

  43. Haitham

    10/25/2013 at 3:28 pm

    Worked for me , thank you.

  44. phoebe

    10/25/2013 at 8:51 pm

    It worked! I upgraded to Mavericks and then finally the app store allowed me to update my trial version of iWork ;)

  45. we

    10/25/2013 at 9:49 pm

    CHANGE LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH BEFORE UPDATE CHECK
    CHANGE LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH BEFORE UPDATE CHECK
    CHANGE LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH BEFORE UPDATE CHECK
    CHANGE LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH BEFORE UPDATE CHECK
    CHANGE LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH BEFORE UPDATE CHECK
    CHANGE LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH BEFORE UPDATE CHECK

  46. Plain Genius

    10/26/2013 at 5:30 am

    works great, have to download mavericks first

  47. Alex

    10/26/2013 at 6:09 am

    2012 MBP Mavericks, installed and 3 updates showed up instantly after installing. Thanks. Works great!!!

  48. Dino Pastos

    10/26/2013 at 7:57 am

    Trick to get it to work fast is to move the 3 apps from iWork 09 folder and drop the to /Applicatoins

    Appstore will find them instantly

  49. Chuckster360

    10/27/2013 at 1:21 pm

    Worked perfect the first time for me on my late 07 iMac running Mavericks. Make sure sec pref set to allow from anywhere.

  50. mis me

    10/28/2013 at 7:45 am

    Worked perfectly on my newly updated Mavericks OS X.

  51. Melanie

    10/28/2013 at 4:22 pm

    Worked perfectly. On MBA 2013/Mavericks. Thank you!

  52. Mo

    10/29/2013 at 7:54 am

    Not only works for iWork, but for some reason iPhoto and iMovie changed from “buy” to “update”! Love it! updating right now.

  53. Jacky

    10/29/2013 at 6:52 pm

    where can I get download link for Aperture 3 Trial?

  54. Paullow

    10/30/2013 at 7:25 am

    I’m using a 2008 MBP and did exactly that, everything updated and now it’s no longer trial version!!

    Check it out!!

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ojxBaRHgFwRDVXcVRhXzlmTlU/edit?usp=sharing

  55. BR

    11/01/2013 at 6:41 am

    Worked after changing idiom to English! Uhul!
    Funcionou depois de trocar o idioma para Inglês!

  56. Calgary Cowboy

    11/01/2013 at 10:49 pm

    I don’t think it works anymore. I’ve been trying for the last hour. The updates for iLife and Aperture (besides an update for a new RAW format) do not show up in the App Store.

  57. Mr. Man

    11/02/2013 at 8:01 am

    Doesn’t work for me either. I get this when I manually click to “Purchase” one of the products:
    https://imageshack.us/a/img4/5268/zw6a.png

  58. pm

    11/03/2013 at 7:46 am

    it worked for me last night! macbook pro mid 2012 mavericks, I install iwork and aperture trial (with out open it), change language to english, restart and open app store.

  59. Thanks

    11/04/2013 at 1:29 am

    It worked on maverick. But you HAVE to change the language to english, restart and go to the App Store.

  60. Tosh

    11/04/2013 at 12:32 pm

    Worked for me as well. Thanks for the write up!

  61. Jer

    11/04/2013 at 4:45 pm

    Yeah if you expand the package and get all the way down to “archive.tar.gz,” you can get the apps, drag into the apps folder – wait and then open App store. Don’t try to open the old apps as they won’t work.

  62. Sylvain

    11/04/2013 at 8:50 pm

    Worked fine for me but I wanted iWork’s 09 that is better than the last version, and I’d still need to buy it. Thanx for the tip

  63. rexentre

    11/05/2013 at 8:15 am

    Follow the instructions and it will work fine. You will get the latest updates from the App Store and they will not be trials. Keep in mind to delete the iWork ’09 from your applications folder after the update is done, since the update will not replace the trial copies you installed at first.

  64. John

    11/06/2013 at 3:27 pm

    Thanks! This loophole worked for me.

