How to Remove Linked Devices for Apple Purchases on PC & Mac
Do you sign in to your Apple ID on a lot of different devices, let’s say your iPhone, several Mac’s, a few Windows machines, an old PC, an older iPhone or iPad or two, or even an Android device? If so, you may want to check out how many devices are associated with your account, and remove any device that you longer use or own.
Typically, when you sign in with your Apple account on a device and use it to make purchases or activate subscriptions, the device becomes associated with your Apple ID. Although there’s no need to associate a new device to purchase content or download new purchases, you may sometimes need to remove these associated devices if you reach a particular limit set by Apple or you’re unable to redownload purchases from iTunes or App Store. You may also need to do this if you’re selling or giving it away to someone.
Are you trying to figure out how you can view all your associated devices to an Apple ID in the first place? And how to remove devices you no longer need or want associated? That’s what we’re covering here.
How to Remove Devices Associated to an Apple ID from Windows & Mac
The following procedure is identical for both Mac and PCs except that you’ll be using the Apple Music app on macOS and iTunes software on Windows. Regardless of the software you use, you need to be signed in with your Apple ID. Now, without further ado, let’s take a look at the necessary steps.
- Open iTunes/Apple Music app on your respective device and click on “Account” from the menu bar.
- Next, select “View My Account” from the dropdown menu. You’ll only find this option if you’re logged in to the app. Otherwise, you’ll need to sign in from this same menu first.
- Now, you’ll be prompted to enter your Apple ID password for verification. Click on “Sign In” when you’re done.
- This will take you to your Apple ID account settings. Here, scroll down to the “Downloads and Purchases” section and click on “Manage Devices” as shown in the screenshot below.
- Here, you’ll find the list of all the devices that have been associated with your Apple account so far. To unlink, click on the “Remove” option located next to each device.
That’s all there is to it. Now you know how to remove linked devices for purchases on both a Windows PC and Mac.
In some cases, you may notice that the Remove option is grayed out for one or more of your associated devices. This is because there’s a 90-day cooldown period before you can associate those devices with a different Apple account. You’ll be able to see how many devices are remaining before you can associate that device again right here.
This is done intentionally by Apple to discourage users from redownloading music and other purchases from a different account on the same device. At a time, you can have a maximum of ten devices associated with your Apple ID. However, only five of these devices can be computers, whether it’s a Mac or Windows PC.
We’d like to point out that this list of devices is not the same as the list of devices that are signed in with your Apple ID. Managing and removing devices signed into an Apple ID is a completely different procedure. These are also not the same computers that are authorized to play content purchased with your Apple ID. You can learn more about deauthorizing computers in iTunes right here. Admittedly, the linking and associated devices thing can be a little confusing, but if you’re getting rid of an old computer or device you’ll want to go through this process of removing the associations.
Were you able to remove all the old devices that you previously associated with your Apple account? How many associated devices did you have when you checked? Have you reached the maximum limit? Do share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section down below.
