What is an iCloud account?
iCloud is Apple’s cloud storage service that allows users to store data such as photos, documents, emails, calendars, contacts, and more and keep everything updated across all of their Apple devices (Apple Support). With an iCloud account, users can upload content from their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC to iCloud and access that content from any device logged into their iCloud account.
Some key features of an iCloud account include (Introduction to iCloud):
- Photo storage and syncing across devices
- Backup of iOS devices to iCloud
- Email, contacts, calendars accessed through iCloud.com
- Find My iPhone/iPad/Mac to locate lost devices
- iCloud Drive for document storage and syncing
- iCloud Keychain to securely store passwords and credit card information
With these features, iCloud provides seamless syncing of important user data across Apple devices with a single sign-on. Having an iCloud account allows access to several Apple services and keeps everything up to date automatically.
Why you may need to find an old account
There are several common reasons why someone might need to access an old iCloud account:
Forgotten password – If you have forgotten the password to an old iCloud account, you’ll need to find details for that account in order to reset the password and regain access. Resetting your password is one of the most common reasons to need to locate an old account.
Access old data – Old iCloud accounts can contain data like photos, notes, contacts, calendars, and more. If you have data trapped in an old account that you need access to, finding details for the account is key. According to a Apple Stack Exchange post, accessing old photos is a top reason someone might try to find an old iCloud account.
Legal matters – In some cases, old iCloud account details and data may be needed for legal proceedings or investigations. If you need account information for a court case, estate settlement, or other legal matter, recovering details on old accounts can be important.
The bottom line is if you no longer have ready access to an old iCloud account but need to get back in for any reason, you’ll need to essentially find and recover details for the account. The next sections cover various ways to go about locating and accessing lost iCloud accounts.
Check your trusted devices
One of the best ways to find an old iCloud account is to check devices you’ve used in the past that were signed into your account. Devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs keep a record of Apple IDs used to sign in.
Go through devices you’ve owned over the years and check if any are still signed into an old iCloud account. You can do this by going to Settings > [Your Name] on iOS devices or System Preferences > Apple ID on Macs. Look for clues like an old account name or email address.
According to Apple Support, you can also use iCloud for Windows on a PC to view your account details and see devices associated with your Apple ID. This could reveal an old account you’ve forgotten about.
Checking trusted devices you’ve used previously is one of the fastest ways to uncover an old iCloud account. Often, our phones, tablets and computers remember these details even when we forget.
Use account recovery options
If you can’t remember your Apple ID password, you can reset it using Apple’s account recovery options. The easiest way is to go to https://iforgot.apple.com/password/verify/appleid and select “Forgot Apple ID or password.” You’ll be prompted to enter your Apple ID and then answer some security questions to verify your identity.
If you don’t remember the answers to your security questions, you can select “Get Started” under account recovery options. This allows you to reset your password by having a verification code sent to one of your trusted devices or phone numbers on file. If none of those options work, you can contact Apple support to further verify your identity and reset the password.
As a last resort, you may need to answer personalized account recovery questions only you would know the answers to. If you fail the account recovery process too many times, your account will be locked for security reasons and you’ll have to contact Apple support to regain access.
Search Old Emails
One of the best ways to find an old iCloud account is by searching through your email history across different accounts. Often when you set up an iCloud account, Apple will send a verification or welcome email to the email you used to sign up. You can look for these types of emails in Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, or other accounts you may have used in the past.
Specifically, look for emails from Apple with a subject line like “Verify your Apple ID” or “Welcome to iCloud.” These emails typically contain information about your Apple ID, which is the main identifier for your iCloud account. If you can find one of these emails, it should have the details you need to access the old iCloud account.
Be sure to check all of your old email addresses that you may have used over the years to sign up for various services. Even if you no longer use an email address regularly, many providers still keep old emails in your account history. You may be able to log into one of these old emails and search for “iCloud” or “Apple” to uncover the Apple ID for a forgotten iCloud account.
Expanding your email search across multiple accounts gives you the best chance of locating those initial iCloud sign-up and verification emails.
