How to Remove iPhone, iPad, and Mac Devices from an iCloud Account

How to Remove iPhone, iPad, and Mac Devices from an iCloud Account
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While having all of your devices synced to your iCloud account is a great way to keep all of your data readily on hand, there are, of course, certain instances where you’d want to remove a device from your account.

For example, when you upgrade to a new iPhone, iPad or Mac, you might want to sell or give away your old device. Of course, you don’t want to get rid of a device loaded with all of your old photos, contacts and app data.

On the other side of the spectrum, you could lose your device — especially if its battery is dead. Or it could be stolen. This can turn out to be a dangerous situation if your iPhone is loaded with your Apple Pay information, and other personal data. Whatever the case may be, here’s how to remove your device from iCloud.

On an iOS device:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Scroll down and tap on the iCloud option.
  3. Tap to turn off Find My iPhone. This is an important step because you’ll still be able to view — and lock — your old device otherwise.
  4. Go back to the iCloud page.
  5. Sign out of iCloud.remove device sign out icloud
  6. Go back to Settings.
  7. Tap on iTunes & App Store, and ensure that you’re signed out here, too.remove device sign out
  8. You might want to take an extra step and erase everything on your old device, depending on what you’re planning on doing with it.

On a Mac device:

  1. Open iTunes from Launchpad.
  2. On the menu bar across your computer screen, select the Store tab.
  3. Click on Deauthorize this Computer.
  4. Sign in using your Apple ID and password.
  5. Now, open Launchpad and click on System Preferences.
  6. Open the Messages app.
  7. Go the Preferences, and then Accounts.
  8. Select your current iMessage account, and click the Sign Out button.
  9. Click on iCloud.
  10. Deselect the Find My Mac checkbox.
  11. Sign out of iCloud. (You’ll be asked whether to you want to remove iCloud data from this device. That’s up to you and the situation).
  12. Again, erase all data if you plan to give away or sell the device.

Of course, there are situations where you won’t have the luxury to cleanly wipe your iCloud account and data from your Mac or iOS device. In the case of a lost or stolen device, follow these steps.

  1. Go to iCloud.com on any web browser.
  2. Click on Find my iPhoneremove device find my iphone
  3. Sign in using your password.
  4. Find the device in question. It’s okay if it’s offline.
  5. Select the device.
  6. Click on the Erase option, and then enter your Apple ID and password.
  7. If the device is currently offline, it will be erased as soon as it’s online again. You’ll receive an email when this happens.
  8. When the device is erased, select it and click on Remove from Account.
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