Mac Inside & Out · System Settings & Accounts · Lesson 2 of 5

Your Apple Account on a Mac

Learn what your Apple Account adds to a Mac and how to keep it safe.

One account for all your Apple things

Your Apple Account is the sign-in you use for Apple services. It is an email address and a password. Older Macs and websites may call it an Apple ID, which is its old name.

To sign in, open System Settings. Your name, or Sign in, is at the top of the sidebar.

Signing in adds a lot:

• iCloud is Apple's online storage. It keeps your photos, notes and files in step across your iPhone and Mac.
• The App Store uses your account to download and update apps.
• Passwords is an app in recent versions of macOS. It saves your passwords and passkeys, and with iCloud Keychain they sync to your other Apple devices.
• Find My shows where your Mac is on a map if it is lost or stolen. It can also play a sound, lock the Mac, or erase it from far away.

Find My brings one more protection. Activation Lock ties the Mac to your Apple Account. While it is on, your account password is needed before anyone can turn off Find My, erase the Mac, or set it up again. A thief can't simply wipe it and sell it.

Activation Lock works on newer Macs, those with Apple silicon (Apple's own chips) or the Apple T2 Security Chip. It turns on by itself when you turn on Find My.

This matters when you sell or give away a Mac. Sign out of your Apple Account first, so Find My and Activation Lock turn off. Otherwise the new owner may be stuck.

On Windows, a Microsoft account does a similar job.

Codes, trusted devices and recovery contacts

A password alone can be stolen. Two-factor authentication adds a second check. When you sign in on a new device, you need your password and also a code.

The code is six numbers. It shows up on a trusted device, an iPhone, iPad or Mac already signed in to your account. It can also come by text message to a trusted phone number you chose.

Here is the key rule. That code is only for you to type into your own screen. Apple will never call, text or email to ask you for it. If anyone asks, it is a scam, just like the phishing lessons warned.

What if you forget your password? A recovery contact is a person you trust who can help you get back in. You can choose up to five, like a grown child or a close friend.

• They can't see your email, photos or anything in your account.
• If you are locked out, their device shows them a code. They read it to you, in person or on the phone, and you type it in to reset your password.

To add one, open System Settings, click your name, then Sign-In & Security, then Recovery Contacts. People in your Family Sharing group are added right away. Others get an invitation in Messages.

Apple doesn't know who your recovery contacts are, so remember who you picked. Write it down somewhere safe.

It also helps to keep your trusted phone number up to date in the same place.