If iCloud Mail isn't working

You can use iCloud Mail in the Mail app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, or on iCloud.com on your iPad, Mac or PC. If you can't access your email, or you can't send and receive messages with your @icloud.com email address, follow these steps.

Things to check first

  1. Check the system status of iCloud Mail.

  2. Check that you've turned on iCloud Mail:

    • On your Mac, open the Mail app, then choose Mail > Preferences. Click Accounts, then select your iCloud account in the sidebar. Under Account Information, make sure the account is turned on and the status is online.

    • On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and check that Mail is turned on.

  3. Make sure you haven't exceeded your iCloud storage limit. If you've exceeded your iCloud storage limit, find out how to make more space available in iCloud.

  4. Make sure you're using the latest version of software on your device.

If you need help with sending or receiving emails on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

  1. Check your internet connection. Open apple.com/uk in Safari on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

  2. To see if you can receive email for your iCloud email on another device, go to iCloud.com on a Mac or PC.

  3. Make sure you've turned on Mail in Settings on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud and turn on Mail.

  4. Make sure new data is pushed to your device automatically. In iOS 14 or later, tap Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data, then turn on Push. In iOS 13 or earlier, tap Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Fetch New Data, then turn on Push.

    • Send an email to your account to see if Push is working.

    • In Fetch New Data, tap your iCloud account and turn on Push. You can only use Push with one account at a time.

  5. Turn your device off and back on again.

  6. If you still can't send or receive emails, turn off the settings in steps 3 and 4, restart your device, then turn them back on.

If you can't access iCloud Mail at iCloud.com

On your iPad, Mac and PC, you can use iCloud Mail on iCloud.com. On an iPhone, use the Mail app instead.

  1. Make sure your browser is up to date. If you're using Safari, update Safari to the latest version.

  2. Clear your browser's cache. In Safari, choose Safari > Preferences. Click the Advanced tab. Select "Show Develop menu in menu bar", then close Preferences. Click the Develop menu, then select “Empty Caches”. If you're using a different browser, check its help menu for steps.

  3. If you can access iCloud Mail from a different location or internet connection, contact your internet service provider (ISP) or network administrator. Some internet configurations intentionally or unintentionally prevent access to certain websites or services, such as iCloud Mail.

If you can't send emails from the Mail app on your Mac

Follow these steps if your message can't be delivered, you're attaching a large file or the recipient didn't get your message.

If you receive an alert when you send a message from your @icloud.com email address using Mail on your Mac

If you see an alert that says "This message could not be sent. It will remain in your Outbox until it can be sent.", make sure iCloud is your Outgoing Mail Account.

  1. Open Mail and choose Mail > Preferences.

  2. Click the Accounts tab.

  3. Select your iCloud email account.

  4. Click the Server Settings tab. If iCloud isn't listed as the Outgoing Mail Account, select iCloud.

    • If you choose Edit SMTP Server List, you won't see your iCloud account listed as an option.

If you're attaching a large file

Message attachments can't exceed the maximum size allowed by your email service provider or the recipient's email service provider. The maximum size varies by service provider. Try using Mail Drop, compressing the file before sending it or sending your message without the attachment.

If your recipient doesn't receive your message

  1. If an "unknown address" or "undelivered mail returned" message appears in your Inbox after you've sent a message, go to your Sent mailbox and make sure the recipient's email address is correct.

  2. If you use macOS Mail or access your iCloud Mail using Safari or another supported web browser, check your Drafts, Sent and Outbox mailboxes:

    • If you see an unsent copy of the message in Drafts, try sending it again.

    • If you see the message in your Outbox, make sure you're connected to the internet and use the steps above to select iCloud as the outgoing mail account.*

  3. Ask the recipient to check their Junk mail folders or mailboxes.

  4. If your recipient still doesn't receive your message, but your message was sent without any alerts or "undelivered email" messages, your message may be being blocked or filtered by the iCloud Mail servers or the recipient's email server. To find out, contact iCloud Support. You should also ask your recipient to contact their email administrator.

* If you use a non-iCloud SMTP server, don't use your iCloud email address as a "Send From" address. Otherwise, your email may not be delivered or it may be directed to the recipient's Junk folder.

If you can receive messages but can't send them

Your ISP may be blocking the protocol used to send emails (SMTP) across their network. Contact your service provider and ask about SMTP traffic that crosses their network to an external service, such as iCloud. If your service provider blocks SMTP traffic, ask them how you can be exempted from SMTP blocking.

If your ISP isn’t blocking SMTP traffic and you still can’t send messages, contact Apple Support for help.

If you can't receive mail in the Mail app on your Mac

  1. On the left-hand side of the main Mail window, find the name of your iCloud email account. If your account name is dimmed and has a lightning bolt symbol next to it, your account is offline.

  2. To take your account online, connect to the internet.

  3. Choose Mailbox. If Take All Accounts Online is dimmed, your accounts are already online.

If you still can’t receive email, contact Apple Support to get more help.

If you want to remove a suggested recent contact in iCloud Mail

When you're signed in to iCloud, you may see recent email addresses you've used as suggested contacts across your devices. To stop a contact from appearing as a suggestion, here's what you can do:

  1. On iCloud.com, click the New Message buttonNo alt supplied for Imageto start an email.

  2. In the "To:" field, start typing the email address you want to hide.

  3. Hover over the address and click the Delete buttonNo alt supplied for Image.

  4. Click Remove from Recents.

If you need help with iCloud for Windows

If you're using Outlook, get help with your iCloud Mail, Contacts and Calendars.

Get more help

If you still need help, contact Apple Support.

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