How to sign out of your Apple Account on an iPhone

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open Settings, tap your name, scroll to the bottom and tap Sign Out. Choose Sign Out But Don't Erase to keep the phone as it is, or the erase option if you are giving it away. Enter your passcode or Apple Account password to confirm.

Signing out disconnects the iPhone from iCloud and from Apple's services. Your data stays safe in iCloud and comes back when you sign in again. It is the step to take when you change to another Apple Account. For selling the phone, erasing it is the better way.

Menu names are from recent versions of iOS.

Step by step

  1. Make sure everything is in iCloud

    Connect to Wi-Fi and give the phone a moment to finish syncing. Under Settings, your name, iCloud you can see what is switched on. A fresh backup does no harm: how to back up an iPhone to iCloud.

  2. Open Settings and tap your name

    Scroll to the bottom of the page.

  3. Tap Sign Out

    The iPhone offers two choices and shows which information stays on the device and which is removed.

  4. Choose how to sign out

    Sign Out But Don't Erase leaves the iPhone working with its apps and settings. Erase removes everything, which is right before a sale.

  5. Confirm

    Enter the passcode of the iPhone or the password of the Apple Account. Signing out also switches off Find My and its Activation Lock.

  6. Sign in again

    To use another account, or the same one, tap Apple Account at the top of Settings and sign in.

Good to know

While signed out, these stop working on this iPhone: iCloud Backup, iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, iCloud Mail, the iCloud keychain, Find My, Apple Pay, Messages in iCloud, Shared Albums, the Home app, and Handoff and the shared clipboard.

If Sign Out is greyed out, Screen Time restrictions are usually the reason. Check Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions, Account Changes.

With Stolen Device Protection on, signing out may need Face ID and a wait of one hour when you are away from familiar places.

Selling or giving the phone away: how to factory reset an iPhone.

In short: Sync first, Settings, your name, Sign Out, choose Sign Out But Don't Erase or erase, confirm with passcode or password.

Sources
  • Apple Support: Sign out of your Apple Account and iCloud on your devices

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.