Email server settings

iCloud IMAP settings and SMTP server

Q: What are the iCloud IMAP settings?

Server imap.mail.me.com, port 993, SSL (TLS if SSL fails). User name: the part of your address before the @, or the full address if that doesn’t work. Password: an app-specific password.

Q: What are the iCloud SMTP settings?

Server smtp.mail.me.com, port 587, SSL required (TLS or STARTTLS if your app reports an SSL error), authentication on. User name: your full iCloud address. Password: the same app-specific password.

Q: Are me.com and icloud.com the same mailbox?

For accounts that have both, yes: @me.com (and for some old accounts @mac.com) addresses work alongside @icloud.com on the same iCloud account. Accounts created since September 19, 2012 only get @icloud.com.

The iCloud IMAP settings are imap.mail.me.com, port 993, SSL, with the name part of your address (before the @) as the user name. iCloud Mail SMTP is smtp.mail.me.com, port 587, with your full address as the user name. Both need an app-specific password, not your Apple Account password.

Last checked October 9, 2026, against Apple’s own documentation.

iCloud Mail IMAP and SMTP servers

Server, port and securityServer	Port and security
IMAP · incomingimap.mail.me.com993 · SSL/TLSIf your app reports an SSL error, try TLS	993SSL/TLS
SMTP · outgoingsmtp.mail.me.com587 · SSL/TLS or STARTTLSApple lists SSL; if your app reports an SSL error, choose STARTTLS	587SSL/TLS or STARTTLS

Sign-in: App-specific password

User name: IMAP: the part before the @ (janedoe for janedoe@icloud.com), or the full address if that fails. SMTP: always the full address.

iCloud Mail SMTP and IMAP settings explained

Apple publishes these values in Mail server settings for iCloud email clients:

IMAP and SMTP use different user names. Incoming mail (IMAP) takes the name part of your address, for example janedoe; if your app can’t connect with that, use the full address. Outgoing mail (SMTP) always needs the full address, janedoe@icloud.com.
iCloud SMTP settings: smtp.mail.me.com, port 587, authentication required. Apple says SSL is required; if your app shows an SSL error, choose TLS or STARTTLS.
No POP. iCloud Mail supports IMAP and SMTP only.
Manual settings are the fallback. Apple recommends them only when a device doesn’t meet iCloud’s system requirements. On iPhone, iPad and Mac you sign in to iCloud instead, and Outlook 2021 or later on Windows can be authorized with your Apple Account.
One app-specific password for both servers. Enter the same password for incoming and outgoing mail.

Mail apps outside Apple’s own don’t log in with your Apple Account password but with an app-specific password (Apple Support):

Your Apple Account must use two-factor authentication.
Sign in at account.apple.com.
In Sign-In and Security, select App-Specific Passwords.
Select Generate an app-specific password and follow the steps on screen.
Paste the password into the password fields of your mail app (incoming and outgoing server).

You can have up to 25 active app-specific passwords. Changing or resetting your Apple Account password revokes all of them; create new ones for the apps you still use.

Set up iCloud Mail in Outlook, Thunderbird and Android

iPhone, iPad and Mac: no server settings needed. Sign in with your Apple Account and turn on Mail in the iCloud settings.
Outlook for Windows (2021 or later): authorize Outlook with your Apple Account, as Apple recommends, instead of entering servers. For older Outlook versions, add an IMAP account with the values above.
Thunderbird and other desktop apps: add the account manually. Incoming: IMAP, imap.mail.me.com, 993, SSL/TLS, user name: the part before the @. Outgoing: smtp.mail.me.com, 587, STARTTLS, user name: your full address. Password: the app-specific password, for both.
Android: in Gmail or your phone’s mail app, add an Other / IMAP account with the same values, and mind the different user names for IMAP and SMTP.

