Switch to Mailotte
Switching from iCloud Mail
The import is simple. The interesting question with iCloud is usually what to do with the address itself.
Before you start
Apple requires an app-specific password, and only offers them with two-factor authentication on:
- Sign in at appleid.apple.com.
- Under Sign-In and Security, choose App-Specific Passwords and generate one labelled "Mailotte".
- Copy it — Apple shows it once.
Use your full iCloud address as the username. Revoke the password from the same page afterwards.
The order that works
Switching email is not hard. It is unforgiving about order — do these in the wrong sequence and you lose mail you never find out about.
- Create the Mailotte account first, and leave the old one running. You are adding a mailbox, not replacing one. Nothing is switched off until you decide to switch it off — and you should probably never switch it off.
- Get your iCloud Mail app password. See the box above. This is the step people get stuck on, and it is the only fiddly part.
- Start the import. In Mailotte, open Settings → Import email, pick iCloud Mail, and paste the address and app password. Mailotte tests the connection before it starts, so a wrong password fails in seconds rather than halfway through.
- Choose folders, then leave it alone. Pick the folders worth keeping. A large mailbox takes hours; you can close the tab. An interrupted import resumes from per-folder checkpoints rather than starting over.
- Turn on forwarding from iCloud Mail. This is the safety net for every account you forget. Anything still pointing at the old address keeps arriving where you now read.
- Change your address where it matters, slowly. Account-recovery routes first, then anything financial, then the ordinary ones as they surface in your forwarded mail. Forwarding turns this from one long afternoon into a background task.
How much can you bring?
The import is capped per plan, because pulling an unbounded mailbox is expensive:
| Plan | Messages per import |
|---|---|
| Free | 10,000 |
| Zen | 50,000 |
| Haven | 250,000 |
Check your message count in iCloud Mail first. Every new account starts with a 14-day trial of Haven, so the largest cap is available while you migrate even if you settle on a smaller plan afterwards.
iCloud Mail-specific things worth knowing
- Your Apple ID and your email address are separate things: Moving your mail to Mailotte does not change your Apple ID. Keep the iCloud account; just stop using it for new mail.
- Aliases in iCloud do not come across: They are iCloud features tied to that account. Mailotte has its own aliases — set up fresh ones for anything you still need.
- Mail Drop attachments are links, not files: Anything sent via Mail Drop is a link that expires. If it matters, download it before you switch.
What does not come across
Contacts and calendars. The import moves mail over IMAP, and IMAP carries mail only — so your address book and calendar stay where they are. Export them from iCloud Mail before you stop using it. Filters and rules do not transfer either, and that is usually a gift: most people are maintaining filters for a life they no longer live.
Your old mail app keeps working
Mailotte speaks native IMAP, SMTP and POP3 with an app password — no bridge, no desktop helper. Apple Mail, Thunderbird and your phone's mail app connect directly, so switching provider does not have to mean switching software on the same day.
Questions
Does moving my mail affect my Apple ID?
No. Your Apple ID and your email address are separate things. Everything tied to the Apple ID — purchases, devices, iCloud storage — is untouched; you simply stop using the address for new mail.
Do my iCloud email aliases come across?
No. Those are iCloud account features and stay with Apple. Mailotte has its own aliases, so create fresh ones for anything you still need — and this is a good moment to give each service its own.
What about attachments sent with Mail Drop?
Mail Drop attachments are expiring links rather than files, so there is nothing for an import to fetch once they lapse. Download anything you still want before you stop using the account.
Will I lose my old email?
No. An import copies your mail to Mailotte and leaves the original mailbox untouched. Keep the old account open until you have confirmed everything you care about arrived.
How long does it take?
About twenty minutes of setup, a few hours of unattended import for a large mailbox, and roughly a month of low-effort tail as forwarded mail reveals the accounts you forgot to update. Anyone promising a clean switch in ten minutes is not counting the tail, which is where the risk lives.
Do I have to stop using iCloud Mail?
No, and we would not recommend closing the account. A dormant mailbox with forwarding on costs nothing and catches the annual renewal, the once-a-year statement and the friend who never updated your contact card.
What about my custom domain?
That is the one genuinely technical part. Your domain's MX records point at the old host, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC authorise it to send — all of them move together, and DNS takes time to propagate. Change MX last, after the new setup is complete and its DKIM key is published, and expect a window where both hosts receive mail. Custom domains are on the Haven plan.
Switching from something else?
- Switching from Gmail
- Switching from Outlook
- Switching from Yahoo
- The provider-agnostic checklist — if your old host isn't listed.
- How Mailotte compares — if you haven't decided yet.