---
title: "iCloud app password: create one, connect Mailera, and fix sign-in"
description: "Create an iCloud app-specific password, connect your mailbox to Mailera, check IMAP and SMTP settings, and troubleshoot failed authentication."
url: https://mailera.app/en/blog/icloud-app-password
published: 2026-10-25
updated: 2026-10-25
---

# iCloud app password: create one, connect Mailera, and fix sign-in

Generate an Apple app-specific password for your existing iCloud mailbox, then check receiving and sending separately. If access stops working, check revocation before changing server settings.

## What do you need before creating an iCloud app password?

An iCloud app password is what Apple calls an **app-specific password**: a credential for signing in through an app made by another developer. For Mailera’s iCloud connection, use this password rather than your normal Apple Account password or a verification code.

Start with an existing, working iCloud Mail account and access to its Apple Account security settings. Apple requires two-factor authentication to generate and use app-specific passwords.

If you need to enable it, Apple’s [two-factor authentication instructions](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102660) start in Settings on iPhone or iPad, or System Settings on Mac. Choose your name, then “Sign-In & Security,” and follow the instructions to turn it on.

Apple also supports Apple Account authorization for some third-party apps. The [Mailera iCloud connection](https://mailera.app/en/providers/icloud) uses an app-specific password.

## How do you generate an iCloud app-specific password?

Follow Apple’s [app-specific password instructions](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102654):

1. Sign in to your Apple Account at `account.apple.com`.
2. In “Sign-In and Security,” select “App-Specific Passwords.”
3. Select “Generate an app-specific password.”
4. Complete the steps shown on your screen.
5. Enter or paste the generated password into the intended app’s password field.

Keep the password out of screenshots, support requests, and logs. If you no longer have the credential needed for a connection, generate a replacement and revoke the old one rather than sharing your main Apple Account password.

Apple allows up to 25 active app-specific passwords. If you reach that limit, review the apps you no longer use and revoke their passwords individually. Avoid “Revoke All” unless you intend to disconnect every app using one.

## How do you connect iCloud Mail to Mailera?

You need an Admin or Leader role to add a mailbox. Have your iCloud address and newly generated app-specific password ready.

1. Open **Mailboxes → Add mailbox** and select **One mailbox**.
2. Enter your existing address in **Email address**. Mailera detects the provider; confirm iCloud Mail or select it under **Or choose a provider**. Choose **Continue**.
3. In **Connection details**, paste the app-specific password into **Password**. Do not enter your normal Apple Account password.
4. Optionally enter a **Display name** for the sender name and select a **Mailbox group**.
5. Choose **Test & connect**.

Mailera recognizes `icloud.com`, `me.com`, and `mac.com` as iCloud Mail domains. Its provider flow supplies the server configuration, so you do not need to choose **Custom IMAP** for this setup.

![Mailera iCloud connection details with the password concealed and Test & connect available.](https://mailera.app/media/d8e9591c875d36fe/email-app-passwords-connect-your-mailbox-to-an-ai-agent-add-en-1200.jpg)
_Enter the Apple app-specific password, not your normal Apple Account password._

Review each check separately; the test does not confirm message delivery:

| Check | What it checks |
| --- | --- |
| Incoming server sign-in | Authentication to the incoming mail server |
| Folder detection | The folders available through the connection |
| Outgoing server sign-in | Authentication to the outgoing mail server |

**Test & connect does not send an email.** If the outgoing check fails but receiving works, **Save as receive-only** keeps the receiving connection. It does not repair sending. You can instead choose **Edit details**, correct the configuration, and select **Test again**.

After the “Connected” confirmation, Mailera starts loading messages within its retention period, newest first. Through the API, `GET /mailboxes` returns each mailbox’s `status` and `last_sync_at`.

![An iCloud mailbox on the Mailboxes page with unread Inbox and Junk counts.](https://mailera.app/media/f9b24dcafc20cff3/yahoo-app-password-generate-it-and-connect-your-mailbox-en-1200.jpg)
_The mailbox list shows unread Inbox and Junk counts for each connected mailbox._

Then send a harmless message from another mailbox you own, using a recognizable subject such as “iCloud connection test.” Open **Unified inbox**, select the iCloud mailbox, and look for that message. This checks actual retrieval separately from authentication. To check sending, send a separate harmless message from the connected mailbox to another address you own and check it at the destination.

