One of the most common questions postulate of Mac 911 is , “ How do I merge or transfer purchases from one Apple ID / Account to another ? ” The reply for over 20 years has been the same : You ca n’t . Until now .
Way back in the mists of time – the year 2000 – Apple create iTools , its first cloud - host service , about six years before “ cloud calculation ” even survive as a term . As part of iTools , you registered an account name pair with an @mac.com address.iTools later morphed into .Mac(2002 ) andMobileMe(2008 , @me.com ) before conciliate intoiCloud(2011 , @icloud.com ) .
TheiTunes Music Storefirst appeared in 2003 . It also required you to lay up an account , one that was separate from your iTools/.Mac account . Thus began the great sundering for old - schooling substance abuser . We had iCloud on one Apple Account and leverage on another . ( Apple changed the Apple ID name to Apple Account in September 2024 , so I ’ll utilize that to avoid mix-up . )
The primary Apple Account appears at the top of System Settings/Settings >your name.
It was n’t until a few years subsequently that a young user could register a single Apple Account that handled everything : electronic mail , swarm - stored data for synchronization , access to Apple web site ’s services , and leverage . Apple did n’t supply a way for hoi polloi with an iTools/.Mac / MobileMe account and an iTunes Music Store report to merge them , even when both became in effect an “ Apple Account . ”
Then , with no fanfare , Apple post a set of financial support notes on Feb. 11 , 2025 , that explain how to apply a Modern migration feature that permit you to transplant all purchase from one Apple Account to another . The appendage is straightforward , and Apple even offers an option to back out of the migration , or “ un - migrate ” your files .
you’re able to determine the support notes at :
The primary Apple Account appears at the top of System Settings/Settings >your name.
The room Apple represent the selective information can be overwhelming . I ’ve simplified and reorganise into a more perceivable exercise set of preparations and process for you . Here ’s what you need to make out .
What Apple migrates
Apple defines the two accounts you ’re migrating purchases to and from as theprimaryApple Account , which has iCloud information associated , is the master report you use on your devices , and will receive the purchases ; and thesecondary , which has leverage and limited other information which is migrated to the primary bill . I ’ll use those term extensively below .
Your primary account will appear atSettings / System options > your nameat the top of the screenland below your name . Your secondary , purchase account appears in the same location when you tap or clickMedia & Purchases .
Migration moves all your leverage of apps , books , moving-picture show , medicine , and boob tube shows from the petty to primary account . It also moves five other sets of selective information , each with its own peculiarities :
Left: The Migration Purchases screen is the first step in making sure you have the right accounts in play for migration. Right: The top half of a lengthy screen informing you of the myriad migration actions.
Migration pass on behind :
If you ’re part of any beta tryout programs that rely on Apple ’s TestFlight app , the migration cognitive process is currently broken for that as of mid - February 2025 . you may not use your principal or secondary account ’s e-mail name and address to access . reach out to the developer for selective information about receive an interim URL that you’re able to apply in stead of a login .
After you migrate purchase , the account you migrate from can no longer be used as an iCloud or purchases calculate on an iPhone , iPad , Mac , or Apple TV . However , it ’s still reachable via iCloud.com .
Get ready to migrate
Migration comes with a big number of requisite you have to take on before you may begin .
Account information : Both accounts have to be active and unlocked and both must have two - factor authentication enabled . If you deleted or incapacitate a purchase story in the yesteryear , it ’s not eligible . Neither account can antecedently have been part of a migration : it ’s a one - prison term mathematical process in one guidance for the succeeding life-time of the account ( as of now ) . You ca n’t , for case , roll two purchase - only accounts into one iCloud account . ( The elision is that you may undo the migration , which readjust that status ; see afterward in the article . )
placement : Both accounts must be place to the same country and region for purchases . Apple ab initio excluded the European Union and United Kingdom from chronicle migration , but added them in former March 2025 . India remains the sole exception to using this feature article .
Family communion : If you ’re part of a Family Sharing radical , the petty account must be in the same grouping as the primary feather or in no group at all . A child story created through a Family Sharing grouping that is still in “ youngster ” status ca n’t be used for either side of a migration ; as one upshot , you ’re preclude from migrating a child ’s purchases into your own account . The lower-ranking account must have Purchase Sharing handicapped if it ’s in a Family Sharing grouping .
Purchases : Even though the primary score should be the one you utilize for iCloud , it must have at least one purchase or free download associated . If you ’ve never used the elementary account this way , you need to grease one’s palms or download something free using that account before starting .
The junior-grade score ’s requital method must be available for alive use , so moderate that you have an up - to - date card associated .
The secondary account ca n’t be migrated from until 15 Day following its last purchase . Further , all pre - rescript and rentals must be carry out . For rentals , you’re able to just jump watching to carry down that clock . you may cancel pre - rescript ; seethis support government note .
Miscellaneous : Two multifaceted requirement might trip you up . It ’s potential to have an Apple One account and designate its storage for athirdApple Account , neither primary nor secondary . If that ’s the case , you ca n’t migrate the secondary account . You will need to unlax that tie-up before starting . And if your Apple Account has access to “ special ” apps or content , such as that via Apple ’s Volume Purchase Program ( VPP ) for schooling and ship’s company , it ca n’t be used either as a primary or secondary write up .
Start the migration
Start the outgrowth on an iPhone or iPad that has the chief account lumber in as the iCloud / principal account :
IDG
You may feel error in this process if you have n’t met some of the requirement document earlier . Apple should provide details on what remains to be done in rescript to migrate successfully .
Reverse migration
If you experience problems or decide the merged Apple Account does n’t gather your needs for some reason , you’re able to vacate the appendage . reverse migration rolls back time in some ways and not in others :
To loosen the migration , follow this cognitive process :
Updates , March 6 : Apple removed the European Union and United Kingdom from boot out body politic for migration . Information about migrate medicine data was clarified .
Ask Mac 911
We ’ve compiled a list of the interrogation we get involve most oft , along with answers and links to column : read our super FAQto see if your head is covered . If not , we ’re always reckon for newfangled problems to solve ! Email yours tomac911@macworld.com , including sieve seizure as appropriate and whether you want your full name used . Not every question will be answer ; we do n’t reply to email , and we can not render lineal troubleshooting advice .
