How to change iCloud email address?

And just to be clear,

The instructions I provided are for people who have changed the User Name on their Apple account but who did not remove the iCloud account that was under the old user ID for that Apple account before changing it in Manage your Apple ID.

If someone had created a brand new Apple account, then they would have to delete the iCloud account using the password for the other Apple/iCloud account. If they didn't know the password to that other Apple/iCloud account, they would have to sign onto Manage your Apple ID with that other Apple ID and reset it.

GB

Thank you for the clear answer.

But this doesn't really work for me. I changed my Apple ID from MaryJane@addressa.com to MJ@addressb.com so from now on I login with MJ@addressb.com. But I still don't have an email account MJ@icloud.com , I get message send failure when I try to send an email to that address. Do you suggest doing something else than just changing the Apple ID to get my new iCloud email address?

Before you changed your Apple ID to the new email address, did you log out of your iCloud account? Or, is the iCloud account still showing he old address?

If it is still showing the old address, you need to do the following:

1. Go back to Manage your Apple ID, sign in with your new Apple ID email address, and EDIT that address back to the old email address. This is temporary, Do NOT verify it, do NOT change the Password: Apple - My Apple ID

2. Go to Settings>iCloud on your device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on Sign Out/Delete iCloud account. Type in your current Apple ID password when asked, then follow the prompts to remove the old iCloud account from the device. If you are signed onto iCloud on your computer or Mac, also sign out there.

3. Go back to Manage your Apple ID, sign on with the old Apple ID/current password, and EDIT your Apple ID back to the new email address. You may have to verify it again.

4. Go back to Settings>iCloud and sign on with your new Apple ID. Your iCloud email address should now match your Apple ID email address.

Best of luck,

GB

Hi Gail from Maine,

Here is my situation. I have an old Apple ID with no email alias. And the iCloud account tied to this Apple ID is an email address.

Example: Apple ID- Minion, iCloud ID- Minion@gmail.com

To complicate things, the email address (minion@gmail.com) associated with my iCloud's account is also an Apple ID by itself with different sets of info.

I also have two Apple email addresses but forgot how I got them, lol. - myrealname@me.com and myrealname@iclould.com

I do have correct passwords for all so that's not a problem.

What I like to do is to use myrealname@icloud.com for both iCloud and Apple ID on both my iPad Air and an iPhone.

What do I need to do? Ive been reading "how to's" since yesterday and no wiser. I suppose I can make a new Apple ID with myrealname@icloud.com but what about all my apps which is tied to Apple ID- Minion?

Thanks in advance for your help.

digitalkl wrote:

What I like to do is to use myrealname@icloud.com for both iCloud and Apple ID on both my iPad Air and an iPhone.

I'm afraid you can't do this. If your Apple ID is a non-Apple address you can change it to another non-Apple address but you cannot change it to your @icloud.com address (@me.com is the same thing). You can open a new account making the @icloud.com address the ID, but you cannot transfer purchases from one account to another.

Hi digitalkl,

If you have an @me.com address that has the exact same prefix as your @iCloud.com address, then those are one in the same, not separate accounts.

Your iCloud account is set up using an Apple ID - it is not an ID in and of itself. Once you set up the iCloud account using that Apple ID (i.e., minion@gmail.com), it then has a corresponding minion@iCloud.com address that is automatically set up as a part of the iCloud account.

When you set up your iCloud account using the @gmail.com Apple ID, it created the @iCloud.com address as an Alternate address on your @gmail.com account:

If you go to Manage your Apple ID, and sign on with your @gmail Apple ID, you should be able to see that minion@iCloud.com Alternate address. If you sign on with your @me.com Apple ID, you should be able to see the corresponding @icloud.com Alternate email address there for that Apple ID: Apple - My Apple ID

Check them both and let me know what you see. Once you have determined how your two Apple IDs and iCloud accounts are set up, you can let me know what it is you'd like to do, and I will work with you to try to achieve that goal.

Cheers,

GB

hi GB,

Ok, here goes....sigh only now I realized what I've done...

Basically I have two Apple IDs. All my apps are downloaded from ID#1. But for iCloud services, it looks like I am using ID#2.

Noticed that ID#2 has an Alternate Apple ID but none for ID#1

ID no.1

Apple ID - minion

Primary Email Address - minion@gmail.com

(not verified)

Alternate Email Addresses - realname@me.com

others1@gmail.com, others2@gmail.com, others3@gmail.com

(all not verified)

Country - my local country

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------

ID no.2

Apple ID and Primary Email Address - minion@gmail.com(Editable)

Alternate Apple ID - realname@me.com

(you can use your Apple ID or your Alternate Apple ID to access everything you do with Apple)

Alternate Email Addresses - realname@icloud.com

realname@me.com

(all verified)

Country - USA

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------

This is what I want -

1. make ID#1 to realname@iCloud.com for the Primary Email Address and use that as the Apple ID as well. I would still like to send/received emails from realname@me.com and realname@iClould.com. And all the downloaded apps need not sign on to another Apple ID during any updates.

2. make ID#1 to realname@iCloud.com for the Primary Email Address and use back Minion as the Apple ID

I think I'm screwed..I dont wanna be a minion anymore.. 😕

btw I dont have minion@iCloud.com or minion@me.com

One more thing, I noticed that in my ID#2, my Apple ID and Primary Email Address has a Edit link, which means I might be able to change it

Thank you once again.

Did you try signing onto Manage your Apple ID with your @me.com address to see if it would bring up an Apple ID account? To the best of my knowledge, @me.com accounts are Apple IDs....

Try "Reset Password" for that @me.com address, and answering the Security Questions. If you don't know the Security Questions, contact Apple Support to have them reset, then try again: ACCOUNT SECURITY CONTACT NUMBERS

GB

Yes I'm able to login to realname@me.com

The info would be the same as if I login to minion@gmail.com

Now I'm thinking all I have to is edit my iCloud address and then edit my Apple ID without having to delete any account

Well, since your minion@gmail is the same account as your Alternate Apple ID on that account, you can see if you can edit it to be the @me.com address. You won't be able to make it the @iCloud.com address, but, again, iCloud.com is an alternate email address for the iCloud account set up under a specific Apple ID. It is not an Apple ID in and of itself.

If it doesn't work, I would suggest contacting Apple Support at the link provided to see if they can help you to remove the minion address and replace it with the "Alternate" @me.com Apple ID address as your primary Apple ID and address.

Once you have done that, then as long as your Mail is set up for that Apple ID, any email going to either the @me.com or the @iCloud.com address would go to the same mailbox.

Does that help?

GB

ok thanks im gonna try that over the weekend when I have a bit more time

will update here again.

good nite 🙂

ok it didnt allow me to. cant make my @icloud.com or @me.com as my primary email address. my problems and wants would be the same as this other thread -

Why can't I use my iCloud email address as my Apple ID

Well, again, the reason you can't make your icloud.com address an Apple ID is because it is created using an existing Apple ID. It is linked to the Apple ID it is used to create it with. Unfortunately, it sounds like you created it using your @gmail address.

What I'm not sure about is how your @me.com address became an alternate. As I indicated before, usually an @me.com address is an Apple ID in and of itself...... 😟

Sorry....

GB

when i got my first Apple ID, it didnt even have to be an email address. and iCloud did not exist then.

Apple should allow us to consolidate everything into one. I dont see how it cant be done.

it's okay, thanks for trying anyway. 🙂

thank you for this post, saved me hours of headache 🙂