The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
To reclaim an Apple app license in Microsoft Intune, first stop or change the app assignment, then open the app’s App licenses view and select Revoke license for the required user or device. If the app must also be removed, use an Uninstall assignment—removing an assignment or revoking a license alone may leave the app installed.
“VPP” is Apple’s legacy terminology. Apple now manages these purchases through Apps and Books in Apple Business Manager, while Intune still uses labels such as Apple VPP tokens. See Microsoft’s current Apple VPP and Apps and Books documentation.
What license revocation does
A VPP license is an Apple app entitlement assigned to a user or device through Intune. Revoking it returns that entitlement to the organization’s available license pool. It is not always an uninstall command.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Remove assignment | Stops Intune from targeting or offering the app, but the installed app and license may remain. |
| Revoke license | Returns the selected entitlement to the available pool; the app may remain installed. |
| Assign Uninstall | Instructs Intune to remove the app and reclaim the license when the device processes the assignment. |
Before you start
- Have an Intune role that permits app and license management.
- Confirm the app was acquired in Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager and synchronized through the correct location token.
- Confirm the user or device still has an Intune record. Intune’s normal revocation workflow requires a managed-device record to exist.
- Identify whether the app uses device licensing or user licensing.
- Do not delete the token or device record until you have completed any required revocation.
Revoke one app license from a user or device
- Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center.
- Go to Apps > All apps.
- Select the relevant Apple VPP or Apps and Books application.
- Open App licenses.
- Find the affected user or device. Check the associated token if the same app appears more than once.
- Select the record and choose Revoke license.
- If the app must be removed, configure an Uninstall assignment rather than relying only on revocation.
- Synchronize the associated token if the count does not change after normal processing.
Portal labels can vary as Microsoft updates Intune. The important controls are the app’s license list, the specific user or device record, and the revoke action.
#1 Best Overall
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
Revoke every license for an app
Use this when retiring an app, preparing to transfer licenses, or cleaning up an obsolete assignment:
- Open Apps > All apps and select the Apple app.
- Open App licenses.
- Remove or change active assignments so Intune does not immediately reassign licenses.
- Choose Revoke licenses and confirm the operation.
- Synchronize the related Apple location token and verify the available count in Intune and Apple Business Manager.
Microsoft requires associated licenses to be revoked before an app is deleted from Intune. Review the current deletion and license-management guidance before removing an app or token.
Revoke licenses from an entire device
For device-wide cleanup or a failed installation, open the iOS/iPadOS device record, select Revoke licenses from the device overview, and then reassign the app if necessary. Microsoft describes this as a troubleshooting step, not the normal method for removing one application.
Rank #2
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
For an iOS/iPadOS installation failure, Microsoft’s support guidance recommends opening the app’s App licenses page, selecting the affected device, revoking its license, and reassigning the app. Retire and re-enroll the device only if the licensing or enrollment state remains corrupted. See the Intune app installation error guidance.
Revoke versus uninstall on Apple devices
iPhone and iPad
If the desired result is both removal and license recovery, use an Uninstall assignment. A device must be reachable and able to process the policy. Simply deleting the app assignment does not guarantee that an installed app or its license disappears immediately.
Mac
Microsoft notes that a revoked macOS app can remain usable on the Mac but may no longer update until a license is assigned again. Apple’s removal behavior may occur after a grace period described by Microsoft as up to 30 days; this should not be treated as an immediate or guaranteed uninstall. Use an explicit Uninstall assignment when prompt removal is required.
Rank #3
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
Device licensing and user licensing
| Model | Important behavior |
|---|---|
| Device licensing | Does not require an App Store sign-in, associates the entitlement with the device, and depends on installation and updates through MDM. It is not supported for Apple User Enrollment. |
| User licensing | Associates the entitlement with the user, can support Apple User Enrollment with Managed Apple Accounts, and may prompt the user to use an Apple Account. |
New VPP app assignments default to device licensing, although existing assignments retain their previous configuration. Do not assign both licensing models to the same user or device without a deliberate reason. A personal Apple Account and a Managed Apple Account can also consume separate licenses for the same person.
