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To migrate iCloud Mail, create an app-specific password at account.apple.com (your Apple Account needs two-factor authentication) and use it with imap.mail.me.com on port 993. Apple says to use the name part of your address as the username. Our free tool then copies your folders to the new mailbox over IMAP.
- Free, no signup
- Up to 10 mailboxes at once
- Passwords never stored
- No duplicates when you repeat
How to create an app-specific password for iCloud Mail
What to prepare at the provider before you start.
- 1
Check two-factor authentication
App-specific passwords exist only for Apple Accounts that use two-factor authentication. If yours does not, turn it on in the account settings of your iPhone, iPad, Mac or at account.apple.com first.
- 2
Sign in at account.apple.com
Open the site in a browser and sign in with your Apple Account. Approve the sign-in on one of your trusted devices when Apple sends you the code.
- 3
Open App-Specific Passwords
Go to Sign-In and Security and choose App-Specific Passwords. Select the option to generate a new one and give it a label such as "Mail migration".
- 4
Copy the code
Apple displays a password in the form of four groups of letters. Copy it right away, because you will not see it again. You can revoke it afterwards from the same page.
- 5
Enter it in the tool
With iCloud preselected as the source, type your username and paste the app-specific password. Test the login, pick the destination mailbox and confirm from its inbox to start the copy.
Exact IMAP settings
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| IMAP server | imap.mail.me.com |
| Port | 993 |
| Security | SSL/TLS (Apple suggests trying TLS if SSL gives an error) |
| Username | The part of your address before @icloud.com; use the full address if that does not connect |
| Password | An app-specific password, not your Apple Account password |
| Prerequisite | Two-factor authentication on your Apple Account |
Apple documents the username as the name without the domain, for example "johnappleseed", and the full address as a fallback. If one form fails in the tool, try the other.
Start the migration
The tool already has the source selected. Choose where the mail is going, add your mailboxes and confirm from the destination inbox.
Passwords are used once. They travel encrypted to an isolated job that copies the mail and is deleted afterwards. They are never stored, logged or sent back.
Common errors and how to fix them
Almost every failed IMAP copy comes down to the source login. This is what usually happens with this provider.
Login rejected with the Apple Account password
iCloud Mail does not accept your main password from outside apps. Use the app-specific password you created. If you changed your Apple Account password, existing app-specific passwords may stop working and need to be created again.
Username not accepted
Apple documents the name before @icloud.com as the IMAP username. If that fails, try the whole address. Aliases and addresses ending in @me.com or @mac.com can behave differently, so use the primary one first.
An SSL error appears when connecting
Apple notes that if a client shows an error with SSL, TLS may work instead. If the test keeps failing, wait a few minutes and retry, since the server can throttle repeated failed logins from the same place.
The copy stops or slows down on a big mailbox
iCloud can be slow with large folders. Start the copy again; it recognises the messages already delivered and continues with the rest, so there is no need to begin from scratch.
What is and is not copied
The tool copies email and nothing else, over IMAP, with imapsync underneath.
Copied
- The messages of every folder, subfolders included.
- Original dates and the read or unread state.
- Only what is missing at the destination, so repeating the copy creates no duplicates.
Not copied
- Contacts and calendars: they do not travel over IMAP. Export them as vCard or ICS from the source provider.
- Filters, signatures and rules of the old mailbox: recreate them in the new one.
- Messages above 50 MiB are skipped. The tool never deletes anything from the source.
iCloud Mail folders such as Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Junk, Archive and Deleted Messages are copied like any other folder, and the tool maps them to the matching folders at the destination when it can. Rules, VIP lists and the "Hide My Email" addresses you created are Apple features and are not part of IMAP, so they stay behind. Contacts, calendars and notes are separate iCloud services too; export contacts as vCard from iCloud.com if you need them at the new provider.
What the tool guarantees
Free, no signup
No account and no payment. It copies up to 10 mailboxes per batch.
Passwords are used once
They serve that copy and are never stored. Nothing is deleted from the source mailbox either.
The destination must be yours
We leave a confirmation message in the destination inbox. The copy starts only when you open it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I migrate iCloud Mail to another provider for free?
Do I really need an app-specific password?
What username should I use?
Does it delete anything from iCloud?
What about my Mac and iPhone mail?
Can I keep using my @icloud.com address?
Keep reading
Other guides for the same tool, and the Hostbrid email page.
Is your mail going to Hostbrid?
Create the mailboxes first, then bring the old mail across with the import tool in your panel.