  65. konkusan

    11/08/2013 at 12:22 am

    Thanks! Kinda lame they’re not offering iWork for free for old Mac users especially since I barely got my Mac eleven months ago. At least Mavericks was free though. Anyway, this worked out great for me thanks!

  66. Rodrigo Perez

    11/09/2013 at 8:27 am

    It works!!! Imac purchased in 2011… installed free trial, changed language from Spanish to English, went to updates, click Update all, asked me for my app store id. and worked perfectly. Thank you very much.

  67. Amanti Melkamu

    11/09/2013 at 5:49 pm

    worked for me

  68. Andrew

    11/11/2013 at 8:51 am

    ONLY WORKS ON:

    Real Mac With Mavericks Installed

    Tried on my Hacknotsh DOESN”T WORK
    Mid 2012 MacBook Pro WORKS

  69. Vertigo

    11/11/2013 at 10:07 am

    worked instantly rMBP mid-2012 on 10.9!

  70. Dima

    11/12/2013 at 10:43 pm

    Got it! is it possible to install iWork on my iPad after installing on mac? iWork is still shown as paid if checking appstore from my iPad.

    • andrewb2202Andrew

      11/13/2013 at 4:58 am

      mac version and idevice version are separate purchases so no it won’t work. but for people getting a new iPhone or iPad you can get iWork for idevice for free

  71. prem

    11/12/2013 at 11:19 pm

    worked for me as well.

  72. KK

    11/13/2013 at 6:32 pm

    Worked for me! I had already purchased Pages a few years ago so I had those updates. Now I have Keynote and Numbers which I will probably use as much as Pages (never). I also have the full 2011 Microsoft Office I bought last year which is much better. It’s nice to be able to have it if it were needed one day though.

  73. Sophie

    11/26/2013 at 10:22 am

    Thankyou soooo much! it worked and very simple too =)

  74. CAV

    11/27/2013 at 12:01 am

    doesnt work on hackintosh?

    This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded or cancelled.

  75. Manu

    11/28/2013 at 11:28 pm

    Worked for me.

  76. Piglet

    12/03/2013 at 4:28 am

    Worked perfectly for me running macbook pro 2012 on mavericks. Thx

  77. MacbookQuestion

    12/03/2013 at 4:06 pm

    Hi everyone. This worked perfectly up to step #5, but then I got stumped on step #6. How do I “open Apple App Store app” on my 2007 Macbook with OS X 10.6.8? Is it possible? I’ve surfed all over the Web for the last hour and found a webpage stating that the apple app store app was “released starting with OS X 10.6.8” (great!), but where is it? I looked in the iTunes store, but I just see my ipad and iphone apps, no programs from my Macbook. Also, I tried — random idea!– downloading the “apple store” app (with the apple logo in a shopping cart) onto my iPhone (don’t see a way to get it onto the Macbook), but that does nothing. Any ideas? It seems so silly to be stuck on step #6. Thank you for your support and any suggestions!! :)

  78. Song

    12/04/2013 at 1:47 pm

    Worked flawlessly. Macbook Air 11″ with Mavericks.

  79. khris

    12/09/2013 at 7:44 am

    As “we” mentioned, the trick is to change Language to English, after that immediately the Appstore showed up the updates.

  80. pianofemme

    12/19/2013 at 3:33 pm

    Worked great, though the Download time was long. I’m on Mountain Lion and don’t want to/can’t yet move up to Mavericks due to music software that isn’t optimized for the latest Mac OS.

    • VPC

      12/23/2013 at 10:36 pm

      Worked on Macbook, Aluminum, late 2008 and on Mavericks.

  81. Антон Искра

    12/25/2013 at 8:52 am

    Well… I have been trying to get these apps for free FOR SOOOOO LONG TIME with this method… And all time without result. I felt very sad, because I’ve been doing everything right, but still couldn’t get these apps.
    But today I turned on Spotlight indexing (I turned it down long time ago) and EVERYTHING WORKED BY ITSELF!
    So if you’re doing everything right, but the apps does not appear in the Updates section, check if you have the Spotlight indexing turned off, and then turn it on with this command in Terminal:
    sudo mdutil -a -i on

  82. Ashley Thomas

    12/27/2013 at 3:39 pm

    Worked like a charm for me! Running Mavericks on the late 2012 iMac. I didn’t even open the App Store after installing…I opened the ’09 version of Pages just to check it out, and after clicking on “Trial”, a window popped up saying there was an update available for this application, which subsequently opened the App Store and from there it showed 3 updates available for Keynote, Pages, and Numbers!

