I recently broke my phone, while waiting for it to get fixed, I have been using my burner iPhone XS from 2020, the problem is I don't remember the iCloud password, my iCloud is @gmail.com instead of @iCloud.com and when I try to reset my password because I have the email still it tells me this apple account is not valid or not supported.
Please Help
iPhone 14, iOS 26
When you see the error message "Apple Account is not valid or not supported," it is a very specific signal. It does not mean you have entered the wrong password or that your account is locked; rather, it means the system simply does not recognize the email address you entered as a valid username. Even though you receive Apple emails at that Gmail address, it is highly likely that this address is set as your "Notification" or "Rescue" email, while your actual login ID is a different string of text—often an older @icloud.com or @me.com address that you may have forgotten.
The fastest way to uncover your true Apple ID is to check your own history. Since you still have access to the Gmail inbox, open it and search for keywords like "Apple invoice," "receipt," or "subscription." Open one of these official emails and look closely at the billing details; Apple receipts almost always list the specific "Apple ID" associated with the purchase near the top or bottom of the message. You may find that while the email was sent to your Gmail, the ID listed is actually different.
If digging through your inbox does not yield results, you should use Apple’s official recovery tool. Navigate to iforgot.apple.com and look for the small blue link that says "Look it up." This tool allows you to enter your first name, last name, and email address (or phone number) to search their database. If the system finds a match, it will reveal the actual Apple ID used for the account, allowing you to then proceed with a password reset.
Finally, consider the formatting of your Gmail address. Google treats firstname.lastname@gmail.com and firstnamelastname@gmail.com as the same inbox, but Apple treats them as two completely different characters. If you originally signed up using a specific variation (with or without a dot), you must type it exactly that way to log in. If you try these variations and the "Look Up" tool still says no account is found, and you truly haven't used the account since 2020 with no paid services, there is a slight possibility the account was deactivated due to inactivity, though this is rare.
When you see the error message "Apple Account is not valid or not supported," it is a very specific signal. It does not mean you have entered the wrong password or that your account is locked; rather, it means the system simply does not recognize the email address you entered as a valid username. Even though you receive Apple emails at that Gmail address, it is highly likely that this address is set as your "Notification" or "Rescue" email, while your actual login ID is a different string of text—often an older @icloud.com or @me.com address that you may have forgotten.
The fastest way to uncover your true Apple ID is to check your own history. Since you still have access to the Gmail inbox, open it and search for keywords like "Apple invoice," "receipt," or "subscription." Open one of these official emails and look closely at the billing details; Apple receipts almost always list the specific "Apple ID" associated with the purchase near the top or bottom of the message. You may find that while the email was sent to your Gmail, the ID listed is actually different.
If digging through your inbox does not yield results, you should use Apple’s official recovery tool. Navigate to iforgot.apple.com and look for the small blue link that says "Look it up." This tool allows you to enter your first name, last name, and email address (or phone number) to search their database. If the system finds a match, it will reveal the actual Apple ID used for the account, allowing you to then proceed with a password reset.
Finally, consider the formatting of your Gmail address. Google treats firstname.lastname@gmail.com and firstnamelastname@gmail.com as the same inbox, but Apple treats them as two completely different characters. If you originally signed up using a specific variation (with or without a dot), you must type it exactly that way to log in. If you try these variations and the "Look Up" tool still says no account is found, and you truly haven't used the account since 2020 with no paid services, there is a slight possibility the account was deactivated due to inactivity, though this is rare.
Cannot reset iCloud password for Gmail-based Apple ID
