If you own an Apple device, your Apple ID is the key to everything that’s associated with your account. You need it to access Apple’s apps and services like the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, and more. In most cases, your Apple ID is associated with the iCloud email address that you generated when you first purchased an Apple device.

The following post will help you change your iCloud email address, change/add a secondary email address/phone number, and delete your iCloud account if you no longer use it.

Related: How to Close Apps on the iPhone

How to change your iCloud email address

You can change your iCloud email address on whichever device you use Apple ID on. Keep in mind you will still be able to access your contacts, purchases, or other account information even after changing your iCloud email address on any of your devices.

Method 1: On iPhone

  1. To change your iCloud email address on your iPhone, open the Settings app, and tap on your Apple ID name at the top.
  2. Inside your Apple ID screen, select Name, Phone Numbers, Email.

    Note    : You need to be connected to the internet via WiFi or mobile network if you want to get beyond the ‘Name, Phone Numbers, Email’ option, otherwise the option will appear greyed out and will be un-tappable.
  3. On the next screen, tap on Edit inside the “Contactable at” section.
  4. You will now be able to edit which of the addresses you want to keep and which ones to remove. Tap on the minus (-) button on the left-hand side of your current iCloud email address.
  5. Tap on Delete on the right side of this iCloud address.
  6. Apple will now ask you to choose a new email address that you would want to be set as your Apple ID which will appear inside a dialog box. Here, tap on Continue and enter your iPhone’s passcode, if asked.
  7. Inside the New Apple ID screen, add an email address you want to use as your new sign-in username for use on your Apple devices. After that, tap on Next at the top right corner.
  8. Now, you will have to verify the newly-entered email address and follow the instructions on-screen to verify it. You can ignore this step if the new email address is already listed under the ‘Contactable at’ section inside your Apple ID screen.
  9. Once the verification is complete, you will see the ‘Your Apple ID has been updated’ dialog on your screen. Tap on Next and you will be taken to the Apple ID screen which will show the new iCloud email address under your name.

Related: Best iPhone Chargers to Buy

Method 2: On Mac

Unlike on iOS devices, there’s no local way of changing your iCloud email address on a Mac using the Settings app. Instead, you will have to use the conventional way of managing services through your web browser, most preferably – Safari.

  1. To change your iCloud email on a Mac, open Safari (or a browser on Windows), head over to appleid.apple.com, and sign in with your current Apple ID and password.
  2. If you’re logging in through a Mac or a MacBook, you will be asked if you would like to sign in to the account using your Mac password which you otherwise use to get past the lock screen. If you wish to use your Mac password, click on Continue with Password and enter your computer’s password to sign in to your Apple ID account.
  3. Once you successfully log in, you will be taken to your Apple ID account page. On this page, click on Edit on the right side of the “Account” section.
  4. Now, click on Change Apple ID under your Apple ID.
  5. In the dialog box that appears below this option, enter the email address that you want to set as your new iCloud email address, and then click on Continue.
  6. The next step is to verify the new iCloud email address. Head over to the inbox of the newly-entered email address and check for a verification email from Apple. Follow the instructions given on the screen to verify this email address.
  7. You can now head back to the Apple ID webpage on your browser and you will be able to see the new iCloud email under your name. Click on Done to save changes.

How to change your secondary iCloud email address

Unlike changing your primary iCloud email address, you won’t be able to directly change your secondary email address for your Apple account. Instead, you can either add a new alternative email address in addition to your existing secondary email or remove your existing one and replace it with a new alternative email.

Method 1: Remove a secondary iCloud email address

You can remove an already existing secondary iCloud email directly from your iPhone or computer.

On iPhone
  1. To delete an existing secondary iCloud email on your iPhone, open the Settings app, and tap on your Apple ID name at the top.
  2. Inside your Apple ID screen, tap on Name, Phone Numbers, Email.
  3. On the next screen, tap on Edit inside the “Contactable at” section.
  4. You will now be able to edit which of the addresses you want to keep and which ones to remove. Tap on the minus (-) button on the left-hand side of your alternative email address (except for the one marked as Apple ID).
  5. Tap on Delete on the right side of this iCloud address.

Your existing secondary iCloud email will now be removed from your Apple account.

On your PC
  1. You can remove your existing secondary iCloud email on your computer or Mac by visiting appleid.apple.com and signing in with your current Apple ID and password.
  2. After you’re signed in to your Apple account, click on Edit inside “Account”.
  3. Head over to the Reachable at section inside “Account” and click on the x icon next to your existing secondary email address to remove it.
  4. To confirm the removal, click on Delete inside the dialog box that appears.

Your secondary email will now be deleted from your Apple account.

Method 2: Add a secondary email address

In addition to your default iCloud email ID, you can also add a new secondary email address to log in to your Apple account on your iPhones and other devices.

On iPhone
  1. To add a secondary email address to your Apple Account on your iPhone, open the Settings app and go to your Apple ID name > Name, Phone Numbers, Email.
  2. Here, tap on Edit inside the “Contactable at” section.
  3. On this screen, tap on Add Email or Phone Number under the list of email addresses available on your account.
  4. In the popup that appears below, select Add an Email Address.
  5. In the next screen, type an email address you want to set as your secondary iCloud email and tap on Next.

