If you see “The maximum number of free accounts have been activated”

Find out what to do if you see an alert when trying to create an Apple Account or set up iCloud on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Why did you see this message?

If you see “The maximum number of free accounts have been activated on this [device]”, it means you have exceeded the number of accounts you can set up with iCloud on a single device in one year.

You may see this message when:

  • Signing in to an Apple Account you’ve already created on the web, an Apple TV or a third-party device, but have not yet set up with iCloud.

  • Signing in to an Apple Account that has web-only access to iCloud.

What should you do?

If you have another iPhone, iPad or Mac, you can try setting up iCloud with your Apple Account on that device. Sign in with your Apple Account, then follow the onscreen steps to start using iCloud.

Or if you already have an Apple Account set up with iCloud, sign in with that Apple Account instead.

If you still need help

If you still need to set up iCloud with this Apple Account, contact Apple Support for help.

Your Apple Account is what you use to access Apple services, such as the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime and more. You can sign in to all Apple services with this single Apple Account.

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