  83. Jenn

    12/29/2013 at 12:15 pm

    I’m still running Lion, and needed to update through Software Update instead of in the App Store. Seems to be working perfectly though!

  84. Stevie Ford

    01/03/2014 at 12:08 am

    I’ve done all the steps, and installed the updates but when I open one of the apps I still get the window asking if I want to buy it or use the thirty day trial. Have they closed the loophole?

    • Stevie Ford

      01/03/2014 at 1:40 am

      My mistake. I assumed the updated versions would appear in the iWork folder. Got them now. :)

      • Jay

        01/22/2014 at 5:36 am

        @Steve Ford Where was the updates located? I’ve done the installed and update but the icons inside of the iworks09 folder still state buy now or 30 day trial.

  85. Michael

    01/04/2014 at 2:48 am

    Older Mac ? Uhh ! I guess mine is prehistoric : Powerbook G4 PPC Leopard, don’t even have access to AppStore.

  86. Nick Fortag

    01/11/2014 at 9:21 am

    Worked! Restarted after the install and opened keynote did the little setup it had and right after the setup in keynote it notified me that there was a new update for Keynote. Opened the App Store still didn’t see the update closed it for a minute and opened the App Store again and all the updates for iWork was ready to be updated. And this was on a 2012 Mac Mini.

  87. Adele

    01/15/2014 at 5:59 am

    Worked perfectly, thank you!

  88. Jerry

    01/25/2014 at 12:05 am

    Thanks! Perfectly works with my Mac Book Air with Maverick.

  89. Marti

    02/01/2014 at 4:41 am

    It worked!! I have a Macbook with Mavericks

  90. Daisy

    02/01/2014 at 3:11 pm

    It worked – thank you! [MBP 2012 with Mavericks]

  91. Jonathan O.

    02/10/2014 at 9:07 pm

    Lost my apps for IWork when i took it to repair, but now it works…. Thanks for this! Saved my life [Macbook Pro 13 in. bought Mid 2010 with Mavericks] NEED MAVERICKS for this to work

  92. Dave Bunch

    02/16/2014 at 3:37 pm

    Worked like a charm! Thanks for the tip – you rock!

  93. Andrew John

    02/19/2014 at 5:30 am

    Seems to have worked for me. MBA 05/2012. Thanks for the clear instructions. It all went like clockwork.

  94. Trisa

    02/21/2014 at 7:08 am

    I downloaded the trial prior to downloading Maverick. Once Maverick was installed, the updates for all of the iwork products showed up in the update folder, so I updated. However, although I can open each program and work in it, I am unable to save or export because I get the pop up window telling me I can’t save, print, or export documents until the iwork ’09 trial has been activated. I don’t know what to do here. When I click on the about button in each program, I see ’09 version 2.3 – but it does not say trial. What do I do now? I am a bit crazy with this!

  95. Apta

    02/24/2014 at 10:14 pm

    Trisa- the updated versions are in the Application folder, not in the iWork folder. You’re still using the old trial versions.

  96. Trisa

    02/26/2014 at 9:55 am

    Apta – I loaded updates from the Applications folder. I still am unable to use any of the programs from iwork without that window appearing. Now I have NONE of the programs available for use. What do I do now? I originally removed 3 of the plist files and was able to use numbers, but none of the others. I received msg. that required files were missing – so I returned them and have found myself back to the same window. Please help me!

    • Apta

      02/26/2014 at 5:42 pm

      Trisa- It’s difficult for me to say what’s going on without further information. It could be that the ’09 apps had an update themselves in which case you would indeed see the notice to activate the trial versions.

      The UPGRADE notification to the new iWork apps would show up in the App Store application.
      Also, other postings indicate that the ’09 apps must be in the Applications folder itself, not in the iWork ’09 subfolder. You need to move them out of that one.

