With the introduction of iCloud+ (plus), Apple is also giving subscribers the ability to set up a custom email domain. If you purchased or plan to purchase your own domain, you can manage email addresses using that domain through iCloud Mail.
Why use a custom domain?
Maybe you have your own domain to showcase your work on the web, like a portfolio. Or maybe you’ve set up a domain name for your family to share news and events. By adding these types of custom domains to iCloud, you can use Apple’s Mail app to manage your email on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You don’t have to worry about a separate server or email service, and for a family, everyone can have their own email address with the family domain name.
To note: As of this writing, the custom email domain feature is still in beta. You can visit beta.icloud.com to set it up. Just note that with any beta release, it may not be stable yet. After its public launch, presumably in the fall of 2021, you will be able to visit icloud.com to create your custom email domain.
Set up your custom email domain on iCloud
Log in to your iCloud account using your Apple ID and password, then click “Account Settings”.
Scroll down to the Custom email aliases section and click on “Use custom email aliases”.
To note: Your button may say “Manage” instead of “Use custom email aliases”.
You’ll be asked if you want to set this up for yourself or for you and your family. If you use Family Sharing, this allows each family member to use three email addresses for the domain. Choose “Only you” or “You and your family”.
Enter the domain you want to use and click “Continue”.
On the next screen, confirm the domain name at the top for step 1.
Next, add any existing email addresses you use on this domain in step 2. If you don’t currently use any email addresses on the domain, you can click “Skip”. You can create a new email address after completing the domain setup.
Warning: Do not add email addresses that your family members use on this domain, as this will tie the addresses to you.
If you are adding an email address, click “Confirm” that you have added all necessary addresses. You will then be asked to verify it via email before you can continue. So open your mail app and check the message from Apple.
You will receive an email at each address you added. Simply click “Verify” to confirm that the email address belongs to you.
Then, return to the iCloud screen and click “OK” after verifying the email address.
The next step is to copy and update your domain records. Click “Show” for step 3 and you will see a window with the settings you need. You can select and copy text from each of the records. Then just paste them into the correct location for your registrar, such as GoDaddy, or edit your zone file if you’re managing your own DNS. Click “Done” when finished.
Finally, click “Finish setup” for step 4, then click “Confirm” that you have successfully updated your domain records.
After a moment, you should see a confirmation that your domain is ready to use with iCloud Mail. Click “Continue”.
You will then be asked which email address you want to use by default. Choose the address and click “Continue”.
When you see the following confirmation, click “Done” and you are done.
Create a new email address
Once your domain is set up with iCloud Mail, you can create a new email address if you want. Return to the Custom Email Aliases section in iCloud and click “Use Custom Email Aliases” (or “Manage”).
Select the domain you configured.
Click the plus sign to the right of your name. Enter the new email address and click “Add email address”.
If you set up the custom domain for your family to use, each family member will receive email at the address associated with their Apple Family Sharing ID. They can click the iCloud Settings link in the email and follow the instructions to set up their email address.
Once you’re done, you can test and send a message to your custom email domain. Then enjoy easy inbox management through iCloud Mail on any browser or your Apple device.
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