How to add and delete Email accounts on Mac, iPhone and iPad

A user often has multiple email accounts such as personal email, work email, etc., and it is convenient to check all your email accounts on your computer and mobile device. You also need to know how to delete email addresses from the device for accounts that are no longer in use.

If you haven't moved your email to alternatives to Apple Mail and still use Mail, the following article will show you how to add and delete email accounts in Mail on Mac, iPhone and iPad.

1. Instructions on how to manage email and mailboxes in the Mail application on iPhone / iPad

Add an automatic or manual email account

If your email account is from an email service provider like Google, Yahoo or iCloud, Mail will automatically add an email account with your email address and password. If you are using an email address from an Internet service provider (ISP), you may have to set up an email account manually.

To set up an email account manually, you need to know your username (usually your full email address), Incoming Mail Server and Outgoing Mail Server. If you do not know these things, find or contact your email service provider.

POP with IMAP

You must also choose IMAP or POP for your email account. IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol (POP) while POP stands for Post Office Protocol. These protocols allow you to receive email using a third-party application such as Mail.

If you access your email on multiple devices such as computers, phones and tablets, you should use IMAP protocol. Email and directory structure are stored on the server and only the copies are stored on your device. Using IMAP ensures that all your devices will see the same email structure and folder.

POP is also useful if you want to download and store emails (not copies) on the device. You can download email with POP even without Internet connection. POP is a good way to back up all your emails. However, if you choose POP in the email client application on your mobile device, you may not be able to create and use folders to organize your email.

In case you use POP in the email client application on the computer, make sure to set the option to leave a copy of the email downloaded on the server. That way, you can download email to your computer and still receive the same email on your mobile device.

Add email account with two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security method that provides additional security when logging into an online account. You must prove your identity in two different ways. Most online accounts that use passwords are vulnerable.

Authentication of two factors provides a second layer of security for your account, requiring you not only to know the password but also to have a phone. This makes it harder for hackers to access your account.

If you add an email account that has two-factor authentication such as a Gmail account, you must receive an application-specific password before adding your email account to Mail.

The application-specific password is the code generated by the email service or provider. This code is used in place of your regular password when adding an email account to Mail or any third-party email application. Your email service provider will show you how to get an application-specific password for your email account.

Add an email account to Mail on a Mac

You can add email accounts to Mail on a Mac in the application itself or with System Preferences.

Use the Mail application to add an email account

To add an email account using the Mail application, open the application and go to Mail> Add Account .

Select the type of email you want to add, if not listed, you can select Other Mail Account .

If you have selected Other Mail Account , the system will still add an automatic email account. The following dialog box is displayed if the account name and password are not verified. Enter additional information as discussed in the Add automatic or manual email account section above and select IMAP or POP. Next, click Sign In .

If your email account is verified, select the application you want to use and click Done .

Note: Your email account may not support all listed apps.

Change the description of the email account using the Mail application

Your email account will show up in Mail's Inbox . By default, the email address will be displayed as a description for the account. To change it, right-click on the account in Inbox and select Edit from the pop-up menu.

Select the email account you want to rename. Next, enter a new Description and close the dialog box.

Use the System Preferences application to add an email account

You can also add email accounts to your Mac with System Preferences. Go to the Apple menu and select System Preferences . Next, click Internet Accounts .

Select the type of email account you want to add. Select Add Other Account if you don't see the type of email you want to add in the list.

This also adds an email account to the Mail application on the Mac and the same settings. Either way, the Mail application or System Preferences, email are added to the Mac and Mail application.

Change the email account description using System Preferences

By default, the email address will be displayed as a description for the account. However, you can change this just like you did in the Mail application. Go to Apple> System Preferences and click Internet Accounts .

Next, select the account you want to rename and click Details .

Enter a new description and click OK .

Set up email checking frequency

You can choose how often you check messages for new emails by going to the Mail menu in the Mail application and choosing Preferences .

You can select Automatically Check for new messages when opening Mail. If you want more control, you can choose a frequency from the pop-up menu. This is useful if you are using a Mac with a battery. Checking email regularly will cost you more battery.

If you want to choose a time to check for new email, even if Mail has been opened, choose Manually . To receive new emails manually, select Get All New Mail from the Mailbox menu or press Command + Shift + N.

1. How to prevent Apple Mail from automatically turning on when opening email on macOS

Delete or deactivate email accounts from a Mac

If you have an email account on your Mac that is no longer in use, you can delete it. Go to the Apple menu, select System Preferences and click Internet Accounts. Select the account you want to delete and click the minus sign below the account list.

There are two options here, you can Remove From All , remove the email account including all settings for the account and all related emails.

Or if you don't want to delete the account settings and email, you can Turn Off Account . This will protect the settings and emai, but the account moves to the end of the list and is labeled as Inactive . Inactive email accounts are not displayed in Mail.

You can also make your account inactive by unchecking all related applications for the account. If you want to use some of the available applications for your account, but you don't want to add an email account to Mail, uncheck Mail in the list of applications while leaving the apps you want to use.

Add an email account to Mail on iPhone or iPad

If you always have to move and depend on your phone or tablet to connect, you can add your email account to Mail on iPhone and iPad.

Here's how to add an email account for the iPhone but this process is similar on the iPad. Open Settings , go to Mail> Accounts> Add Account .

If you see your email provider listed, tap that account to automatically add your account with your email address and password (or application-specific password). If you do not see your email service provider, click Other and then Add Mail Account to manually add your account.

If you manually add your account, enter your name, email, password (or application-specific password) and describe it on the New Account screen , then click Next .

Touch IMAP or POP at the top of the next screen. Both protocols can be used, but you should use IMAP on a mobile device.

Whether you add your account automatically or manually, select the content you want to sync, then click Save .

Change the description on the email account

By default, the email address will appear as a description for a new email account. However, you can change this by typing in your email account in the Accounts list .

On the next screen, select Account

Enter a new description in the Description box and click Done.

Select Fetch or Push for the new email account

Fetch and Push are two different ways for mobile devices to receive emai. With Fetch, your device will automatically check your email server to receive new emails and download them. With Push, the email server notifies your email client application when there are new emails to download and the client will download the new email.

Fetch is initialized by the email client, while Push is initialized by the email server. Fetch usually occurs on a timed basis, while Push occurs in real time. Therefore, using Push, email comes faster and saves battery more than Fetch.

Note: Your email service provider may not support Push, but Fetch is supported by all email providers.

To change the Fetch and Push settings for your new email account, go to Mail> Accounts> Add Account in Settings , then touch Fetch New Data .

If you want to receive email on your device as soon as possible, make sure Push is turned on (the slider button is green).

For each emai account, you can set up Mail to retrieve scheduled emails or manually download email when opening the Mail application. By default, the phone automatically checks for new email after a certain period of time.

To check the email manually for the new email account, tap the account name on the Fetch New Data screen, then select Fetch or Manual . Touch the back arrow on the upper left to return to the Fetch New Data screen .

Fetch is only used when Push is off or for email accounts and applications do not support Push. At the bottom of the Fetch New Data screen , select the time interval to receive the new email. If you choose Manually , the email will be downloaded when you start Mail. This can help save battery power.

Delete email accounts from Mail on iPhone and iPad

If you have an unused email account on your iPhone or iPad, you can delete it. Go to Settings> Mail> Accounts and click on the account you want to delete.

Tap Delete Account and then click Delete Account on the dialog box that pops up. Your account and all emails and settings will be deleted from your device.

I wish you all success!