Transfer accounts in Apple Business
Overview
If an organization wants to own all Apple Accounts using their verified domain name, they can use a process called Account Transfer for any unmanaged (personal) Apple Accounts which may have been created previously using the organization’s domain.
WARNING: Account Transfer can’t be undone. Sending notifications impacts all users with unmanaged Apple Accounts across the domain.
What is the Account Transfer process?
When an organization starts Account Transfer:
It locks the domain if it wasn’t previously locked.
Any user whose unmanaged Apple Account is using the domain of the organization is notified and given 30 days to transfer their account. This date is fixed and can’t be extended. For notifications, the device requires iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15.1, visionOS 2, or later.
The email and notification present two options to the user:
Choose a new primary email address to continue using their Apple Account as a personal (unmanaged) account.
Transfer the personal Apple Account and its data to the organization, which then converts it into a Managed Apple Account.
Note: The email also links to the Apple Support article If you are asked to transfer your Apple Account or keep it as a personal account.
This allows users to select the best option depending on how their Apple Account is used. For example, if the user has used it to store their personal data and to access services they use in a personal context, they can choose to keep the account as a personal account.
Alternatively, if they’ve created the Apple Account for work purposes using their organizational email address, they can choose to transfer it to the organization. This allows the user to benefit from streamlined collaboration features and account-driven enrollment flows while allowing organizations to keep their data secure.
Users have 30 days to choose one of these options; otherwise, the Apple Account remains a personal account and gets an automatically assigned account name. This allows the organization to use it as a Managed Apple Account.
The domain can now be used for federated authentication and (optionally, directory syncing).
Account transfer example
Elana uses the Apple Account elana@melardclothing.com. Melard Clothing requires that all Apple Accounts using @melardclothing.com be Managed Apple Accounts. Elana can do one of the following:
Transfer the Apple Account elana@melardclothing.com to Melard Clothing, making it a Managed Apple Account with associated data remaining with elana@melardclothing.com.
Choose a new email address, such as elana@icloud.com, to keep the Apple Account as a personal account and continue using associated data.
If Elana doesn’t take any action, after 30 days the account remains a personal Apple Account and is automatically changed to elana-melardclothing.com@temporary.appleaccount.com. At this point, Melard Clothing can use elana@melardclothing.com to create a Managed Apple Account.
Start the Account Transfer process
In Apple Business, sign in with a user whose role has permissions to view, edit, and delete the organization’s domains.
To view roles and permissions, see Intro to roles and permissions.
Select Get Started with Account Transfer.
WARNING: Account Transfer can’t be undone. Sending notifications impacts all users with unmanaged Apple Accounts across the domain.
Select Start Account Transfer, then review the following:
Verify that the domain is locked
Review the start of the 30-day time period
Review the number of Managed Apple Accounts currently used by this domain