How to Delete Apple ID on MacBook or Windows Systems?

Ritu Roy | data wipe How to's mac os Software Technology Windows | 6 minutes read | Modified on: 24-04-2023
how to erase apple id

Summary: Do you want to delete or deactivate deleting or deceiving your Apple ID? iPhone users sometimes struggle with knowing what to do. Find out the difference between deactivating and deleting an Apple ID as well as how to delete Apple ID on MacBook or Windows operating systems.

In order to completely erase the account or out of concern for your privacy, you might choose to delete your Apple ID. To delete an Apple ID, though, can be challenging if you don’t know how to do so.

In this blog post, we’re going to guide you through the steps involved in deleting your Apple ID, as well as what happens when you do so and what to do in the interim. Moreover, we have outlined why deactivating an Apple ID is preferable than deleting one.

What Occurs If You Erase Your Apple ID?

You may no longer have access to some Apple services and products if you delete your Apple ID. The operation suspends the subscriptions associated with your Apple ID and deletes the data kept in iCloud. What happens when you erase your Apple ID is listed below:

  • Your Apple Books, iTunes Store, and App Store purchases are no longer accessible.
  • The iCloud-stored documents, videos, and images are removed forever.
  • FaceTime calls, iCloud mail, and iMessages will no longer be delivered to you.
  • You can no longer use a number of Apple services, including FaceTime, iCloud, iTunes, Apple Pay, iMessage, the App Store, Apple Books, and Apple Pay.
  • No Apple ID, new or old, will be able to access the email address associated with the password.
  • Any Apple Store appointments will be cancelled, and all open Apple Care cases will be permanently closed after your account has been terminated.
  • Unless the downloaded media is DRM-free, you lose access to TV series, movies, music, books, and other data that you have purchased using your Apple ID.

What Should You Do Before Deleting Your Apple ID?

There are some guidelines for doing that if the previously provided list has failed to persuade you to keep your Apple ID. You can virtually no longer access any Apple data or services if you decide to permanently delete your Apple ID account. Therefore, you must take the following actions in advance:

  • Take a backup of all of your vital information, including files stored on your Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iCloud, as well as any photos, movies, documents, and other items.
  • Log off of all computers, smartphones, tablets, Apple Watches, and TVs. This makes sure that after you erase your Apple ID, you are not currently logged in to any devices.
  • Cancel active subscriptions – Before your account is deleted, be careful to cancel any ongoing subscriptions connected to your Apple ID, such as those for iCloud Storage, Apple Music, and others, to avoid being charged for any recurring fees.
  • Review any unused account credit – Before deleting your account, use any unused Apple ID account credit, such as any unused iTunes credit.

Remember that erasing an Apple ID is a permanent operation that cannot be reversed, so make sure you have a backup of all your data before continuing.

How to Permanently Delete Apple ID Account?

After you have completed the above-mentioned steps, you can proceed to delete your Apple ID account. How to delete an Apple ID is as follows:

  • Enter your Apple ID and password to log into your account at Apple’s Data and Privacy.
  • If prompted, respond with the security question or approve two-step authentication.
  • On the Apple ID & Privacy settings, click Continue.
  • Go to the remove your account section on the Manage your Data page, and then click Request to remove your account.
  • The reasons not to delete your Apple account are listed in full detail on the next page. Check them out. After choosing a reason from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page, click Continue.
  • Before removing your Apple ID, go through the critical things checklist. Review the details, then press the Continue button.
  • Check the box next to “I have read and agree with these conditions” after reading the Deletion Terms and Conditions. Select Continue.
  • Select whether you want to receive notifications about account deletion via the email address that was used to create the existing Apple ID, an alternative email address, or a phone number. Choose Continue.
  • The unique alphanumeric access code you receive on the following page should be printed out or written down. You will require this code if you ever want to withdraw your request to delete your Apple ID account or to get in touch with Apple assistance about your account.
  • After that, choose Continue after entering your access code to prove you have it.
  • To delete your Apple ID account, choose the Delete Account option in the confirmation pop-up.

Can You Recover an Apple ID Account That Was Deleted?

An Apple ID cannot be recovered once it has been deleted. Therefore, it’s advisable to deactivate it rather than delete it if you intend to use the same Apple ID in the future or want to save your iCloud data.

Moreover, there is no way to recover your Apple ID if it has been completely removed. However, there is a chance you can get your Apple account back if you contact Apple Support before your request to have it deleted is approved. To reverse your request for account deletion, the Apple team will need the special access code you got during the deletion procedure.

Remember that it takes Apple roughly seven days to process your request to delete your Apple account, so email your cancellation request as soon as possible.

Before removing your Apple ID, we advise you to consider it over carefully. Simply deactivate your account if you want to temporarily cease using it.

What Occurs When an Apple ID is Deactivated?

All the services associated with your Apple ID, including iCloud and FaceTime, are disabled when you cancel the account. What takes place when you deactivate your Apple ID is as follows:

  • You won’t be able to access any of the services connected to your Apple ID, including iCloud, iMessage, Find My App, Apple Pay, FaceTime, and others.
  • You won’t be able to access or update any apps that you’ve bought from the iTunes Store, Apple Books, or the App Store.
  • You cannot access data like photos, videos, and other items stored in iCloud.

How Do I Deactivate My Apple ID?

You have the option to reactivate your Apple ID account at any moment after deactivation. To deactivate your account, take the following actions:

  • Delete your Apple ID from all of your devices.
  • Log into your account on Apple’s Data and Privacy page.
  • Select the Request to delete your account option after navigating to the Manage your data page and scrolling down.
  • The list of events that will follow the deactivation of your Apple ID is displayed on the following page. Choose your reason for deleting the account by scrolling down. Choose Continue.
  • Click Continue to continue on the confirmation page.
  • Check the box next to I have read and agree to the Deactivation Terms & Conditions after reading them. Next, click Continue.
  • Select the method for receiving account termination updates, and then click Continue to move forward.
  • On the following page, take note of the special access code. The Apple ID can be reactivated using this code. Then click Continue.

Note: What happens if you want to deactivate your Apple ID but can’t remember your iPhone’s password?

In order to utilise an older iPhone that you purchased, you must first remove the Apple ID that was previously set up on it. However, if you don’t know the password, the question is: how do you do it? If this happens, you might attempt CubexSoft Data Wipe for Mac, a program that allows you to delete the configured Apple ID from your iPhone or iPad. You cannot access the information linked to the existing account after it has been deleted. The device can now be logged into with a different or new Apple ID.

Delete or Deactivate Your Apple ID?

To sum up, the choice of whether to deactivate or delete your Apple ID depends on your needs. The best course of action for you is to deactivate your Apple ID if you want to log out of your devices or temporarily stop your Apple account. On the other side, you can delete your Apple ID if you don’t want to utilise any Apple services or if you want to permanently delete your account from Apple servers.

However, keep in mind that erasing your Apple ID would prevent you from using any of the Apple-related services, such as iCloud, iTunes, and the App Store. Therefore, make sure that all of the crucial data is securely backed up before deactivating your Apple ID.