Both @me and @icloud emails are associated with Apple. You may be wondering what the difference between @me and @icloud emails are, why some people have an @me address, and how to get one.
The @me email addresses are associated with legacy Apple email domains. Read on to learn more.
Quick Answer
If you were wondering whether you can create an @me address, here’s the quick answer: No. You can no longer create an @me address, but you can still use an @me address in 2026 if it was created before September 19, 2012.
How We Got Here
To understand how we got here, let’s go over Apple’s email service history.
At first, Apple offered a .Mac cloud email service. Email addresses set up with this service ended in a @mac.com address.
In 2008, Apple transitioned to the MobileMe service. New email addresses instead got an @me.com email address, while older addresses both kept their old @mac.com addresses and got a new @me.com address.
Finally, in 2012, Apple retired the MobileMe service and instead launched iCloud. Since then, new email addresses get an @icloud.com email address, while old users kept their old addresses and got a new iCloud address.
However, if you had an old email address, you can still use it together with your new iCloud address.
For example, if you had [email protected] from before 2012, then you would currently have two email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected]. Both work and would send mail to the same inbox.
However, the [email protected] address would be your primary email address. The [email protected] address would be an alias, and if you delete it, you wouldn’t be able to recover it.
Similarly, if you had an old .Mac address, such as [email protected], you could still use it (together with your new [email protected] and [email protected] addresses), and mail sent to that address would appear in your iCloud inbox.
What You Can Do Today
Today, all new email addresses end in @icloud.com. However, you can create an iCloud alias.
For example, if your main address is [email protected], you can add an alias [email protected]. This is helpful for managing spam and promotional mail or for keeping your main email address private. Unfortunately, no new @me addresses can be created.
Using a Legacy @me.com Address (If You Already Have One)
If you had an @me.com address, you can use it on your current Apple devices.
If you have a legacy @me address, you can use it to sign into iCloud and receive mail. You can also send mail from it. To send mail from your @me.com address, choose it in the From address field. In your settings, you can also set it as the default send address. To do this in your Mail settings on your iPhone, go to Settings > Mail > Composing > Default Account.
Sign-In vs. Mail Address (Common Confusion)
For most Apple users, your iCloud email address is also your sign-in address. However, you can also create an iCloud account with a Gmail address or another email address. In that case, your sign-in address wouldn’t be the same as your @icloud.com mail address. You can also sign in with an alias, like your @me.com address.
Mini How-To: Set Default “From” & Add Aliases
To set the default From address in iCloud, follow these steps:
- Go to icloud.com/mail and sign in.
- Select the gear icon and click on Settings.
- In your Account settings, select an email address or addresses under Send From.
- From the pop-up menu, select the Default Send Address.
- Click on Save.
To set up an alias in iCloud, follow these steps:
- Go to icloud.com/mail and sign in.
- Select the gear icon and click on Settings.
- In your Account settings, click on Add Alias and add the required information, including the new email address you want to create.
- Click on Create to save it.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, you can’t create new @me.com email addresses, but legacy users can still use them alongside their icloud.com email addresses if they had one from 2012 or earlier. I hope this cleared up the confusion!
