When the return window starts
Apple’s Sales and Refund Policy says you can return or exchange a product “within 14 days of the date you receive the product from Apple.” Apple’s returns page says these are calendar days.
Apple’s pages don’t say whether a mailed return has to be started, shipped or received by day 14. If you’re mailing it back near the deadline, start early.
Apple’s return rules at a glance
| What you bought | How long | Counted from | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Products bought from Apple | 14 days | The day you receive it | With a receipt; original condition, all parts and packaging |
| Engraved items and custom-configured Macs | 14 days | The day you receive it | Refund only, no in-store exchange |
| ZEISS Optical Inserts for Apple Vision Pro | 14 days | The day you receive it | Prescription inserts can’t go back to a store |
| Items Apple doesn’t take back | Opened software, downloads, Apple Gift Cards |
Exceptions that change the deadline
Apple uses one 14-day window for everything it takes back. The exceptions change how you return something, not when.
Engraved and custom-built items. Engraved items, such as an iPad or AirPods, and Macs configured to order can be returned for a refund within 14 days, but an Apple Store won’t exchange them.
ZEISS Optical Inserts for Apple Vision Pro. Apple takes these back within 14 days of when you receive them. Prescription inserts are custom products: return them through your Order Listing page or by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE, not at a store. Reader inserts can also go back to a store.
Bought somewhere else. An iPhone or AirPods bought at another store follow that store’s window, not Apple’s. See Target’s return policy and Amazon’s return policy.
Online orders and store purchases
The 14 days are the same either way. You can mail an online order back or take it to any U.S. Apple Store, where the refund is processed on the spot. If you’re returning ten or more of the same product, take them to the store where you bought them.
Holiday returns
Apple hadn’t posted holiday return terms for 2026 when we last checked this page (Oct 13, 2026). We’ll update this page when it does.
Gifts and returns without a receipt
A gift returned with a gift receipt gets an Apple Gift Card. Without one, use Apple’s Gift Returns page with the product’s serial number, or the order number plus the UPC on the box. You print a prepaid label, and once the item arrives Apple emails the refund as an Apple Gift Card.
Apple’s policy asks for a receipt and doesn’t describe returns without one.
How to start a return
- Sign in to your Order Listing page on apple.com with your Apple Account.
- Choose the item, select Start a Return, and confirm what you’re sending back.
- Print the return label (and any hazmat label), and pack the item with every cord, adapter and document it came with. Apple recommends the original box for a computer.
- Schedule a carrier pickup, or drop the package at a carrier location.
Or take it to any U.S. Apple Store with your receipt. Before you return an iPhone, iPad, Mac or other device, turn off its loss and theft protection; Apple may refuse the return if it can’t be turned off.
Shipping, drop-off and fees
Apple’s returns page has you print a label from your order, but it doesn’t say whether the label costs anything. Gift returns use a prepaid label, and Apple Certified Refurbished products come with free shipping and returns. Apple’s pages don’t mention a restocking fee.
Refunds
Refunds go back the way you paid. For a card payment, Apple says it sends the refund to your bank within 5 business days of receiving the item; when it posts depends on your bank. Apple’s Sales and Refund Policy adds that returns may be inspected and that an approved refund is issued within 10 business days. Cash returns over $750 are refunded by check within 10 business days. Purchases paid with an Apple Gift Card are refunded to an Apple Gift Card by email, and Apple Account balance payments go back to the balance.
What can’t be returned
Opened software (software that has been installed, or whose sealed license package has been opened), electronic software downloads, Software Up-to-Date upgrades, Apple Gift Cards, and Apple Developer products such as memberships and WWDC tickets.
Questions people ask
Can I return an iPhone I bought at Best Buy or from my carrier to Apple?
No. Apple’s policy says Apple products bought through other retailers go back to those retailers, under their own policies.
Does returning an iPhone cancel my phone plan?
Not necessarily. Apple says returning a device with wireless service may not cancel or reset your carrier account, and you’re responsible for the service agreement and its fees. Contact your carrier.
I used the iPhone Upgrade Program. When does my old iPhone have to go back?
Apple’s Upgrade Program terms say to return your original financed iPhone as Apple directs within 14 days of using your upgrade option. If you don’t, the original loan is reinstated and you owe its missed and remaining payments as well as the new loan’s. That’s separate from the 14-day return window for the new phone.
Can I exchange something at an Apple Store?
Yes, within the 14 days, at any U.S. Apple Store, as long as the store has what you want in stock. Engraved items and custom-configured Macs are the exception: they can be returned for a refund but not exchanged.
What this page doesn’t settle
- Whether a mailed return must reach Apple by day 14 or only be on its way.
- Whether standard return shipping is free.
Apple’s published pages don’t answer these. If one matters for something you bought, ask Apple before relying on it.
Official sources
- Returns & Refunds (checked Oct 13, 2026)
- U.S. Sales and Refund Policy (checked Oct 13, 2026)
- iPhone Upgrade Program Terms and Conditions (checked Oct 14, 2026)
- Why Refurbished (checked Oct 13, 2026)
How we keep this page current
We read this guide against Apple’s pages listed above at least once a month, and every week from November through January. “Last checked” is the last day every rule on this page was read against them; “Last changed” is the last day the guide’s content changed. Apple decides what it accepts: if your receipt, order page or the item’s page says something different, that applies to your purchase. How we check these guides.