Common iCloud Mail errors

Error or symptom	Fix
SSL error when connecting	Switch the security setting to TLS (incoming) or TLS / STARTTLS (outgoing), as Apple advises.
Incoming login fails	Try your full iCloud address as the IMAP user name instead of the name part, and check that you entered an app-specific password.
Login stopped working after a password change	Changing your Apple Account password revoked all app-specific passwords. Generate a new one and enter it for both servers.
“Sending the message failed because you exceeded your sending limit” (iPhone) or “Cannot send message using the server iCloud” (Mac)	You hit a daily limit (below). Wait and send again later.
“Recipient limit exceeded. This message cannot be sent because it has too many recipients.”	The message has more than 500 recipients. Split it.
Can’t send or receive at all	Check your iCloud storage: when it is full, Apple says you can’t send or receive email with your iCloud Mail address.

Error texts from Apple’s iCloud Mail limits page. Bounces from other servers are explained in the SMTP error codes reference.

iCloud Mail sending limits

Limit	iCloud Mail
Messages per day	1,000
Recipients per day	1,000
Recipients per message	500
Message size (incoming and outgoing)	20 MB, up to 5 GB with Mail Drop

Source: iCloud Mail limits. With 1,000 recipients a day, iCloud Mail is built for personal mail, not newsletters: send those from an email service and read up on email deliverability.

Are @icloud.com, @me.com and @mac.com valid email domains?

Yes, all three belong to iCloud Mail (Apple Support):

Accounts created on or after September 19, 2012 get an @icloud.com address.
Accounts created before that date, or moved from an active MobileMe account before August 1, 2012, have both @me.com and @icloud.com.
Accounts that had a working @mac.com address on July 9, 2008, kept MobileMe active and moved to iCloud before August 1, 2012, can use @icloud.com, @me.com and @mac.com.

So a me.com or mac.com address is real, but it belongs to an account created in 2012 or earlier, and an owner who deletes such an alias can’t add it back. Mail to an alias that is gone bounces. Check such addresses with our free check Is this a real email address? before you rely on them, or clean a whole list with the bulk email verifier.

All 3 domains that mail apps set up with these servers

mac.com, me.com, icloud.com.

Source: the Mozilla Thunderbird ISP database (MPL 2.0), which mail clients use for automatic setup.

About the address domain: Is @me.com a valid email domain?

Sources

Checked on October 9, 2026. Server names, ports and sign-in rules come from these official pages:

Other mailbox providers

iCloud Mail settings: FAQ

What are the iCloud IMAP settings?

Server imap.mail.me.com, port 993, SSL (TLS if SSL fails). User name: the part of your address before the @, or the full address if that doesn’t work. Password: an app-specific password.

What are the iCloud SMTP settings?

Server smtp.mail.me.com, port 587, SSL required (TLS or STARTTLS if your app reports an SSL error), authentication on. User name: your full iCloud address. Password: the same app-specific password.

Does iCloud Mail support POP3?

No. iCloud Mail supports IMAP for incoming and SMTP for outgoing mail only.

Why does my iCloud password not work in Outlook or Thunderbird?

Third-party mail apps need an app-specific password, which requires two-factor authentication on your Apple Account. Create one at account.apple.com under Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords.

Are me.com and icloud.com the same mailbox?

For accounts that have both, yes: @me.com (and for some old accounts @mac.com) addresses work alongside @icloud.com on the same iCloud account. Accounts created since September 19, 2012 only get @icloud.com.

Email validation API

Validate icloud.com addresses before you send

emailvalidation.io checks syntax, MX records and the mailbox over SMTP, flags disposable, role and free addresses and returns a quality score, in one request.

/v1/info Email validation API Read the documentation

100 free validations every month. No credit card required.

GET https://api.emailvalidation.io/v1/info?email=support@emailvalidation.io

{
  "email": "support@emailvalidation.io",
  "user": "support",
  "tag": "",
  "domain": "emailvalidation.io",
  "format_valid": true,
  "mx_found": true,
  "smtp_check": true,
  "catch_all": null,
  "role": true,
  "disposable": false,
  "free": false,
  "score": 0.64,
  "state": "deliverable",
  "reason": "low_quality",
  "did_you_mean": "",
  "catch_all_resolution": null,
  "bounce_probability": null,
  "status": "valid",
  "sub_status": "role_based",
  "explanation": "The mailbox exists, but it is a role address (such as info@ or support@), usually read by a team rather than one person.",
  "recommended_action": "send_with_caution"
}

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