4 ms·

Does macOS require an Apple account?

verst 5y ago
No, you don't have to sign in with an Apple ID, but the O/S certainly strongly encourages you to do so upon installation (or first boot of a new Mac)
- olyjohn 5y ago
  It's damn near as annoying as Microsoft's harassment.
- josefresco 5y ago
  It sounds like Windows and macOS are similar in this regard, except Apple has more customers who would see this as a "convenience" because their smartphone/tablet world is tied to Apple.
  - cromka 5y ago
    Well that, but also things like "Find my", which are a genuinely valuable and cannot function without some sort of account you can access online.
    - Joeri 5y ago
      You could pair devices to each other instead of to an account. There is no reason an account needs to sit at the core of the find my experience.
      - dannyw 5y ago
        actually there is plenty of reason. like you lose your backpack with your macbook and iphone in it .
gpm 5y ago
Just got a new mac. It doesn't require it, but - They ask you to when you buy it - They ask you to in an email after you buy it - It prompts you during install - It prompts you right after you installed - It prompts you when you try and update the non-operating-system software that came with the computer, and doesn't let you upgrade it if you don't create one. And probably a whole lot more prompts that I missed. It also uses dark patterns to imply that you must enter payment information for you account. Took me 15 minutes of googling to figure out how to create one without entering payment information. So... "no".
- celsoazevedo 5y ago
  macOS does that, but I find Windows 10 to be way, way worse. There's an option in one of the setup screens, but good luck finding it. They really make it hard to use a local account (or at least used to - I haven't reinstalled Windows in 2 years).
  - gpm 5y ago
    I'm torn on which is worse, I've helped people set up windows computers on the most recent iteration and was equally unimpressed. Windows hides the option more, mac holds updating offline apps hostage, safari browser extensions hostage, and tries to trick you into entering payment information. Both are terrible.
  - KptMarchewa 5y ago
    I think you need to not setup internet connection to be able to not use MS account.

No, you don't have to sign in with an Apple ID, but the O/S certainly strongly encourages you to do so upon installation (or first boot of a new Mac)

olyjohn 5y ago
It's damn near as annoying as Microsoft's harassment.
josefresco 5y ago
It sounds like Windows and macOS are similar in this regard, except Apple has more customers who would see this as a "convenience" because their smartphone/tablet world is tied to Apple.
- cromka 5y ago
  Well that, but also things like "Find my", which are a genuinely valuable and cannot function without some sort of account you can access online.
  - Joeri 5y ago
    You could pair devices to each other instead of to an account. There is no reason an account needs to sit at the core of the find my experience.
    - dannyw 5y ago
      actually there is plenty of reason. like you lose your backpack with your macbook and iphone in it .

gpm 5y ago

Just got a new mac. It doesn't require it, but - They ask you to when you buy it - They ask you to in an email after you buy it - It prompts you during install - It prompts you right after you installed - It prompts you when you try and update the non-operating-system software that came with the computer, and doesn't let you upgrade it if you don't create one. And probably a whole lot more prompts that I missed. It also uses dark patterns to imply that you must enter payment information for you account. Took me 15 minutes of googling to figure out how to create one without entering payment information. So... "no".

celsoazevedo 5y ago
macOS does that, but I find Windows 10 to be way, way worse. There's an option in one of the setup screens, but good luck finding it. They really make it hard to use a local account (or at least used to - I haven't reinstalled Windows in 2 years).
- gpm 5y ago
  I'm torn on which is worse, I've helped people set up windows computers on the most recent iteration and was equally unimpressed. Windows hides the option more, mac holds updating offline apps hostage, safari browser extensions hostage, and tries to trick you into entering payment information. Both are terrible.
- KptMarchewa 5y ago
  I think you need to not setup internet connection to be able to not use MS account.