iCloud Mail Not Working? Fixes for Sending and Receiving

When iCloud Mail stops sending or receiving, the cause is usually one of a handful of things: an iCloud outage, full iCloud storage, iCloud Mail switched off on the device, a size or sending limit, or a network that blocks mail. Work through these in order — the first few take seconds and fix most cases.

Quick checks (all devices)

1. Check Apple's System Status page. If iCloud Mail shows an outage or maintenance, wait and try again later — nothing on your side will fix it.
2. Try iCloud.com. Sign in at icloud.com/mail. If mail is arriving there, the account is fine and the problem is the app or device.
3. Check your iCloud storage. If it's full, you can't send or receive with your iCloud address at all. See iCloud storage full.
4. Check the size of what you're sending. Messages are limited to 20 MB, or up to 5 GB with Mail Drop turned on. You can also send up to 1,000 messages a day, to no more than 500 recipients per message.
5. Turn off any VPN, then try again.
6. Restart the device.

On iPhone or iPad

• Make sure iCloud Mail is on: Settings › your name › iCloud › Mail › Use on this iPhone.
• Update iOS or iPadOS to the latest version.
• Check Push: in Mail's Fetch New Data settings, turn on Push and set Fetch to Automatically. Only one account can use Push at a time. Send yourself a test message to confirm it arrives.
• Still nothing? Turn off iCloud Mail and Push, restart the device, then turn both back on.

In Mail on a Mac

• Check the account is enabled: Mail › Settings › Accounts, select your iCloud account, and make sure it's turned on and online.
• Messages stuck in the Outbox: in the account's Server Settings, set the Outgoing Mail Account to iCloud.
• “Unknown address” or undelivered: check the recipient's address in your Sent mailbox, resend anything left in Drafts or the Outbox, and ask the recipient to look in their Junk folder.
• You can receive but not send: your internet provider may be blocking outgoing mail (SMTP). Ask them, or try a different network.
• Sending through a non-iCloud SMTP server? Don't use your iCloud address as the “From” address on that server.

On iCloud.com

• Update your browser, then clear its cache.
• If iCloud Mail works on a different network, the first network is blocking it — contact that internet provider or network administrator.

In Outlook, Android and other apps

• Password rejected: other apps need an app-specific password or Apple's approval prompt, not your Apple Account password. Any app-specific password stops working after you change your Apple Account password. See how to sign in from other apps.
• Settings wrong: incoming mail uses imap.mail.me.com (port 993, SSL/TLS) and outgoing uses smtp.mail.me.com (port 587, STARTTLS). The incoming username is usually just the part before @icloud.com; outgoing uses the full address. Full details: iCloud Mail server settings.
• POP3 won't connect: iCloud Mail doesn't offer POP3. Use IMAP.

If you can't sign in at all

That's an Apple Account problem rather than a Mail one — a locked account, a missing verification code or a forgotten password. See signing in to iCloud Mail and, if needed, resetting your password.

If none of this helps, contact Apple Support.