How To Change your iCloud Email Address

Lee Stanton July 29, 2022

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The email address associated with your iCloud account is also linked to your Apple ID account. Whether or not you can change it depends on the email address itself. In other words, if you want to change your iCloud email, you will have to change the email address that’s associated with your Apple ID.

In this article, we’ll show you how to change your iCloud email address through your Apple ID. In addition, you’ll learn how to change your secondary iCloud email address.

How to Change Your iCloud Email Address With Apple ID

There are many reasons you would want to change your iCloud email address. Maybe you have multiple email addresses, and you want to connect all of them to your iCloud account. Perhaps you created a new business email account and want to link it to your iCloud account. Similarly, changing it to something more professional is wise if you have been using the same email address since high school and it has an awkward name.

Before we explain how to change your iCloud email address, it’s important to mention that your iCloud account and Apple ID account use the same email address. This is otherwise known as your primary email address. Not only does this email address let you access your iCloud account, but also other apps on your Apple devices, like the App Store, iMessage, Apple Music, or Facetime.

With so much hinging on a single email address, is changing your iCloud email even possible? Well, it depends on the email address. If the email address associated with your iCloud account and linked to your Apple ID ends in “@icloud.com,” it can’t be changed. However, if it ends in “@gmail.com,” “@yahoo.com,” or anything else, you do have the option to change it if you want.

Note that while you can’t change your primary email, you can change your secondary iCloud email address, which we’ll address later.

How to Change Your iCloud Email Address With Apple ID on an iPhone

If you do have the option to change your primary email, the good news is that it can be done right in your iPhone’s settings. The entire process takes just a few minutes. Follow the steps below to see how to change your iCloud email address with Apple ID on your iPhone:

Open your Settings on your home page.
Head over to your Apple ID at the top of the menu.
Proceed to the “Name, Phone Numbers, Email” tab.
Select “Edit” next to your Apple ID.
Tap on the red Apple ID button.
Go to the “Delete” button. Your iPhone will prompt you to add a new email address for your Apple ID.
Choose “Continue” on the pop-up window.
Enter your new Apple ID email address.
Select “Next.”

After you do this, the automated system will send a verification code to the email address you entered. Once you verify your new Apple ID email address, you’ll get a notification saying “Your Apple ID has been updated” on your phone. The next time you sign in to your iCloud account, use the new Apple ID you’ve just added. You won’t be required to make any changes to your iCloud account; it will automatically update.

Many iCloud users don’t realize they can change their email addresses this way. They erroneously assume that deleting their old Apple ID will wipe the iCloud storage from all their devices. To change an Apple ID, you have to delete the old one. However, this won’t interfere with files and data stored on your iCloud. The only thing that will be deleted is the iCloud account settings.

How to Change Your iCloud Email Address With Apple ID on a PC

If you don’t have access to your phone right now, you can also change your Apple ID on your computer. This is how you can change your primary iCloud email with your Apple ID on your Mac or Windows:

Open your browser.
Go to your Apple ID account page.
Sign in to your account using your current Apple ID email address.
Click on the “Sign-in and Security” tab on the left side panel.
Choose the “Apple ID” box.
Go to the “Change Your Apple ID” field on the new window.
Type in your new Apple ID.
Save the changes.

Once you’ve changed your email address, open your email in a new window and confirm the verification email. If you didn’t get the email, you have the option to resend it from your Apple ID account. After you change the email linked to your Apple ID, you will be signed out of your iCloud. Don’t forget to go back to your iCloud account and sign in with your new Apple ID.

If you used your Apple ID to sign in to apps on your iPhone, you will be automatically signed out of them as well. Make sure to sign back into all the apps with your new Apple ID.

If you get the message that the email address you want to use for your iCloud account isn’t available, it’s possible that it’s linked to another Apple ID. If that’s the case, you will have to remove the email address from the other Apple ID before you link it to yours.

How to Add a Secondary iCloud Email Address

As mentioned before, you might not be allowed to change your primary iCloud email address. For example, if you created the iCloud account more than 30 days ago, you won’t be able to change your Apple ID email address. Apple imposes certain limitations for changing email addresses, and sometimes you’ll just receive a message to try again later.

In cases like these, the only thing you can do is add a secondary email to your Apple ID account. Up to three email addresses can be linked to your Apple ID account. While the primary iCloud address can’t be changed, the second and the third email can. Here’s how it’s done:

Go to your iCloud account on your browser.
Sign in with your Apple ID.
Click on the “Manage” button under your Apple ID.
Navigate to the “Account” section.
Select the “Edit” option on the right side of the screen.
Proceed to the “Contactable At” section and choose “Add more.”
Click on the “Email Address” option.
Enter your secondary email address in the box.
Choose the “Continue” button.

Once again, you will need to verify the new email address, even though it’s a secondary email. That’s all there is to it. You’ve successfully added a new email address to your iCloud account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to more questions you may have about your Apple ID.

What can I do if I forget my Apple ID email?

If you forgot which email you used for your Apple ID you should first check any other Apple accounts for the email address. Go to your App Store, another device, iTunes, etc. Hopefully, you’re still logged in and can recover your Apple ID email address quickly.

Another method is to search your email accounts for messages from Apple. For example, if you have a Gmail account and a Yahoo account, use the search bar and type “Apple.” The email address used for your Apple ID will have emails from the company.

You can also check your Google account for saved logins. Head over to your favorite web browser, pull up the Apple website, and see if your email auto-populates. If it doesn’t, check the browsers Saved Logins page. Just ensure you’re logged into the account you frequently use with that browser.

If none of these methods work attempt to log in to your Apple account using each of your email addresses. If you still know the password, you should gain access immediately. If you don’t remember your password, click the ‘Forgot Password’ link and follow the prompts. If you don’t receive the reset email, the address you tried isn’t the correct one.

Can I change my Apple ID phone number?

Yes! At least, most users can. Simply follow the same steps as above to input a new phone number. If you don’t see the option to change your phone number, it’s probably because of your region. If you’re in a region that doesn’t allow Apple ID changes then there’s no way to update your Apple ID.

Manage Your iCloud Email Addresses

Changing your iCloud email address can be slightly confusing, whether it’s the primary or secondary email address. As long as your primary iCloud address doesn’t end with “@icloud.com,” Apple allows you to change it. You can change your iCloud email address with your Apple ID, either on your iPhone or a desktop browser.

Have you ever tried to change your iCloud email address before? Which method did you use to do it? Tell us in the comments section below.