Why the license count has not returned
- The assignment is still active: Remove the target from the assignment or change the intent to Uninstall.
- The app was manually deleted: Deleting the app locally does not necessarily revoke its assigned license.
- The device is offline: An uninstall or policy change cannot complete until the device communicates with Intune.
- The wrong app or token was selected: The same app can appear multiple times when it is linked to different location tokens.
- The device record was deleted: Intune may no longer be able to perform normal device-specific revocation.
- The token is expired or invalid: Location tokens are valid for one year and must be renewed.
- The token is marked Duplicate: The same location token was uploaded more than once. Determine which copy is authoritative before removing the duplicate.
- Synchronization is pending: Intune synchronizes token information by default once per day, and Microsoft says license counts can take several hours to reflect installation or removal.
Run a manual synchronization from the relevant token under Tenant administration > Connectors and tokens > Apple VPP tokens. Then check both the Intune license view and the Apps and Books license count in Apple Business Manager.
Offboarding and device replacement
When a user leaves, remove the user from the assignment group or change the app assignment to Uninstall. You can also revoke the app license directly. Deleting the user from Microsoft Entra ID can trigger reclamation, but removing a device from Intune management alone does not automatically return every VPP license.
Rank #4
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
Where possible, revoke licenses before retiring, deleting, or replacing the device. Preserve the Intune device record until the cleanup is complete.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do not delete the token first
Deleting an Apple VPP/location token is not a normal license-cleanup technique. Microsoft states that token deletion removes associated apps and assignments and revokes associated licenses, but it does not uninstall the apps. After deletion, Intune cannot revoke licenses through that token.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Before migration or token removal, revoke or transfer licenses and document the assignments. A location token can be used with only one device-management solution and one Intune tenant at a time. Do not upload the same token to another MDM or tenant. During a legacy VPP-to-Apps-and-Books migration, follow Microsoft’s migration sequence and do not delete the existing token unless the documented procedure specifically requires it.
Best Value
- WHY IPAD PRO — iPad Pro with the Apple M5 chip delivers extraordinary performance for effortless productivity on a stunning display. Take on pro workflows with Neural Accelerators for AI and a redesigned iPadOS with game-changing capabilities.*
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — iPad Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and the power of on-device AI to all your tasks.* Featuring up to 2TB of storage, 16GB of memory, and Neural Accelerators for next-level AI performance.*
- IPADOS — Run pro apps and get more done with iPadOS 26 with Liquid Glass design and game-changing capabilities.* With an intuitive and flexible windowing system, you can control, organize, and manage your workflows like never before.
- APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you communicate, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- 13-INCH ULTRA RETINA XDR DISPLAY — The world’s most advanced display, featuring extreme brightness, precise contrast, ProMotion, P3 wide color, and True Tone.* Nano-texture display glass available in 1TB and 2TB configurations
Terminology at a glance
| Legacy term | Current Apple terminology |
|---|---|
| Apple VPP | Apps and Books in Apple Business Manager |
| VPP token | Location token or content token |
| VPP app | App acquired through Apps and Books |
| VPP license | App license assigned to a user or device |
Intune supports multiple location tokens—up to 3,000 per tenant according to Microsoft’s current documentation. Keep token ownership and licensing model records accurate, particularly during MDM migrations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I revoke a license after deleting the device from Intune?
Usually not through the normal device-specific Intune workflow. The supported revocation process requires the Intune device record to still exist, so revoke the license before deleting the record whenever possible.
Can the same Apple location token be used in two Intune tenants?
No. Microsoft states that a location token can be used with only one device-management solution and one Intune tenant at a time.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Why does an app still appear installed after its license was revoked?
License entitlement and app removal are separate operations. Use an Uninstall assignment when the application itself must be removed.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