Check browser data
Your browser data may contain clues that can help you find your old iCloud account. In particular, check your saved passwords and autofill data, as these often store iCloud email addresses and passwords.
In Chrome on your Mac, go to Settings > Autofill to view and search saved passwords. You can also go to Settings > Sync to see if any iCloud accounts are still syncing data. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts to find saved iCloud credentials.
For Safari on a Mac, check Safari > Preferences > Passwords to search saved passwords. On iOS, go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts. You can also go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud to see if any old accounts are still logged in.
In most browsers, you can search your saved passwords for terms like “iCloud” or your old account name. Autofill data may also suggest iCloud accounts if you start typing an email or password. Review any iCloud credentials found here, as they may refresh your memory or allow access to your old account.
For more details, see Apple’s guide on Access and manage your files in iCloud Drive.
Use Find My iPhone
Find My iPhone is a useful tool provided by Apple to locate iOS devices associated with your iCloud account. Even if you no longer have access to that iCloud account, you may still be able to use Find My iPhone to get the location history of devices connected to it.
To use Find My iPhone to locate a device associated with an old iCloud account:
- Go to icloud.com/find and click on “Find My iPhone”.
- Enter the Apple ID and password for your old iCloud account. Find My iPhone will show any iOS devices associated with that account.
- Click on the device you want to locate. If it is currently turned on and connected to the internet, Find My iPhone will show its current location on a map.
- You can also select “Actions” while viewing a device to play a sound, put it in Lost Mode, or remotely erase it.
Even if a device is offline, you can still view its recent location history from when it was last connected. This can help track down old devices associated with an iCloud account.
Contact Apple Support
If you’ve tried all the previous steps and still can’t access your old iCloud account, contacting Apple Support directly can sometimes help. Apple has dedicated teams that may be able to assist you in regaining access to an iCloud account you’ve lost access to, especially if you can provide identifying details like the account holder name, email, phone number, or billing info associated with the account.
You can contact Apple Support by phone, chat, email, or scheduling an appointment at an Apple Store. When speaking with an Apple Support advisor, be prepared to verify your identity by providing personal information, proof of purchase, or other details about the lost account. Advisors may also ask you to complete additional verification steps. While Apple Support does not guarantee they can grant access to an old account, they have more tools at their disposal than the average user, so it’s worth reaching out for assistance if you’ve exhausted all other options.
See: https://support.apple.com/icloud
Use billing info
If you’ve purchased apps, music, movies, TV shows, or other media using your old iCloud account, you may be able to use billing information to help identify the account. Receipts from purchases made via the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Books, and other Apple services associated with your Apple ID contain details like the email address or phone number used for that account.
To access your purchase history:
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, open the App Store app and tap your profile icon in the top right. Then tap “Purchase History.”
- On a Mac, open the App Store app, click your name in the lower left, and select “Purchase History” from the menu.
- You can also view your purchase history at https://support.apple.com/billing after signing in with your Apple ID.
Carefully review any old receipts or purchase records to look for identifiers associated with the account you’re trying to locate. The email, phone number, or even partial credit card details may jog your memory or help you definitively identify the account.
When all else fails
If you’ve exhausted all the account recovery options and still can’t access your old iCloud account, there are a few last resorts to try. However, Apple does place limits on account recovery to protect user security.
If you’ve made multiple unsuccessful attempts at verification questions, entered the wrong password too many times, or used up your recovery codes, Apple will lock the account for security reasons. At this point, there is often no way to recover the account.
According to Apple Discussions, “If you can’t remember your password; don’t have access to your trusted phone number, trusted devices; and also don’t have access to your recovery key; you won’t be able to recover your account.”
As a last ditch effort, you can try contacting Apple Support and seeing if a specialist can review your case. However, options will be very limited if you cannot provide enough identifying information.
Ultimately, if account recovery is impossible, you may have no choice but to start a new iCloud account. While inconvenient, this allows you to secure your data going forward with new recovery options.