Delete an Apple ID

There is no official way to delete an Apple ID, but you can get the Customer Service department to do it for you. This article will teach how you to do this. It will also teach you how to secure dormant accounts and disable iMessage.

10 Second Summary

1. Delete any associated email addresses on appleid.apple.com. More ↓
2. Generate a security PIN in the "Security" section. ↓
3. Back up any files or emails you want to save, including those in iCloud.↓
4. Find the Apple ID Account Security number for your region. ↓
5. Call the appropriate support number and explain that you want your ID deleted. ↓

Steps

Permanently Deleting an Account

  1. Ensure that you actually want to permanently delete the Apple ID. When you delete an Apple ID, you will lose access to all services and purchases that were associated with it. For example, you'll lose access to your iCloud Mail and iCloud Drive storage. Any purchases you've made with the account will be lost, including iTunes, the App Store, or any other Apple online storefront. You'll lose access to iMessage as well.
    • You may not need to delete your account completely if you want to retain access to your account and purchases. You can change your account information so that all payment and personal information is removed, which will allow you to leave the account dormant without fear of someone accessing your data. See the Delete-an-Apple-ID for details.
    • If you've recently switched from an iPhone to another type of phone and are no longer receiving texts, see the Delete-an-Apple-ID.
  2. Delete any associated email addresses. When you permanently delete an Apple ID, you won't be able to create a new one using that email address again. What many people don't realize, though, is that you also won't be able to use any other email addresses that you have associated with your account. Make sure to remove these additional email addresses from your account before deleting it, in case you want to create a new account with one of them later.
    • Visit appleid.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID.
    • Click "Edit" next to the Account section.
    • Click the "X" next to each of the email addresses you want to remove from the account. This will allow you to use them later if you decide to make an account again.
  3. Generate a security PIN. You'll need this PIN while on the phone with Support to delete your account. You can do this by clicking "Generate PIN" in the "Security" section of appleid.apple.com.
  4. Back up any files or emails you want to save. You're going to lose access to your iCloud Mail and your iCloud Drive storage, so make sure that you back up any important messages or files before deleting the account.
    • You can back up your iCloud mail by moving messages from your iCloud inbox into an inbox stored on your computer. You can't back up mail using an iOS device.
    • Make copies of any documents saved in iCloud Drive. It is easiest to access these files using a Mac computer running Yosemite or later, as you can quickly find the files by clicking "iCloud" in the Finder. If you're using an iOS device, you'll need to open the documents in their respective apps and then share copies to your computer.
    • Back up your pictures. Any images stored in iCloud will be lost when you delete your account. Make sure that you have your important pictures backed up to your computer before your account is deleted.
  5. Find the Apple ID Account Security number for your region. You'll need to find the direct number for your region. You can find the number for your region here.
  6. Call the appropriate support number and explain that you want your ID deleted. You will need to verify your identity, which is what the PIN you created is for. Deleting an Apple ID is not a standard procedure, so you may get some pushback. Apple doesn't want to delete your Apple ID because it costs them a customer. If the support representative cannot help you, politely ask to speak to a supervisor and explain your situation again.[1]
    • You will likely be told several times that you will lose access to all of your purchases. You'll need to confirm that you are OK losing access to your purchases and data.
    • All of the email addresses associated with your account can no longer be used to create an Apple ID in the future.

Securing a Dormant Account

  1. Remove your Apple ID from iTunes on your computer. Before securing your ID, you'll want to make sure you've removed it from iTunes completely.
    • Click the Store menu in iTunes and select "View My Apple ID".
    • Click the "Deauthorize All" button. This will remove your Apple ID from any device that it is signed into.
    • Click the "Manage Devices" button and remove all of your devices. This will stop automatic downloads.
    • Turn off auto-renew for any subscriptions, such as iTunes Radio.[2]
  2. Remove your Apple ID from your iOS device. Delete your Apple ID from your iOS devices before changing all of the information. This will allow you to sign in with a new Apple ID.
    • Open the Settings app and tap "iTunes & App Store."
    • Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen and then tap "Sign Out."
  3. Log into .appleid.apple.com with your Apple ID. If you don't want to completely delete your account, you can remove all of your personal information from it and let it lie dormant. This will allow you to continue accessing your old purchases and iCloud data. Log into the account management page with your Apple ID information.
  4. Change your personal information. Use the Edit buttons to change your name, address, and birthday. You can enter fake information to replace them. This will remove your personal information from your Apple ID.
  5. Delete your payment information. Find the "Payment" section of the ID Management site and remove your payment details. You won't be able to remove your payment information if you have an unpaid balance or have recently changed regions.
  6. Change your Apple ID email account. If you want to be able to use your Apple ID email to create a new Apple ID later, you'll want to change the email associated with the account to something else. You can create a free email address through Yahoo!, Gmail, or any other webmail service and use it as your new Apple ID email. This will allow you to use your old email to create a new Apple ID later if you want.
  7. Sign out of your account. Your Apple ID now no longer contains any personal information or payment details, and you can safely let the account lie dormant. You'll still be able to use it if you need to access your old purchases, but you won't be able to make new purchases with it unless you add your real information back.

Disabling iMessage

  1. Visit the "Deregister iMessage" page. If you've switched from an iPhone to an Android or other smartphone, you may not be receiving text messages that are still being sent to your Apple ID. You can de-register iMessage by visiting selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage.
  2. Enter your phone number. Enter the mobile number that is not properly receiving messages. You'll receive a text message from Apple with a code.
  3. Enter the code you receive. Entering this code will verify that you own the phone number, and your iMessage account will be de-registered. You should receive all of your SMS messages as normal.

Warnings

  • You cannot merge multiple Apple IDs.[3] If you've created a new one, you will not be able to access information from the old ID without logging into the old ID.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://mandarapte.com/apple/delete-deactivate-apple-id-answer/
  2. ↑ http://support.apple.com/kb/HE37
  3. ↑ https://discussions.apple.com/message/20507606#20507606
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