Unable to change Apple ID to iCloud.com

All right, I managed to get this done now.

The problem was that I already used my iCloud.com email address as my "primary email address" in my account (note that you can specify a "primary email address" that different from the Apple ID).

I had to first remove my iCloud.com email address from my account in order to then specify it as my Apple ID. Who know's why that was necessary and why Apple is not able to provide a meaningful error message that actually gives the user any clue instead of just the now misleading "Your Apple ID cannot end in @icloud.com. Choose a different email address."

But, hey, I have my iCloud.com address as my Apple ID know, so I shouldn't be complaining 😁

I changed the primary address to another third party email address, so that no iCloud.com address appeared anywhere in my Apple ID account. I think I had to do that on iOS. And then I was able to change the Apple ID to my iCloud.com address...

If your apple ID account lists a "Primary Email" and is refusing to let you change your apple ID to it, try this:

1. visit apple.com/shop/account/home

2. click Change your default shipping or billing info (should be in the centre column, second option down)

3. Under Payment Information it lists your primary email. click the button to edit your payment information

If you change the primary email address listed in your apple store account / payment info to your main apple id, then when you visit appleid.apple.com you should then be allowed to change your apple ID to any email address that is currently associated with it.

remember, apple says that changing your ID to the associated icloud address is permanent! apparently there is no going back if you change your ID from a third party email address to your icloud one.

After years of getting the error message saying that we cannot use an email address ending in .icloud.com or me.com, I finally updated my email address successfully. Sign out of all but one Apple product. Then SIGN IN TO YOUR ICLOUD ACCOUNT at www.icloud.com, then select "SETTINGS". There you will see "Apple ID - Manage", select this and it will ask you to sign in again....and then you will be able to update your Apple ID here. That's it...this is where you need to be to change your Apple ID to ANYTHING, either Apple or non-Apple email address.

Cannot change to an email address with an @icloud.com address created within the last 30 days. Confirmed with senior Apple tech, and also discussed here:

Unable to update Apple ID

I am guessing here but I think I know the issue you are facing.

There are two types of iCloud email addresses. The first is auto generated by apple based on your Apple ID. For example, if your Apple ID is abc@gmail.com then Apple creates an email address abc@iCloud.com. This cannot be removed.

The second is an email alias. This is one that you create yourself. For example, say you have the generated abc@icloud.com from above but then choose to add an alias xyz@icloud.com. You can do this from the iCloud.com site under Preferences.

This xyz@icloud.com can be removed because you added it yourself as an alias.

I think you may be trying to remove the autogenerated email address, which you cannot.

In my case, I was trying to switch my Apple ID to my alias xyz@iCloud.com. When I do, I get this Your Apple ID cannot end in @icloud.com. Choose a different email address.". So I suspect that Apple is allowing people to change their Apple ID to the autogenerated iCloud.com email but NOT to an alias iCloud.com email. But they were very vague so cannot be sure. All I know is I cannot change it to my alias.

I have read recommendations to delete the alias and then try to add it as my Apple ID. But no way will I attempt this and I would strongly recommend against any advice that directs you to delete anything associated with your account. I've read that once you delete an alias it is permanent and even calling Apple support cannot restore an alias to your account. In my opinion, this is utterly absurd and inexcusable but this is their policy. So no way will I risk my much invested email alias over this.

there is a contact link.

Apple ID Support

Apple ID Support (2)

Apple Support by e-mail or chat Select your device, Battery, Power and Charging, then Power adapter not working to get a chat option. If you need to talk to them, ask them if they will do a Skype or FaceTime with you.

Apple Support using Twitter

You might not have one, the primary email address is an optional setting. As far as I remember I had to remove it using the iPhone as it wasn't possible using the the web based Apple ID management interface.

Same problem here.

I wanted to change my Apple ID from a third party email to my iCloud.com address since years so I was really glad when I read that Apple finally allows doing that - only to find out, that even though described in an official support document, Apple still rejects my iCloud.com email to be used as my Apple ID. Seriously, Apple, it's not even funny anymore 😟

Apple doesn’t routinely monitor the discussions. These are mostly user to user discussions.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem or a suggestion for change. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem/suggested change solved sooner.

