From Experimac
An Apple ID account is your personal account to access Apple services including iTunes® store, iCloud® service, iMessage® service, App Store® platform, FaceTime® feature and the Apple Online Store® platform.
Your Apple ID account also stores your sign-in information as well as payment, contact and security details; as a result, you should not share your Apple ID account information with anyone. You only use one Apple ID account, but within that account, you may have multiple email addresses. Managing multiple email accounts and your Apple ID account can be confusing at times. Follow the steps outlined below to move or change an email address to a different Apple ID account.
There are two scenarios. Choose which one is applicable to you.
If your Apple ID account email is a third-party email address:
You will need to sign out of every Apple service and device that uses your Apple ID account in order to make a change to your Apple ID email address. If you change your Apple ID email to a non-third-party email address, such as @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com, you cannot change it back to a third-party email account. The former Apple ID that ends with a third-party email address will become an additional email address associated with your Apple ID account.
If you change your Apple ID email to another third-party email address, you are required to verify the new account.
Once you enter the email address that you wish to use for your Apple ID account, a verification code will be sent to the new email address. To begin using your updated Apple ID account, you will need to enter the verification code that is sent to your email address.
If your Apple ID account email ends with @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com:
When you change your email address, this will change the Apple ID email that others see when sharing with you. This is also what Apple shows when referring to your account. When you change an Apple ID email, you can either enter a third-party email address or you can enter an @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com email address that is an alias for your Apple ID account.
To see which email addresses are an alias for your Apple ID account:
Sign into your Apple ID account and click “Edit” in the “Account” section. When you hover over the question mark icon, it will show “This is an alias of your Apple ID email address.”
These steps will help you change your Apple ID email.
1. Go to appleid.apple.com and sign in.
2. In the Account section, click “Edit”.
3. Under your Apple ID email, click “Change Apple ID”. You’ll get a list of emails to choose from that you can use as your Apple ID email. You will only be able to use an email address that is already as alias within your account. If you try to change your Apple ID email to an @icloud.com email address created within the last 30 days, you might be asked to try again later.
4. Choose the one that you want to use as your Apple ID email. You can only change your Apple ID email to an @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com email.
5. Click “Continue”.
You will need to use this new Apple ID email and sign-in information with each of the Apple services you use.
If you are having trouble with your Apple ID account or signing in to your devices using your account, stop by your local Experimac store. The tech team at your local store is well-versed in solving these types of issues as well as repairs and upgrades for all of your Apple devices. If it’s time for a newer model of one of your devices, we’ve got prices that can’t be beaten on a wide variety of certified pre-owned Apple devices.
