User profile for user: Michael-Owen
Michael-Owen Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Cannot create primary iCloud email with mac.com Apple ID

Trying to switch to iCloud for email, but my Apple ID is an old @mac.com address.


My Apple Account ID is a vintage @mac.com one, and if I ever used it for email it has been a very long time. I am looking to get away from Gmail/Google/Alphabet, and thought I would take advantage of the iCloud mail service I'm already paying for. Here's how it's going:


  1. The @mac.com address continues to work fine to sign me in to Apple services, but according to Apple's articles and support people I've spoken with it cannot be reincarnated to work as an active iCloud email account.
  2. No worries, I think, I'll create a new @iCloud.com email address, which the software seems to be prompting me to do
  3. However, going through the iCloud email creation flow on my phone or computer just creates aliases… for the @mac.com email address
  4. The new iCloud email address (alias) does show up on account.apple.com, but not on my phone or computer in Mail. Attempting to add it manually fails. Can't send or receive mail.


I worked on this with phone support, and their conclusion was that I'm pretty much stuck—if I want to use iCloud email, I will need to

  1. Create an entirely new Apple Account, so I can have a proper new @iCloud.com address
  2. Migrate my data over to the new account (?)


I'm the owner of my family's iCloud Family plan, and I'm sure I don't need to elaborate that doing a big account migration is the last thing I want to do unless absolutely necessary!


Any second opinions on this? Is there any other way to get myself a working @iCloud.com address, without undertaking a lot of stress, time, or risky-sounding account switcheroos?


Thanks!

Posted on Dec 2, 2025 11:40 AM

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User profile for user: Michael-Owen
Michael-Owen Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Posted on Dec 3, 2025 9:24 AM

Thanks for encouraging me to try that path!


It wasn't quite so straightforward, but it did prompt me to try some different things, and here's what appeared to work, eventually:

  1. I changed my iCloud Notification Email address from my Gmail (current main email account) to a secondary email account I use
  2. That allowed me to change my iCloud Primary Email address from my @mac.com address (which as noted above, is not even an active email!) to my Gmail address (the Notification Email could not be the same as the Primary)
  3. As soon as I did that, the Mail pane in the iCloud.com web app spun up with the mail interface, (previously it was stuck on the Create an iCloud email… step, as noted above) configured for the @iCloud.com email alias that I seemed to have previously created in the steps I detailed above, but had been unable to add/use/activate
  4. I was able to then add that @iCloud.com alias as an account in Mail on my computer, and I've been able to send and receive mail from the alias to my Gmail (and see it sent/received both in Mail.app as well as the iCloud Mail web app) so I think things are on the up-and-up!
  5. If everything continues to work, I'll be able to begin the fun process of migrating away from Gmail and put my faith in iCloud


Two things to maybe document for posterity, in case it helps anyone else in the future:

  1. The @Mac.com email address is still not active—I still wasn't able to send or receive mail to it after the steps above. Perhaps I could still do something, but I'm satisfied with the @iCloud.com "alias" I created
  2. I wonder if it is actually a true alias, given the @Mac.com address doesn't appear to work. I don't suppose I care too much, as long as it doesn't cause any problems down the line?
  3. After step #3, above, I went to the iCloud settings panel on my Mac, and clicked on the Mail button in that panel, to turn it on. That opens up a dialog with a Sync this Mac toggle. The toggle was inactive, and also not responsive to my clicks.
  4. Only after I manually updated the iCloud email account in Mail's settings, changing it from the @Mac.com to the @iCloud.com address, did things then sort themselves out
    1. I could send and receive from the account in Mail.app
    2. The Mail panel, and Sync to this Mac toggle became active in Settings, and functioned as expected


Fingers crossed things are working now.

Cheers!

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User profile for user: Michael-Owen
Michael-Owen Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Dec 3, 2025 9:24 AM in response to azaksalmarzur28

Thanks for encouraging me to try that path!


It wasn't quite so straightforward, but it did prompt me to try some different things, and here's what appeared to work, eventually:

  1. I changed my iCloud Notification Email address from my Gmail (current main email account) to a secondary email account I use
  2. That allowed me to change my iCloud Primary Email address from my @mac.com address (which as noted above, is not even an active email!) to my Gmail address (the Notification Email could not be the same as the Primary)
  3. As soon as I did that, the Mail pane in the iCloud.com web app spun up with the mail interface, (previously it was stuck on the Create an iCloud email… step, as noted above) configured for the @iCloud.com email alias that I seemed to have previously created in the steps I detailed above, but had been unable to add/use/activate
  4. I was able to then add that @iCloud.com alias as an account in Mail on my computer, and I've been able to send and receive mail from the alias to my Gmail (and see it sent/received both in Mail.app as well as the iCloud Mail web app) so I think things are on the up-and-up!
  5. If everything continues to work, I'll be able to begin the fun process of migrating away from Gmail and put my faith in iCloud


Two things to maybe document for posterity, in case it helps anyone else in the future:

  1. The @Mac.com email address is still not active—I still wasn't able to send or receive mail to it after the steps above. Perhaps I could still do something, but I'm satisfied with the @iCloud.com "alias" I created
  2. I wonder if it is actually a true alias, given the @Mac.com address doesn't appear to work. I don't suppose I care too much, as long as it doesn't cause any problems down the line?
  3. After step #3, above, I went to the iCloud settings panel on my Mac, and clicked on the Mail button in that panel, to turn it on. That opens up a dialog with a Sync this Mac toggle. The toggle was inactive, and also not responsive to my clicks.
  4. Only after I manually updated the iCloud email account in Mail's settings, changing it from the @Mac.com to the @iCloud.com address, did things then sort themselves out
    1. I could send and receive from the account in Mail.app
    2. The Mail panel, and Sync to this Mac toggle became active in Settings, and functioned as expected


Fingers crossed things are working now.

Cheers!

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User profile for user: azaksalmarzur28
azaksalmarzur28
User level: Level 2
432 points

Dec 2, 2025 10:16 PM in response to Michael-Owen

Do not start a new Apple ID. The issue is simply that your "Mail Container" is dormant. Go to iCloud.com (on a computer web browser), log in, and click the Mail icon.

  • If it says "Set up iCloud Mail," follow the prompts there. This is often the most reliable way to force the backend to create the inbox database. Once the web mail works, your phone and computer will sync up instantly.


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Cannot create primary iCloud email with mac.com Apple ID

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