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How to delete @icloud.com mail from Apple ID?

T

TinaBelcher

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 23, 2017
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I usdn to have a Gmail e-mail set with my Apple ID/iCloud account. Then I wanted to be “fancy” and create an @icloud.com email like a real “Apple sheep” only to find out that apple’s email server is trash. The app is hideous and @icloud.com doesn’t sync across devices. It’ll always show as unread on other devices so I have to open the email app manually for it to update read and deleted emails...

apparently, if you make an @icloud.com email there’s no way off deleting it or removing it from your ID and make another mail the primary email to your Apple ID/iCloud. Is there a loop hole? Please somebody help me. iCloud.com is trash. I don’t want it anymore! I just want to go back to having my gmail be my mail and only one
 
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How to change your Apple ID if it ends with @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com
If you use an @icloud.com, @mac.com, or @me.com email address as your Apple ID, you can’t change it to a third party email address. But, you can change it to an alias of your Apple ID address. For example, if j.appleseed@icloud.com is your Apple ID and you also have j.appleseed@me.com on file in your account, you can change your Apple ID to j.appleseed@me.com. When you change your email address, the Apple ID that people see when they share with you also changes.
 
So when you created your iCloud email did you set it up on the Apple ID that had your gmail? Did you set it up to have your gmail replaced or just have the iCloud email added?

In my case, my Apple ID is my gmail email address. I wanted to try out iCloud so I also created an iCloud email that is attached to my Apple ID but my gmail is still my main Apple ID email. While I can't remove that iCloud email from my account, it doesn't matter if I don't use it because my gmail is considered my Apple ID and all Apple communication comes to my gmail. I never removed my gmail address from my Apple ID.

If you completly replaced your gmail with an iCloud as your Apple ID (you removed your gmail from your Apple ID) you can't go back.
 
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seezar said:
So when you created your iCloud email did you set it up on the Apple ID that had your gmail? Did you set it up to have your gmail replaced or just have the iCloud email added?

In my case, my Apple ID is my gmail email address. I wanted to try out iCloud so I also created an iCloud email that is attached to my Apple ID but my gmail is still my main Apple ID email. While I can't remove that iCloud email from my account, it doesn't matter if I don't use it because my gmail is considered my Apple ID and all Apple communication comes to my gmail. I never removed my gmail address from my Apple ID.

If you completly replaced your gmail with an iCloud as your Apple ID (you removed your gmail from your Apple ID) you can't go back.
Click to expand...
Dammit. That’s what I did. And now I’m stuck! The iCloud mail is terrible!! I really hate it
 
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A bit of work but notify those who send you emails to your iCloud.com email that you have now changed to @gmail.com.
Can't change the past but move forward.
 
I have a similar problem and I did not want to create a new question. I am just like @seezar and I am speaking by my 89 yo mother. She went to an Apple store in her city, by herself and asked for help. The vendor there created this icloud mail for her and she lost the password, so now everything in her iphone asks for her Apple id of the icloud profile. anyways she kept her gmail address and can I enter icloud with it normally. The problem is that i cannot get rid of this icloud address in her iphone because I can't find a way to recuperate the password. The one from the gmail address doesn't work. Any tips there?... Thank you.
 
Namara said:
@rucana, try all of the steps in this support article:

If you forgot your Apple Account password - Apple Support

Here's how to reset your Apple Account password and regain access to your account.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
Thank you Namara! But I think I have to retreat myself with you guys. Now I understand that the the email from icloud that appeared all the time in mother's iphone was just an alias. I am (almost) sure that the password was just the same as her official - and never changed - Apple id from gmail. The fact is I think the passed me the old password and I overpassed the maximum attempts and the Apple id was BLOCKED! I followed the steps on her iphone to unlock it and they said an email would be sent with instructions. So far, no messages in this concern were sent to her or my email (which is the backup one). Now I really don't know what to do. She cannot do anything that depends on her Apple id. Funny thing is that icloud website is running normally to her account...
 
rucana said:
Thank you Namara! But I think I have to retreat myself with you guys. Now I understand that the the email from icloud that appeared all the time in mother's iphone was just an alias. I am (almost) sure that the password was just the same as her official - and never changed - Apple id from gmail. The fact is I think the passed me the old password and I overpassed the maximum attempts and the Apple id was BLOCKED! I followed the steps on her iphone to unlock it and they said an email would be sent with instructions. So far, no messages in this concern were sent to her or my email (which is the backup one). Now I really don't know what to do. She cannot do anything that depends on her Apple id. Funny thing is that icloud website is running normally to her account...
Click to expand...
I am coming again to say thank you you one more time and that I could get my mom's full access again. Cheers!
 