Click here to send Feedback

I have the exact same problem. Currently using an outlook.com email as my Apple ID and have long had an iCloud.com alias. Now I'm trying to set my iCloud.com alias as my Apple ID and get "Your Apple ID cannot end in @icloud.com. Choose a different email address.". I did not dare log out of my devices first though. This may be the problem but I'm not about to commit to that

At this point, I may say forget it. I've been wanting this for years but I'm apprehensive over any screwups they may have over this simple change and any problems with signing out and signing back in to my devices. It is not the sign in process that is bad but the fact that when I sign out I'm guessing it will wipe my local iCloud photos library and then resync when I sign in again. It will take 2 days to sync this back to my Mac (where I prefer the full res copies) and then another 3 days for my Mac, phone, and iPad to scan all the photos for faces again where I have to manually intervene with the ones it is not sure about.

I also fear the problems that I've had in the past where my iPhone creates duplicate devices to sync Messages to (happened both times I did a clean macOS install on my Mac) . The other problem being when I bought my last iPhone, I ended up with duplicate devices in my Health app sources that I was unable to delete until I cleared the Health app data from iCloud and then wiped the new phone and reinstalled iOS.

I was having the same problem as you described in first part. Email aliases cannot be used as Apple ID.

I deleted my alias to see if it work, unfortunately not. So I quickly add back my alias and all my emails still there. So the second part is not true.

Anyhow, wasted so much time logging off and on from two Apple TVs, two Macs and an iPhone, error still persisted. This is not rocket science and I really don't know why Apple can't use some simple logic to make it works.

I just logged into apple.com/shop/account/home and saw that my billing address lists my third party outlook.com id (which is the same as my Apple ID) but my shipping address listed my iCloud.com alias. I switched the shipping address to my outlook.com id and still no luck in changing my Apple ID to my iCloud.com alias.

I have never seen anything on the Apple ID website, icloud.com site, my Mac, or any iOS device that labels any email address as primary email address. They all just list my apple id and all my aliases.

As I stated before, at this point I am more afraid to try it anyway. With a Macbook, two iOS devices, Apple Watch, two apple TVs, and a family group setup I am terrified to have something screwed up that will take days to undo or never get back to where I am now. I will continue to trust Apple's commitment to massive spaceship campuses and Face ID technologies while they standby clueless to maintain basic login techniques like changing a user ID.

My husband has three Apple devices, an old iPad, iPhone SE and new iPad. All three have different e-mails listed as Apple ID. Some are years old and the e-mail address is long gone. When setting up his third device it wanted the passwords for all of those Apple IDs, and we didn't have all of them. We did our best to add the passwords for some of the old e-mails that he hasn't had for years. It stopped all three devices from receiving e-mails until we went into Apple ID and reset his Apple ID iCloud password. It did recognize the iCloud Apple ID at that point. Then the new device (the iPad) started sending and receiving e-mail under iCloud, but the iPhone stopped receiving e-mail and connecting to iCloud. I was able to sign in using his most recent e-mail address (3rd party, not iCloud). Then I had to sign in to Apple mail from the previous e-mail me.com account. Also his iTunes store account is me.com. His old iPad has an e-mail from our old house in our old town that we moved away from in April 2013. I haven't been able to change it, and cannot seem to find the old password. I would like to change them all to iCloud and be done with it. Come on Apple! Get it together! This is ridiculous! I happen to be a tech savvy grandma, but I can't imagine how non-tech savvy people, like my husband, deal with this. More than frustrated! Androids are looking better and better and I am an Apple devotee. (iMac, old Mac Book Pro, new Mac Book Pro, iPhone, iPad, plus a number of older Mac computers I haven't let go of yet.)

Hi all,

I would like to do this but want to confirm something before I go through the process. So my apple id is a @gmail.com account. I have a @icloud.com account that I can log into on www.icloud.com but I don't use for anything. Everything I own related to apple uses the @gmail.com apple id.

I want to follow what Ahlan_Warda explains because I want everything apple related in my life to have the @icloud.com.

So after this process my apple ID should be the @icloud.com email and I only have one account, with everything apple associated. Is that correct?