Q: Email in use but isn't

Hello The Pursuer,

Thanks for bringing up your question here in the Apple Support Communities. Seems like there is an email address you wish to use as an iCloud account, but you are getting the alert that it is already in use. This alert means that email address has been attached to an iCloud account in the past.

Since it is your email address, you should be able to reset the password for it using this help article from Apple: If you forgot your Apple ID password. If you are having trouble resetting the password, or need help finding the Apple ID, check this link: Find your Apple ID.

There is also a chance that the email address you are wanting to use is not currently being used as an Apple ID but is instead attached to another iCloud account as an "additional email address". If the above steps don't sort out your issue, we recommend logging into the Apple ID account page of other Apple ID's you own to check if the email address is listed there, and delete it if it is. You can find the exact steps on how to do this under the "Additional email address" section from this help article: About your Apple ID email address

Thanks again and have a great rest of your day.