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TinaBelcher said:
I usdn to have a Gmail e-mail set with my Apple ID/iCloud account. Then I wanted to be “fancy” and create an @icloud.com email like a real “Apple sheep” only to find out that apple’s email server is trash. The app is hideous and @icloud.com doesn’t sync across devices. It’ll always show as unread on other devices so I have to open the email app manually for it to update read and deleted emails...

apparently, if you make an @icloud.com email there’s no way off deleting it or removing it from your ID and make another mail the primary email to your Apple ID/iCloud. Is there a loop hole? Please somebody help me. iCloud.com is trash. I don’t want it anymore! I just want to go back to having my gmail be my mail and only one
Click to expand...

Just to let you know, Mail has had syncing problems since iOS 13. I don’t know if it will ever get fixed, it hasn’t yet. But it gives hope that it might work again one day.

There is a pretty big thread about it here https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/so-im-assuming-mail-is-just-gonna-stay-broken.2210341/unread
 
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chrfr said:
You can at least forward your iCloud email to Gmail, or any other address.
Click to expand...
I thought I had replied to this comment, but better late than never. Thanks for the suggestion! I also added 'delete email from iCloud after forwarding it', so now I don't have to deal with multiple emails notification from multiple accounts. Even though I couldn't delete my iCloud, it does give me some peace of mind.
 
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Sorry for the late reply but you can now change your Apple ID email to any email address you like, including third party ones if you use an @iCloud.com email currently.
 
GigabitEthernet said:
Sorry for the late reply but you can now change your Apple ID email to any email address you like, including third party ones if you use an @iCloud.com email currently.
Click to expand...
But can I set my gmail back to my primary email? I tried once adding my gmail back and it would only make it a second
 
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TinaBelcher said:
But can I set my gmail back to my primary email? I tried once adding my gmail back and it would only make it a second
Click to expand...
If that gmail address is still listed as a secondary address, remove it. Then sign out of all Apple services and devices, and try adding the gmail address again as your Apple ID (on appleid.apple.com). The two support articles below are from August and September, so more recent than when you started this thread last spring.

About your Apple Account email addresses - Apple Support

Learn how to add, change, or delete the different types of email addresses that you can use with your Apple Account.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Change your Apple Account primary email address - Apple Support

Learn how to change the primary email address that you use to sign in to your Apple Account.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
Namara said:
If that gmail address is still listed as a secondary address, remove it. Then sign out of all Apple services and devices, and try adding the gmail address again as your Apple ID (on appleid.apple.com). The two support articles below are from August and September, so more recent than when you started this thread last spring.

About your Apple Account email addresses - Apple Support

Learn how to add, change, or delete the different types of email addresses that you can use with your Apple Account.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Change your Apple Account primary email address - Apple Support

Learn how to change the primary email address that you use to sign in to your Apple Account.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
GigabitEthernet said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
But how do I delete the iCloud email? It’s still attached as an alias, and I even have the option to remove the gmail but not the iCloud
 
Last edited:
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TinaBelcher said:
But how do I delete the iCloud email? It’s still attached as an alias, and I even have the option to remove the gmail but not the iCloud
Click to expand...
I'm not really sure. I would think once you've changed your Apple ID to your GMail address, you might be able to.
 
Namara said:
I'm not really sure. I would think once you've changed your Apple ID to your GMail address, you might be able to.
Click to expand...
It doesn’t have the x button only the i and when I click it says the iCloud mail is an alias. Ridiculous.
 
lmfao.. lemme try this again since I got ghosted.


after I added my gmail account back, my icloud email stayed as an alias, and when I click on edit it doesn’t give me the delete button but instead an “i” button. Funny enough, I’m still able to delete my primary gmail account.


so no, you cannot delete your icloud email address from your Apple ID.


5DF8AE00-E883-47BC-9FB2-AFD71402AC86.jpeg
 
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TinaBelcher said:
lmfao.. lemme try this again since I got ghosted.


after I added my gmail account back, my icloud email stayed as an alias, and when I click on edit it doesn’t give me the delete button but instead an “i” button. Funny enough, I’m still able to delete my primary gmail account.


so no, you cannot delete your icloud email address from your Apple ID.


View attachment 1756226
Click to expand...
Even in 2025, we still can't delete secondary emails if they are iCloud emails. I hate that when I share an AirTag, it shows my unused iCloud email instead of my primary Gmail Apple account email. This is really frustrating! Even though my primary Gmail email is correctly indicated as my primary Apple account email, I still can't delete the secondary iCloud email—only change it. The funny thing is, it says it's an alias of my primary Gmail address, which is not possible. How annoying!
 
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