  97. Nelson Huang

    03/12/2014 at 10:59 pm

    I keep getting “This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded or cancelled.”

  98. terryrytz

    03/14/2014 at 4:59 am

    I have the same issue Nelson guess Apple have stopped this?

  99. Nav

    03/15/2014 at 11:17 am

    This worked perfectly for me! Thank you very much!

  100. iqbal

    03/28/2014 at 4:56 pm

    It worked well. Thank you so much

  101. vv0620

    03/29/2014 at 10:42 am

    As stated at the very beginning, it requires a little manipulation but it did work.
    Thank you,

  102. Harsh

    05/04/2014 at 7:28 am

    Hi , I installed it on my maverick and it’s working well.
    Just wanted to know that is it for 30 days only as mentioned trial version OR will work after completing trial period also .. People please reply who have installed it earlier .
    Thanks

    • Clarice

      05/15/2014 at 5:52 pm

      Its only a 30 day trial. To make it permanent you will need to install the update (as the article above states). According to the article, the update will show up in your App Store under “updates”. However, for some people including myself, it wasn’t there. So I just downloaded the update directly from Apple (free) here:

      https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1563

  103. Clarice

    05/15/2014 at 5:47 pm

    I could not get the update to show up in my App Store, however…
    I downloaded the update directly from Apple and it worked!

    https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1563

    After downloading, you will need to wait a few minutes or restart your computer. After this was able to launch iWorks without getting the “Buy or Try” window.

  104. nbharadwaj

    05/24/2014 at 12:31 pm

    worked! Thank you

  105. jaime

    06/10/2014 at 10:45 am

    this was awesome – thank you!!

  106. Dragos Petria

    06/18/2014 at 1:19 am

    Worked like a charm – Late 2008 MacBook, Mavericks OX

  107. IT WORKS!

    06/25/2014 at 8:25 am

    IT WORKS! – probably most of you fail at opening the installer. Go to System Preferences>Security&Privacy and allow “Anywhere” as source. After you installed the trial DO NOT START it, first upgrade following the instructions in this post. Tested Jun 25, 2014 Mavericks.

  108. Nadm

    08/04/2014 at 2:49 am

    Worked! Macbook bought May 2012 which was upgraded to OS X Maverick. Just follow the tips about security and updates instructions.

  109. oscar

    08/04/2014 at 9:48 pm

    Cha ching!! awesome! worked for me 2011 MBP with mountain Lion :)

  110. Bunny

    08/10/2014 at 6:04 pm

    It work!

  111. Maria

    10/26/2014 at 9:39 am

    Has anyone tried this on Yosemite? I did everything as stated and when i click up date i get:

    “This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded or cancelled.”

    Did they fix this loophole?

    • Deepak

      10/30/2014 at 10:31 am

      Same issue here on 2011 MBP Yosemite.

    • Alex

      11/27/2014 at 11:04 am

      I just did it on Yosemite, it works

  112. Shawzy

    11/07/2014 at 1:48 pm

    Cannot get this to work on Yosemite! Any help?

  113. MJB

    11/17/2014 at 12:26 pm

    working perfectly for me on my late 2012 mbp running yosemite 10.10.1

  114. Alex

    11/27/2014 at 11:02 am

    Just did this after upgrading to Yosemite, and it worked!!! Note that it will make you verify eligibility on the App store (several times) by typing your password when attempting to download updates, so I thought it wasn’t going to let me do it, but after hitting the update button a few times and typing my password voila! I got all three apps to work!

  115. buriburizaemon

    12/18/2014 at 5:45 am

    It doesn’t work any more. Post to be updated

  116. Erville

    12/25/2014 at 8:16 am

    Mine wont update. It tells me its not form a recognized Apple ID. Can someone tell me how they got around this?

    • Erville

      12/25/2014 at 8:31 am

      I thik I got it to work. How can I know to be sure?

  117. VJ

    04/25/2015 at 8:14 am

    Awesome!!!! Thanks a mill!