Your new secondary email will be added to your iCloud email once it’s verified.

On PC
  1. You can add a new secondary iCloud email on your computer or Mac by visiting appleid.apple.com and signing in with your current Apple ID and password.
  2. After you’re signed in to your Apple account, click on Edit inside the “Account” section.
  3. Head over to the Reachable at section inside “Account” and click on Add More underneath the email addresses.
  4. In the dialog that appears on the screen, select Email Address as your preferred type of contact info. Inside the text box below, type an email address you want to set as the secondary iCloud email address for your Apple ID, and once done, click on Continue.
  5. You will have to head over to the inbox of your new secondary email to get it verified and add it to your iCloud email.

How to change your secondary iCloud phone number

Apple makes sure that you can only add a phone number as your Apple ID if you initially set up your Apple account using a phone number.  However, to add a phone number as your secondary contact, you can do that any time and the process of adding one will be similar to that of changing the phone number for your Apple ID.

Method 1: On iPhone

  1. You can add a mobile number as your Apple ID on your iPhone by first opening the Settings app and heading over to your Apple ID name > Name, Phone Numbers, Email.
  2. Inside the Apple ID screen, tap on Edit inside the “Contactable at” section.
  3. To change your Apple ID to a new phone number, tap Tap on the minus (-) button on the left-hand side of your current phone number that’s set as your Apple ID.
  4. To change your secondary contact info to a new phone number, tap on Add Email or Phone Number under the list of email addresses available on your account.
  5. In the popup that appears below, select Add a Phone Number.
  6. On the next screen, type the phone number you want to set as your secondary contact and tap on Next.

Your new secondary contact number will be added to your Apple ID once it’s verified using the verification code sent to your phone.

Method 2: On PC

  1. You can add a secondary phone number on your computer or Mac by visiting appleid.apple.com and signing in with your current Apple ID and password.
  2. After you’re signed in to your Apple account, click on Edit inside the “Account” section.
  3. Head over to the Reachable at section inside “Account” and click on Add More under all your email addresses and contact numbers.
  4. In the dialog that appears on the screen, select Phone Number as your preferred type of contact info. Inside the text box below, type a phone number you want to set as the secondary contact info for your Apple ID, and once done, click on Continue.
  5. This phone number will now have to be verified using the verification code sent to the number and once done, it will be added as your alternative contact number inside your Apple ID.

Related: How to Keep YouTube Playing in the Background on iPhone

I can’t change my iCloud email address. Why?

If you aren’t able to change your iCloud email address or add alternative contact info inside your Apple account, then you must be facing any one of the following issues.

New email address already exists

If you entered an email address that’s already added to your iCloud account, then there’s no point adding this email address as your new Apple ID again since you can also use the existing email address as your credentials to sign in to Apple’s services.

Your iCloud email address was created recently

If the @icloud.com email address you entered is relatively new, you won’t be able to use it as your new Apple ID right away. According to Apple, any @icloud.com email address created within the last 30 days cannot be used to change your Apple ID.

New email address belongs to a third-party provider

Apple allows you to port your Apple ID from a third-party email address to that of its own like @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com. However, you should know that this is a one-way street and the reverse isn’t possible. This means that you can’t switch to a third-party email address from an @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com account, even if the new address was associated with your Apple ID before this.

If you wish to change your iCloud email address to a @gmail.com, @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, or another third-party email address, we’re sorry to inform you that it isn’t possible.

Cannot add @iCloud.com address as Apple ID

If you created your Apple account using a phone number, then you won’t be able to change your Apple ID even if you have an @iCloud.com address set as your new contact info. If you wish to change your Apple ID from a phone number, you can only change it to another phone number and not to an @iCloud.com email address.

Cannot add a phone number as Apple ID

Similar to the case explained above, you can only add a phone number as your Apple ID if you have created your Apple account using a phone number. If your Apple account was created with an email address, be it Apple’s @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com accounts or a third-party email service, you won’t be able to change your Apple ID to a phone number anytime in the future.

Related: How to Get Among Us Lock Screen on iPhone and iPad

How to delete your iCloud account

If for some reason, you have decided to delete your iCloud account, Apple allows you to easily delete the account so that all the contents associated with your Apple ID are deleted. When you delete an iCloud account, you lose access to:

  • Purchases made on the iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books
  • Subscriptions made using your Apple ID
  • Files, images, videos, and documents stored on iCloud storage
  • Messages sent and received on iMessage, FaceTime, or iCloud
  • Find My Phone to locate and track a lost Apple device

You can continue with your account deletion by following the steps below. 

  1. To delete your iCloud account, head over to the Apple Data and Privacy webpage and sign in with your iCloud email address and password.
  2. Once you sign in, you will be taken to the Manage your data page. Here, scroll to the bottom and click on Request to delete your account under “Delete your account”.
  3. You will be taken to a new page that shows you the things you will no longer be able to use once you delete your account. Scroll down, and make sure you have followed everything Apple has recommended to follow before deleting your account.
  4. Once you have done that, select a reason from the list of reasons you’re requesting to delete your Apple account. Once you selected your reason, click on Continue below to complete your request.

Apple will delete your account after it receives and approves your request.

Was this guide helpful to make you learn all the things you need to know about your iCloud account? Let us know in the comments. 

RELATED