HT202667: Change your Apple ID

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tdauntie

Q: Need to Delete One Apple ID

Hello,

 

Apologies in advance because I know that there are many questions about this issue. Yet, I can't locate an answer that addresses my particular circumstances. Here it goes:

 

When I purchased by iMac about five or six years ago, I set up an Apple ID using an e-mail address that I have since abandoned. I no longer have access to this address, yet it remains my ID for any software or app updates on the iMac (exclusively).

 

For my iPhone and iPad, I use my gmail address. I'm very happy with this. Unfortunately, when I attempt to add my gmail address to the list of addresses associated with my account, I receive a message indicating that the gmail address belongs to someone else.

 

I understand that it is virtually impossible to consolidate the two accounts, so I'm happy to delete the iMac e-mail address altogether. If this means that I lose all of the iMac apps that I have downloaded from the App Store, so be it.

 

Is it possible to rid myself of the original e-mail address? (the non-gmail one). If Apple were to e-mail me at that address, I wouldn't even receive the e-mail because the address is long gone.

 

I hope that I have adequately explained the situation. Many thanks for any advice that you can provide!

Helen

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Oct 5, 2015 7:54 PM

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Q: Need to Delete One Apple ID

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  • by Rysz,

    Rysz Rysz Oct 5, 2015 8:39 PM in response to tdauntie
    Level 7 (20,202 points)
    iTunes
    Oct 5, 2015 8:39 PM in response to tdauntie

    It is possible to change the email associated with an account. In your case, however, you created a new Apple ID account instead. The reason you can't use the Gmail email on the old account is because it's already associated with the newer account.


    Apple ID accounts live forever. You can't "delete" them. All you can do is stop using them. If you have yet another email address, you can associate it with that old account.

    Change your Apple ID - Apple Support