Can The Actual Apple ID Be Renamed/Changed?

Phil0124 wrote:

You can change the email address to a different one that is an alias of your Apple ID.

Only if the Apple ID address is not an @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com address. It appears to be the case here that it is an @icloud.com address. If the ID is one of these it cannot be changed (other than to the other variants if available, but this would still have the same text before the '@').

Indeed, but the OP has his name as the first part of the ID and it's that he wants to change: he has someone@icloud.com and can only change it to someone@me.com or someone@mac.com (provided of course he was a member of MobileMe and DotMac, otherwise those variants are not available). He can't do what he wants: he can only create an 'email alias' as he has recognized, to use as the address he gives out: these can't be used as an ID/login.

You cannot use an email alias (additional address) as an ID. From the page you link to above:

'You cannot use an alias to sign in to iCloud.com, and you cannot use an alias to create a separate Apple ID. An alias cannot be converted to a primary account.'

A lot of confusion arises because Apple refer to the extra vesrsions of the original iCloud address (which in some cases is also the Apple ID) - the @me. com and @mac.com versions where people have them - as 'aliases' to the main address, and refer to the additional addresses you can add as 'email aliases'.

The former can be changed to, but in this particular case it doesn't help because the OP wants to change the text before the'@', which he can't. As said, email aliases can be used as addresses to give out but can't be used as a login/ID.

You can change the email address to a different one that is an alias of your Apple ID. The old email address will remain on your account however as an additional email address. Not sure if you can delete it after the change is complete though.

When you change the actual email address used as primary for the Apple ID, then it changes everywhere, and people will no longer see the old email address when they message you or email you. This effectively accomplishes what you want.

See here: Change your Apple ID - Apple Support

ChickenChaser-Q wrote:

Can this be done instead of just adding my new legal name as another email "alias" and therefore being forced to keep my old name as the actual/primary ID?

As discussed above you can't change your ID (other than to the variants with the same text before the '@', if you have them which you won't if you joined after 2012). If you create an 'email alias' with the name you want, you can give this out to people as your email address: no-one will ever see the old address/ID except you. And to my mind it's much preferable if the address you give out isn't the same as your login, as when it is it removes one layer of security.

You can't transfer account ownership to another Apple ID. You will need to use an alias.

Roger Wilmut1 wrote:

Phil0124 wrote:

You can change the email address to a different one that is an alias of your Apple ID.

Only if the Apple ID address is not an @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com address. It appears to be the case here that it is an @icloud.com address. If the ID is one of these it cannot be changed (other than to the other variants if available, but this would still have the same text before the '@').

Not according to the support document:

If you use an @icloud.com, @mac.com, or @me.com email address as your Apple ID, you can’t change it to a third party email address. But, you can change it to an alias of your Apple ID address. For example, if j.appleseed@icloud.com is your Apple ID and you also have j.appleseed@me.com on file in your account, you can change your Apple ID to j.appleseed@me.com. When you change your email address, the Apple ID that people see when they share with you also changes.

You can have an alias with completely different text before the @. That's the point of aliases they can be whatever you want. @me and@mac addresses not being available anymore, the aliases you create will end in @icloud.com by default now.

You can't change an iCloud.com email address, that is permanently tied to the account.

Roger Wilmut1 wrote:

As discussed above you can't change your ID (other than to the variants with the same text before the '@',

Not correct. They can create an Alias with whatever name they want before the @icloud.com part and then use that as the main email address for their Apple ID. The @icloud.com alias can be their unmarried name. Once its created it will appear as explained as an alias email address and can be used.

There is nothing that says it has to be a @me or @mac alias. It can be any alias you already have that is already part of the Apple ID.

If you enter an email address that's already an alias or alternate Apple ID, and it ends with with @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com, you see a message to confirm.

Use email aliases on iCloud.com - Apple Support