  118. Boris

    05/23/2015 at 7:34 am

    It does still work. Just make sure you set your language to English.

    2011 MBP running on Maverics

  119. Vane

    08/05/2015 at 9:51 pm

    After updates, it still showed trial version.

    I did open and close the app before the updates. Any suggestions?
    I am running Mavericks on 2010 mbp. Thanks.

    • Vane

      08/05/2015 at 10:02 pm

      It’s ok, I got it. You need to delete the iWorks 09 folder in Application

  120. Jose

    10/02/2015 at 10:55 am

    My app store didn’t ask me to update the apps until after I restarted my macbook, after that, it worked like a charm! Thanks guys!

  121. Tammy

    10/04/2015 at 2:45 pm

    I just did it and I am running El Capitan. Seems to be working just fine, except for Keynote isn’t wanting to update. I will keep working with it though. Thanks for this work around.

  122. Steph

    10/05/2015 at 6:14 pm

    still works! just make sure you change the settings. i haven’t updated to El Capitan, but hopefully it will still work after the software update. thanks a lot!

    • Clémence L.

      11/15/2015 at 5:14 am

      Yes it works for me with El Capitan!

  123. bruceel55

    11/07/2015 at 5:33 am

    I still haven’t been given the option to update the 3 – just have trial or buy ? I’m updating to El Capitan now… Steph – were you able to get it to work?

  124. Clémence L.

    11/14/2015 at 8:44 am

    This works!!! I live in Belgium and I donwloaded the Iwork free trial and like they said in the comments changed the language of my mac to english and it works!! now I have Iwork 2015! I still have to download the updates but if it works I will say it really really works, let’s find out!

  125. Clémence L.

    11/15/2015 at 5:13 am

    OMG it really works I downloaded the updates yesterday and now I really have Iwork they don’t even say it’s a 30 day trial!

  126. George

    12/07/2015 at 9:46 am

    Download was perfect, smooth, and fast (less than 10 minutes). Update from the app store was no problem, and also fast. I am using the iMac desktop 10.8.5. The only issue I have is that when download was complete, the last window gave me the option to purchase the registration code, or just use the 30-day trial. I’m going with the trial version. But will I have to pay for the registration after a month? I see others didn’t have to make this selection — did I goof somewhere? Thx

  127. Bot

    12/22/2015 at 8:38 am

    Same problem. Followed instructions exactly but when launching Pages I get the “buy” or “trial” options. On a Macpro quad core 2009 model running Mountain Lion 10.8.5

  128. fumster12

    01/25/2016 at 8:10 am

    Still works perfectly! I probably have a 2012 macbook pro (purchased January 2013) running El Capitan… Easy breezy! No trial or anything! Thank you!

  129. john

    02/03/2016 at 7:01 am

    Thanks for that. Having restored my harddrive the other day lost all my original applications which when i tried to download them they wont let me as i am only on 10.7. Tried to download and install Mavericks but guess what, it fails everytime so I am stuck with bloody 10.7 and no iwork apps that work, until I saw this. I have now downloaded both the trial and the updates but when I opened them they said I either have to purchase a licence or just use the trial. So I am signed up to the trial as not sure why I use as normal. so at least I have month free trial? If anyone knows how to rectify my free trial and make it work all the time, appreciated.

  130. Bonn

    03/18/2016 at 7:09 am

    the update notification appear but it wont update. i use OSX el-capitan and i tried couple of times but still wont update. i try updating other app other than iWork and successful. i’ll try again tomorrow.

  131. taadaagina

    08/08/2016 at 5:26 pm

    Thank you Thank you!! It still worked and worked flawlessly – flow all instructions.

  132. 1337h4x0r

    09/16/2016 at 2:18 pm

    Works on my El Capitan hackintosh in 2016. Nice find. Thanks for that.

  133. mirkos

    11/27/2016 at 10:51 am

    I did everything here, but i still get the offer to buy it, or to run trial version.

  134. AppleUser

    02/20/2017 at 4:08 am

    I just recently bought a sweet MacBook Pro late 2012 version and these apps were not installed. I followed the directions and this still works! Thank you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.