How To (Almost) Delete Your Apple ID

Here’s a spoiler alert: You cannot actually delete your Apple ID. Go ahead, try it. I dare you.

So what to do if you no longer want to use your Apple ID?

Well, there are a couple of things you can do. You can deauthorize all your devices, and then you can deactivate your Apple ID. And that’s as close to deleting your ID as you’ll get.

Let’s start by removing your devices.

There are two ways this can be done. You can either log onto your Apple ID from a web browser, or you can use one of your iOS devices.

Via WEB Browser

1. Go to appleid.apple.com on your browser (Preferably Safari or Chrome).
2. Use your ID password to log in.
3. If you’ve enabled two-factor authentication, it will ask for a passcode; if not, you’ll have to answer your security questions.
4. On the next page, scroll down to “Devices”.
5. Click on each of the devices, and click “Remove”.
6. You’ll be asked to confirm. Say yes.

Via an ios device

Note: This process is for iOS 10.3. For older versions of iOS, the steps might vary slightly.

1. Go to Settings App.
2. Click on your Name at the very top of the screen.
3. On the following page, click on the Device you want to remove.
4. It will ask you to enter your Apple ID password.
5. If you’ve enabled two-factor authentication, it will ask for a passcode; if not, you’ll have to answer your security questions.
6. Once the device info is loaded, click “Remove from Account” at the bottom of the page.
7. Click “Remove” again to confirm.

Now for Step 2.

Deauthorise Apple ID from your devices.

You may have removed a particular device from your Apple ID, but it will still have access to the device via multiple channels, such as iTunes, Find My iPhone, etc. Therefore, it’s necessary to completely deauthorize the Apple ID from your devices.

From iTunes

1. Launch iTunes on your Mac/PC.
2. Go to Account > Authorisations > De-authorise this Computer.
3. Enter your Apple ID password and confirm.

From Mac

1. Launch System Preferences app on your Mac.
2. Go to iCloud > Sign out.
3. You can choose to keep a copy of the data before you remove the Apple ID. This will help you in moving to a new system with ease.
4. Enter your Apple ID password and confirm.

From an iOS Device

Note: This process is for iOS 10.3. For older versions of iOS, the steps might vary slightly.

1. Open Settings App.
2. Click on your Name at the top.
3. Scroll to the bottom and click “Sign Out”.
4. Enter your Apple ID password and confirm.

Finally you’re DONE!!

We know it was such a tiring task, but there’s no easy way to do it. So if you want to get rid of your Apple ID, this is the way to do it.