How to create a new iCloud email address without replacing third-party email from Apple ID

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Level 1

19 points

How to create a new iCloud email address without replacing third-party email from Apple ID

Hello, I have a third-party email address for my Apple ID and want to keep it that way. I currently login to my iPhone, Mac and iCloud with my Apple ID with syncing turned on.

I signed up for iCloud+ in order to use the Hide My Email service. However, I don't have any of these email addresses: @iCloud.com, @Mac.com or @me.com.

I am on macOS Monterey 12.6.2 and tried to create a new iCloud email address according to the process outlined in Apple's documentation as follows:

On your Mac, do one of the following:

- macOS 12 or earlier: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Apple ID, click iCloud, then select iCloud Mail (or Mail).

Follow the onscreen instructions to create an iCloud Mail address.

If you don’t see onscreen instructions after turning on iCloud Mail on your Mac, you already have a primary iCloud email address.

When I enter a new email address and click "OK", I get a pop-up warning "You cannot change your iCloud email address after creating it". Then I click the "Create" button and it goes back to the previous dialog box putting me in a loop. I tried unsuccessfully to click "OK" and "Create" several times, but am stuck in the loop.

QUESTIONS:

Does the warning "You cannot change your iCloud email address after creating it" mean the spelling of the iCloud email address is permanent? Or does it imply the iCloud email address will replace my third-party email address for my Apple ID?
What are the steps to create a new @icloud.com email address without making changes to my existing Apple ID, including the third-party email address it uses?
When I finally have a new @iCloud.com email address, does it become a second Apple ID? If so, is there anything I need to be aware of? e.g. synching issues, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Mac Studio

Posted on Dec 30, 2022 11:50 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

BrianK90

Community Specialist

Dec 31, 2022 4:23 PM in response to wip

Hey wip,

Those are some great questions!

1. Does the warning "You cannot change your iCloud email address after creating it"1. mean the spelling of the iCloud email address is permanent? Or does it imply the iCloud email address will replace my third-party email address for my Apple ID?

2. What are the steps to create a new @icloud.com email address without making changes to my existing Apple ID, including the third-party email address it uses?

3. When I finally have a new @iCloud.com email address, does it become a second Apple ID? If so, is there anything I need to be aware of? e.g. synching issues, etc.

It means you can't change the email address of the iCloud email that you created.
See this user guide for more steps and info: Create a primary email address for iCloud Mail

3. No, your iCloud is your Apple ID account. See these user guides here: Use iCloud Mail on iCloud.com & Send and receive iCloud Mail on all your devices and keep Mail settings up to date

We hope this helps!

Best regards.

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Answer 2

wip Author

Level 1

19 points

Jan 27, 2023 12:00 PM in response to wip

With the help of Apple support, I was finally able to create an icloud email account. Basically, I followed the standard process, but was instructed to continue clicking the Create and OK buttons (shown in my original post) over and over again until it kicked me out of the loop. This can't possibly be by design, so it must be some kind of glitch, but thankfully I eventually got the email I wanted with this workaround.

I'd like to add that it was not necessary to create a new Apple ID with the icloud email address. In fact, when we tried that in my first session with support, it was not possible. If you are creating an Apple ID for the first time, YMMV.

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