Over the past few months we have encountered some confusion around Apple IDs, from both individuals and companies. Some customers have had been using their iCloud accounts but when prompted to enter their Apple ID on their computer they are unsure what account to use. Essentially, your Apple ID is the account name that you use to access iCloud, iTunes and the Apple Store. In other words, your Apple ID is your iCloud, or at least its credentials.
Some people have several Apple IDs, both personally and between their company, and that creates confusion. We have seen customers use their company Apple ID to manage their iCloud documents but a personal Apple ID to access their iTunes. This works well but you need to remember where you kept everything. You could even, theoretically, have a third iCloud account in which you purchased all of your apps for your computer. All three can be used on the same computer at the same time.
If you have more than one Apple ID, it is important to make sure you know what you have used each one for in the past. Personally, I have several but one in particular that I began using when I purchased my first iPod many years ago. That Apple ID is the one I have used to make all of my personal purchases from iTunes, the App Store for MacOS and the apps I have purchased for my iPhone/iPad.
To access your Apple ID account information, you can go to appleid.apple.com. From there you can access account information such as which computers the Apple ID is active on, your payment information, and password management.
To use your Apple ID to access iCloud information, go to http://icloud.com. Your documents are stored there.
For the Apple App Store, open the App Store application on your Macintosh and sign in from the Store menu. To sign into the store on you iPhone or iPad open Settings and select iTunes & App Store, then tap Sign In.
Brad Boots – 6.24.19
