How Do I Activate a Disabled iTunes Account?

By Zicheng Ren
Reset your password to unlock your iTunes account.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Apple locks iTunes accounts when a password has been entered incorrectly too many times or when Apple detects suspicious activity. You have two options to re-activate your disabled iTunes account: the first one is "Email authentication," which lets you verify your iTunes account through your registered email address; the second one is "Answer security questions," which verifies your ID by letting you answer the security question you've set up when you registered your iTunes account.

Activate an iTunes Account by Email Authentication

Step 1

Type your Apple ID in the box.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Go to Apple iForgot, type your Apple ID in the box and click "Next."

Step 2

Choose "Email authentication."
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Choose "Email authentication" to retrieve your account. Click "Next" to continue. You should receive an email in your registered email address shortly.

Step 3

Open the email and click "Reset now >."
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Go to your registered email address, for instance, Yahoo mail. Open the email you just received from Apple and click "Reset now >" to begin the resetting process.

Step 4

Type the new password and confirm it.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Type a new password, confirm it and click "Reset Password" to apply the change. This new password will be your log-in password for your iTunes account from now on.

Activate an iTunes Account by Answering Security Questions

Step 1

Type your Apple ID in the box.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Go to Apple iForgot, type your Apple ID in the box and click "Next."

Step 2

Choose "Answer security questions" and click "Next."
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Choose "Answer security questions" to retrieve your account. Click "Next" to continue.

Step 3

Verify your birthday.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Click "Month," "Day" and "Year" respectively and select your birthday from the drop-down lists. Click "Next" to continue.

Step 4

Answer the security questions.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Type the answers to the security questions as shown. For example, "What is your dream job?" These are the questions and answers you selected when you first set up your Apple ID.

Step 5

Reset the password.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Enter a new password, confirm and click "Reset Password" to apply the change. Remember to use this new password to access your iTunes account in the future.

Tip

Click "Forgot your Apple ID?" if you can't remember your ID. Enter your name and email address to retrieve your ID and reset your password.

Warning

For "Email authentication," you have 3 hours from the time the email is sent to reset your account before the process expires. If you do not reset your account within the allotted time, you will have to redo the "Email authentication" to retrieve your account.

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