Written by
Amanda WongI keep getting a pop up on my iPhone and Mac saying my apple ID has been disabled for security reasons and anytime I type in my password it says Apple ID not active.
If you encounter the same "This Apple ID is not active" error message on your iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or iMac, this post is right for you. After reading, you will know the causes and working fixes for your Apple ID is not active issue.
What does it mean 'This Apple ID is not active'
When you try to log in or verify your Apple ID account on your Apple devices but only receive the prompt "This Apple ID is not active," it indicates there is a fault with your Apple ID, therefore Apple has disabled the account. You cannot use the account on any Apple devices, and all your data and service associated with Apple ID is inaccessible.
Why does it say your Apple ID is not active
There are several causes of the Apple ID is not active issue on your macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices, here we explain the most common ones that trigger the Apple ID is not active problem. You can also prevent the same problem from happening in the future.
- The Apple account is disabled. If Apple has disabled your Apple ID, then it may result in your Apple ID being inactive. Due to many reasons, Apple may disable your Apple ID, and problems with payment and subscription, and misrepresentation of your identity are the most common cases.
- Your Apple account is locked. When you or others type in the wrong password, security questions, or other account info multiple times, Apple will lock the account to protect data from malicious access. And the error "Verification failed this Apple ID is not active" on the screen.
- It is a second-hand device. If you bought a used Mac/iPhone/iPad, you will need the former user's password or ask them to log out of iCloud to remove the device from the list. If not, you may be greeted with the Apple ID is not active error.
- You violated Apple's terms and conditions. In rare cases, Apple users may violate the user terms and conditions agreements which is presented when creating the Apple account and ID. If so, Apple can disable your account and make it inactive.
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How to fix when your Apple ID is not active
When the Apple ID is not active issue occurs, you can not sign in, verify the account, or can't log out of Apple ID on Mac. All the Apple ID-based Apple services such as iCloud, App Store, iMessage, FaceTime, etc., are not usable. What's worse, it poses a risk of data loss to your account.
Thus, you should fix the inactive Apple ID issue to make it work again. There are some working fixes you can apply to get out of the trouble on your Mac/iPhone/iPad. Let's move to the details.
Fix 1. Restart your device
When you encounter some minor issues on your Apple device, you can always try to give it a fresh start to troubleshoot the problem, and sometimes it works. When you get the "This Apple ID is not active" error, you can force restart the Mac, iPhone, or iPad to see whether the problem gets solved.
Fix 2. Check iCloud system status
Although it is not common, there may be an outage of the Apple server for system maintenance and other reasons. If so, the related services couldn't be connected and may report errors when you attempt to use them such as Cannot connect to iCloud and Apple ID 'You Can't Sign in at This Time'
If it says your Apple ID is not active, you can visit the Apple System Status page to check the status of iCloud mail. If the circle next to it is green, it means the iCloud mail works well. If not, the iCloud mail service is not available temporarily, you can try it later.
Fix 3. Reset Apple ID password
It is not recommended to repeatedly enter the Apple ID password when it is incorrect or shows the Apple ID is not active message on your device to avoid bigger problems. You can reset Apple ID password to recover your account. Then you can use the account normally and access your data.
Fix 4. Contact Apple Support
Unluckily, the above methods are unable to make your Apple ID active, you can report the problem to Apple Support. Apple must flag your Apple account as inactive for some reason. When you contact Apple Support, they will tell you why the account is not active and help you to activate it.
Conclusion
In most cases, Apple disables the Apple ID account and makes it inactive out of security concerns. When the Apple ID is not active problem occurs to you, try the fixes we provide to get it solved. If these fixes work to fix the Apple ID is not active, share it to help more people.
If you want to enhance the security of your Apple ID, Security Keys for Apple ID is an appropriate option.
