How to create an Apple ID on any device to use Apple’s apps and services across your devices

  • You can create an Apple ID on your iPhone or Mac through the App Store or by using a browser on a PC or other devices.
  • An Apple ID is necessary to download anything from the App Store. 
  • You don’t need to provide payment information to create an Apple ID.

Apple IDs are the company’s way of using a single profile so you can access your account across all of Apple’s devices. They’re also necessary if you want to use the App Store on any Apple device, regardless of whether you’re buying something or downloading a free app. So if you are simply looking to download a communication app on your iPhone, like Microsoft Teams or Gmail, or want to stream music or podcasts from your iPhone, you need an Apple ID. 

Here’s how to create an Apple ID on an iPhone, Mac, Windows PC, and other devices.

How to create an Apple ID on an iPhone

1. Open the App Store on your iPhone.

2. Tap on the circular silhouette (or your profile image) in the top-right corner of the screen.

iphone app screen main page

Tap the circle icon with your profile image.


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3. Tap Create New Apple ID.

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Tap Create New Apple ID,

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4. Enter an email address and password that you want to pair with your new Apple ID. In the Verify field, type the password again. Then tap Next.

create apple id page

Enter an email address and password.

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5. Select your country of origin and agree to the terms and conditions by tapping the switch.

6. Tap Next in the top-right corner of the page.

7. Fill out the other pieces of personal information that it requests.

8. Enter your credit card and billing information.

payment info on apple id page

Enter your credit card information or tap None.

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Note: You can bypass adding a payment option by selecting None, but you do need to input an address in order to download apps, including free ones.

9. Using the supplied prompts, confirm your phone number and email address.

10. Click Continue and your Apple ID has been created.

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Click Continue to finish the process.

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How to create an Apple ID on a Mac

1. Open the App Store on your Mac.

2. Click the Sign In button in the bottom left of the window.

mac sign in app page

Click Sign In.

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3. Click Create Apple ID.

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Click Create Apple ID.

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4. Fill in the email, password, and country fields, and agree to the terms and conditions. Select Continue.

create apple id fill in email information

Fill in each form.

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5. Enter your credit card and billing information. You can select None for your credit card to avoid giving that information, but you won’t be able to make any paid purchases using your Apple ID without payment information. A billing address is mandatory to download any apps.

create apple id - mac payment information

Fill in your payment information or select None.

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6. Click Continue and confirm your phone number. You can do this by having Apple text or call you with a short numeric code that you enter in the text box on the screen. This is to verify that they have the right number for you.

create apple id mac app store

Enter your phone number to verify it.

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Note: If you did make a mistake entering the phone number, you can just change it and try again.

7. Click Next.

8. Complete the same process as you did for confirming your phone, only this time with your email address. After your email has been verified, you can now sign in with your new Apple ID.

9. Sign in with your new Apple ID in the pop-up that appears. If it does not appear, click the Sign In button in the bottom left of the window and log in.

How to create an Apple ID on a Windows PC

In Windows, there are multiple ways to create an Apple ID. It can be done through the iTunes app or through a web browser, which is an approach that is possible on most devices. This section will cover the iTunes way, please see the next section for the browser method.

1. Open iTunes.

2. Click Account from the top menu bar.

windows itunes account bar

Click Account.

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3. In the dropdown menu that appears, select Sign In….

windows itunes sign in button

Click Sign In…

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4. Click Create New Apple ID.

windows itunes create apple id

Click Create New Apple ID.

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5. In the form that appears, fill out the email address and password fields, select your country, and agree to the terms and conditions. Click Continue.

6. Enter your name and security questions.

7. Enter your credit card and billing address information.,You can select None if you do not wish to make purchases with your new Apple ID, but a billing address is mandatory if you wish to download any apps on Apple devices.

8. Confirm your email address by following the on-screen prompts.

9. Click Create Apple ID.

Quick tip: If you are unable to select None for your credit card for whatever reason, Apple has a guide to assist further. It can be viewed here.

How to create an Apple ID on another device

1. Go to the Apple ID support page in a web browser.

2. Click Create Your Apple ID.

apple ID web browser page

Click Create Your Apple ID.

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3. Fill out the requested information.

apple id web page form

Fill out each form.

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4. Solve the captcha.

apple id solve the captcha

Enter the captcha characters, then click Continue.

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5. Click Continue and follow the on-screen steps to verify both your phone number and email address. Once this is complete, you can log into your Apple ID.

Quick tip: If the captchas prove too difficult, you can generate as many as you like until it gives you one that is doable. This is done by pressing New Code. You can also  have a code read to you by clicking Visually Impaired.

Video: How to create an Apple ID

Kyle Wilson is an editor for the Reference team, based in British Columbia, Canada. Outside of Insider, his work has also appeared in publications like The Verge, VICE, Kotaku, and more. He periodically guest co-hosts the Saturday tech show “Tech Talk” on the iHeartRadio station C-FAX 1070.

Feel free to reach out to him on Twitter, where he can be found most of the time, @KWilsonMG

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