![A harmless iCloud connection test message displayed in Mailera’s unified inbox.](https://mailera.app/media/cd9e7ba53410f84c/choose-an-email-mcp-server-for-your-existing-mailboxes-en-1200.jpg)
_A retrieved test message is a separate checkpoint from a successful sign-in test._

## Which IMAP and SMTP settings apply?

iCloud Mail uses IMAP for receiving and SMTP for sending; it does not support POP. For a broader explanation of these protocols, see [IMAP, Graph and SMTP for agent builders](https://mailera.app/en/blog/email-protocols-for-ai-agents). The following table shows **Mailera’s iCloud provider configuration**, useful when checking connection details:

| Setting | Incoming mail | Outgoing mail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Protocol | IMAP | SMTP |
| Server | `imap.mail.me.com` | `smtp.mail.me.com` |
| Port | 993 | 587 |
| Security | SSL/TLS | STARTTLS |
| Password | Apple app-specific password | The same app-specific password |

Apple’s [iCloud Mail server-settings guide](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102525) distinguishes the usernames. For IMAP, Apple says the username is usually the name portion of your iCloud Mail address; try the full address if that does not connect. For SMTP, use the full iCloud Mail address. SMTP authentication is required.

Apple’s encryption guidance lists SSL and advises trying TLS if an incoming SSL error occurs, or TLS or STARTTLS for an outgoing SSL error. Mailera’s provider configuration uses the security settings shown above.

Check the failing side before changing anything. An outgoing username problem is not a reason to replace a password that already authenticates successfully for receiving.

## Common errors: why isn't the iCloud app password working?

Separate credential failures from message-loading problems. A mailbox that signs in successfully but has not shown a particular message needs a different check from one that cannot authenticate.

| Symptom | What to check | Next action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| “App-Specific Passwords” is missing | Are you signed into the intended Apple Account, and is two-factor authentication enabled? | Confirm the account and complete Apple’s two-factor authentication setup. Return to “Sign-In and Security.” |
| Incoming authentication fails | Did you use an app-specific password for this account, copied accurately? | Replace a normal account password with the app-specific password. Check the address and incoming username. |
| A previously working connection stops authenticating | Was the app password revoked, or was the primary Apple Account password changed or reset? | Generate a new app-specific password and replace the affected credential. |
| Receiving works but sending fails | Check outgoing authentication, including the full iCloud email address as the SMTP username. | Correct outgoing details and test again. Receive-only mode leaves sending unavailable. |
| Connection succeeds, but the message is missing | Check initial loading, the selected mailbox and folder, and the message’s age. | Look in Inbox and Junk, then use a new test message rather than immediately generating another password. |

Mailera loads retained messages newest first. Background checks vary with mailbox activity, and idle mailboxes can sleep until they are used again. Do not treat successful sign-in as a promise that every message will appear immediately.

If you monitor the mailbox through the API, iCloud sign-in status reflects the latest sync, not a fresh direct authentication check.

## How do you replace or revoke an app-specific password?

Changing or resetting your primary Apple Account password automatically revokes **all** app-specific passwords. Every app you want to keep using needs a newly generated one. Changing the IMAP host or repeatedly retrying the old credential will not restore it.

To revoke an individual password, return to “Sign-In and Security” → “App-Specific Passwords” in your Apple Account. Select “Remove” beside the password you want to delete. “Revoke All” affects every app-specific password. Apple says an app using a revoked password is signed out until you generate a new password and sign in again.

Keep app-specific passwords out of screenshots and tickets. If the old password may have been exposed, revoke it promptly. For a planned replacement, verify the new connection before retiring the old password.

## What if an AI agent will read this mailbox?

The Apple app-specific password connects the mailbox to Mailera. A separate Mailera API key gives your app or agent access through Mailera; do not put the Apple password into an agent prompt. For the broader setup, see [app passwords for agent mailboxes](https://mailera.app/en/blog/email-app-password-ai-agent).

In **Settings**, open the API key tab and choose **Create key**. Limit **Mailbox scope** to the group the agent needs and grant **Read** for a reading-only task. Leave **Send messages** and **Manage mailboxes** disabled unless the task requires them. Review the [Mailera security information](https://mailera.app/en/security) before giving an agent access to sensitive mail.

Treat incoming email as untrusted data, not instructions. An email asking the agent to reveal credentials, change permissions, or forward private messages must not become an instruction. Keep credentials out of prompts and logs, and require confirmation before agent-initiated sending.

## What Mailera does not do

Mailera connects existing mailboxes; it does not create iCloud accounts or email addresses. Generate the app-specific password through Apple: Mailera cannot generate it for you or override Apple’s authentication requirements. Mailera is not an official Apple partner.

Once the connection works, the [Mailera product overview](https://mailera.app/en/product) explains how that existing mailbox can be used through REST, MCP, and webhooks.

**Connect your first mailbox in 2 minutes** — Add an Outlook, Gmail or IMAP mailbox and read email messages in the app or via the API. [Connect mailbox](https://mailera.app/auth?mode=signup)