How to Add, Disable, or Remove Email Accounts in Mail for Mac

When managing email accounts in Mail for Mac, it’s important to distinguish between adding, temporarily disabling, and removing accounts. New accounts can be added directly in the Mail app, while the Mail functionality of already registered accounts can be checked in the Internet Accounts settings. If you need to temporarily stop using an account, you can uncheck ‘Enable this account,’ and when removing an account, be aware that messages stored on your Mac may also be deleted, so it’s crucial to check which emails you want to keep first.

Adding an Email Account

Accounts already in use in other apps on your Mac, such as Contacts or Messages, can also be utilized in Mail. Therefore, just because an account is used in another app doesn’t mean you can’t add it to Mail. To add an account, start by opening the Mail app on your Mac and selecting Add Account from the Mail menu.

1. Open the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Select ‘Mail > Add Account’ from the menu bar.
3. Enter your email address.
4. To select the account type manually, click ‘Choose from list’ and select the domain of your account.
5. Click ‘Continue’ and follow the on-screen instructions to enter your account information.

After adding the account, to ensure it’s available in Mail, check that the Mail functionality is selected in the Internet Accounts settings. Select ‘Mail > Accounts’ in Mail to open the Internet Accounts settings, then click on the account you want to use and verify that Mail is checked. This process differs from adding a new account; it’s about confirming the Mail functionality of an already registered account.

Temporarily Disabling Mail for an Account

If you want to stop using an account in Mail without completely removing it, you can uncheck the account activation. First, go to the Mail app on your Mac, then select ‘Mail > Preferences’ and click on ‘Accounts.’ In this settings screen, select the account you want to disable and uncheck the ‘Enable this account’ checkbox.

1. Go to the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Select ‘Mail > Preferences’ and then click on ‘Accounts.’
3. Select the account you want to disable.
4. Uncheck the ‘Enable this account’ checkbox.

When you’re ready to use the account again, simply check the ‘Enable this account’ checkbox in the same account settings screen. This process temporarily suspends the account in Mail rather than removing it, so if you intend to delete the account and its messages from your Mac, be sure to follow the separate account removal procedure.

Things to Check Before Removing an Email Account

Removing an email account will delete its messages from your Mac. While copies of the messages may remain on the mail server and be accessible, if you’re unsure whether the messages you want to keep are still on the server, you should first move or copy them to your Mac’s local mailbox. This mailbox appears in the ‘On My Mac’ section of the Mail sidebar.

1. Check if the messages you want to keep are still on the mail server.
2. If you’re unsure, move or copy the necessary messages to the saved mailbox that appears in the ‘On My Mac’ section of the Mail sidebar.
3. Select ‘Mail > Preferences’ in the Mail app, then click on ‘Accounts.’
4. Select the account you want to remove.
5. After verifying the messages you want to keep, click the remove button in the account settings.

If you’re using the same account in other apps on your Mac, you may see a prompt asking if you want to remove the account from the Internet Accounts settings. Make sure to clarify whether you want to clean up the account only in Mail or remove it from other apps as well. If you need to preserve messages before removal, ensure you move or copy the necessary emails to your ‘On My Mac’ mailbox first.

Path to Check in Internet Accounts Settings

To check the Mail account functionality or the Internet accounts used in other apps on your Mac, select ‘System Settings’ from the Apple menu, then click on ‘Internet Accounts’ in the sidebar. After that, select the account you want to check. If the account is also used in other apps, you may see a prompt asking if you want to remove the account from the Internet Accounts settings, so if you only want to temporarily disable the Mail functionality, use the procedure to uncheck ‘Enable this account’ in Mail settings instead of removing the account.

In summary, to add a new account, select ‘Mail > Add Account’ in the Mail app and enter the email address or select the account domain from ‘Choose from list’ before clicking ‘Continue.’ To check the Mail functionality of an already registered account, go to ‘Mail > Accounts’ and select the account. To temporarily suspend usage, uncheck ‘Enable this account’ in ‘Mail > Preferences > Accounts,’ and when removing, ensure you first move or copy any necessary messages to your ‘On My Mac’ mailbox.

Add and Manage Email Accounts in Mail for Mac - Apple Support (KR)