Changing your Apple ID country can fail when Apple sees an active subscription, Family Sharing group, pre-order, account balance, refund, or old store credit on the account. Apple now calls it an Apple Account, and the steps below show the current ways to change that country or region on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and the web.
Change it on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro
Use this method when the device is signed in to the Apple Account you want to move. It changes the country or region used for media purchases on that account.
Open Settings, tap your name, then tap Media & Purchases.
Tap View Account, open Country/Region, then select your new country or region.
Tap Change Country or Region, choose the new country or region, review Terms & Conditions, then tap Agree.
Tap Agree again, select a payment method, enter the new payment information and billing address, then tap Next.
Switch your country on a Mac
On current macOS, use Apple Music or Apple TV. Open either app, choose Account in the menu bar, then select Account Settings.
Sign in when prompted. On the Account Information page, click Change Country or Region.
Select the new country or region, click Agree, then click Agree again. Enter the new payment information and billing address, then click Continue.
The Mac App Store also works. Open App Store, click your name in the bottom-left corner or Sign In, open Account Settings, click Change Country or Region in Apple Account Summary, choose a country or region from the pop-up menu, then follow the onscreen instructions.
Cancel subscriptions that block the move
An active Apple-billed subscription is the most common reason the country or region change does not go through.
On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, choose the subscription, then tap Cancel Subscription.
On Mac, open App Store, click your name or Sign In, open Account Settings, go to Subscriptions, choose the subscription, then click Cancel Subscription.
On Windows, open Apple Music or Apple TV, select your name in the sidebar, choose View My Account, go to Settings, open Subscriptions, click Manage, choose Edit, then select Cancel Subscription.
Wait until the subscription period ends, then try the country or region change again.
Use the web without your device nearby
Use this method from any current browser or device that can sign in to your Apple Account. It is the direct account-page route when you do not want to open App Store, Apple Music, or Apple TV.
Go to account.apple.com and sign in.
Open Personal Information, then choose Country/Region.
Follow the onscreen instructions. When Apple asks for a valid payment method for the new country or region, enter it to finish the change.
Change it on a Windows PC
On current Windows PCs, use Apple Music or Apple TV. Open either app, click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, then choose View My Account.
Sign in when prompted. On the Account Information page, click Change Country or Region, select the new country or region, click Agree, then click Agree again.
Enter the new payment information and billing address, then click Continue. The Account Information window in the Windows app also lists Country/Region among its categories, but that entry points back to this same change flow; Done just saves the other account details you edit there.
Skip old iTunes-based Mac instructions and use Apple Music, Apple TV, App Store, or account.apple.com for current account changes.
Leave Family Sharing first
This fixes country changes blocked because your Apple Account is still in a Family Sharing group.
On iPhone or iPad, open Settings and tap Family.
If Family is not shown, tap your name first, then tap Family.
Tap your name, then tap Stop Using Family Sharing.
On Mac, open the Apple menu, go to System Settings, select Family, choose your name, then click Stop Using Family Sharing.
Online, sign in to account.apple.com, open Family Sharing, choose Disconnect Account, then confirm with Disconnect.
After leaving the family group, retry the country or region change. Child and teen rules vary by state, country, or region.
Clear pre-orders before you retry
Cancel pending App Store, Arcade, movie, music, or book pre-orders before you try the country switch again.
- 1.On iPhone or iPad, open App Store, tap the account button or your photo, tap your name, then open Pre-Orders or Arcade Pre-Orders.
- 2.Select the item, then follow the onscreen instructions to cancel it.
- 3.On Mac, open App Store, click the sign-in button or your name, open Account Settings, scroll to Pre-Orders, then choose Pre-Orders or Arcade Pre-Orders.
- 4.On Windows, open Apple Music or Apple TV, select your name in the sidebar, choose View My Account, scroll to Pre-Orders, open Manage Pre-Orders, then select the item and follow the onscreen instructions.
- 5.Once every blocking pre-order is canceled, try changing the country or region again.
Spend your Apple Account balance
Open App Store and tap the account button, your photo, or the sign-in button to check your balance.
On Mac, open App Store and look in the sidebar below your name.
On Windows, open Apple Music or Apple TV and select your name at the bottom of the sidebar.
Spend the balance on App Store or other Apple services.
If the remaining balance is less than the cost of a single item, contact Apple Support, then retry the country or region change.
Handle pending refunds or residual store credit before trying again.
Create a new Apple Account instead
Use this only when you can keep a separate account and you are physically in the new country or region. This does not migrate purchases or subscriptions from the old account.
To avoid entering a payment method for an existing account change, wait until you are in the new country or region, then create a new Apple Account.
On the web, go to account.apple.com, choose Create Your Apple Account, then follow the onscreen steps for email, password, country or region, birthday, phone number, and verification.
On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro during setup, tap Forgot password or don’t have an account?, choose Create a Free Apple Account, and follow the onscreen steps. In App Store, tap the My Account button, choose Create New Apple Account, and follow the onscreen steps.
On Mac, open the Apple menu, go to System Settings, choose Sign in, then select Don’t Have an Account?. On Windows, open Apple Music or Apple TV, choose Sign In, select Sign In again, then choose Create New Apple Account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my Apple ID country without a payment method?
For an existing Apple Account, Apple asks for a valid payment method when the new country or region requires one during the account change. To avoid that route, wait until you are physically in the new country or region and create a new Apple Account there.
Why can’t I change my Apple ID country?
The common blockers are an active Apple-billed subscription, Family Sharing, pending pre-orders, Apple Account balance, pending refunds, or residual store credit. Clear the blocker, wait for any subscription period to end, then retry the country or region change.
Does changing my iPhone region change my Apple ID country?
No. Changing only the device region in Settings > General > Language & Region is not Apple’s supported method for changing your Apple Account country or region.
Can I use a VPN to change my Apple ID country?
No current Apple method changes your Apple Account country or region through a VPN or location spoofing. Use the Apple Account country or region settings instead.