Mail App on iOS 18 not Syncing iCloud Email Inbox Folders

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Mail App on iOS 18 not Syncing iCloud Email Inbox Folders

Hello, after updating to iOS and iPadOS 18.0.1, all of my iCloud email inbox subfolders have stopped syncing to my devices. These folders are still visible on my iOS 17 devices, and visible in the browser webmail, but as soon as a device is upgraded to iOS 18, it reverts back to the basic five folder structure (Inbox, Sent, Trash, Drafts, and Junk) and no further subfolders can be created or emails filed to them.

Please beware that iOS 18 and/or the Apple Mail app has stopped supporting Inbox subfolder syncing as of the newest iOS version.

I wish I would’ve known before updating. Keeping iOS 17 as long as I can now.

:(

iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Oct 3, 2024 5:24 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

csilla257

Level 1

8 points

Oct 27, 2024 3:21 PM in response to phoenixdv

Hi! I had this too. And funny enough I have 6 mail accounts on my phone plus one icloud, and only the icloud lost the folders, while those folders were still visible online and on my pc. It disappeared from both my phones when i switched to ios 18. All my other accounts have many folders as they are company related and they were working…

Today however i could solve it, after 100x before not with this same try: i went to add a new email account (while i already had it on the phone) and i filled in my icloud email, pw, i logged in again and god knows how all my 200 folders reappeared.

try it, hopefully will work for you too.

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Answer 2

WEHMac

Level 1

8 points

Oct 4, 2024 4:05 PM in response to phoenixdv

I had the same issue after updating iPAD OS 18. Deleting and reinstalling the Mail app took care of it.

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Answer 3

Oct 4, 2024 8:31 AM in response to phoenixdv

As I mentioned, I had inbox subfolders both before and after I updated. The fact that you still have them on icloud.com means they still exist.

I suggest logging out of your Apple ID on your iPhone, restarting it, and logging back in to your Apple ID.

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Answer 4

Oct 3, 2024 5:34 PM in response to phoenixdv

Please be aware that this is a problem on your phone. Not on mine, and, as this is the first post I have seen about this issue, not on hundreds of millions of other iPhones.

Are you receiving and sending mail with no problem?

Perhaps a long shot:

Do you use VPN? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile.

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Answer 5

Oct 3, 2024 6:21 PM in response to phoenixdv

I still have 25 mailbox folders for one account and 15 for another one. I didn’t have to do anything, they were the same before and after the update. Is this an IMAP or MS Exchange account? If so, just delete it then add it back.

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Answer 6

Oct 4, 2024 8:57 AM in response to phoenixdv

If you create new folders on your iPhone they will not sync with other platforms; they will be local to your iPhone, and won’t have any of the content you saved.

However:

Open Mail
Tap Edit
Tap New Mailbox
Enter a Mailbox name
Tap Mailbox Location and choose your iCloud account

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Answer 7

phoenixdv Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 3, 2024 6:05 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Here’s what the iOS 17 iCloud inbox folder structure looked like. Are you saying this is still possible in iOS 18? If so, how? I’d like to rebuild my folder structure if this is possible.

https://imgur.com/a/KOMm0x0

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Answer 8

phoenixdv Author

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11 points

Oct 3, 2024 6:32 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Lawrence, it’s neither. It’s an Apple branded iCloud email account that you get through your iCloud account (ex., username(at)icloud.com)

As I mentioned, I had Inbox subfolders prior to upgrading to iOS 18 (see iOS 17 screenshot above) and each device I’ve upgraded has lost access to those subfolders - which - still exist and can be accessed by any iOS 17 device or the iCloud webmail interface.

Turning off iCloud email and turning it back on does nothing as far as bringing those folders back.

You said that nobody has this issue out of hundreds of millions of iPhones, so my questions is, how do I create inbox subfolders with an Apple iCloud email account on iOS 18? It would just be easier for me to create the folder structure again but I can’t figure out how to do that.

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Answer 9

phoenixdv Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 4, 2024 8:41 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Lawrence,

I appreciate your response. This was exactly what tech support also told me to do. After three devices and six different resets across them, I can confidently say that this solution does not work.

As you’ve said several times that you have inbox subfolders in your iCloud account, can you please share how to create new subfolders within iOS 18? The steps to create them in iOS 17 do not work (those options no longer exist on iOS 18 or have moved somewhere not even tech support could find).

You can create new mailboxes, outside of your Inbox, but so far, I have not found where I can create subfolders within the Inbox.

Thank you.

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Answer 10

phoenixdv Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 4, 2024 9:10 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Lawrence,

Again, appreciative of the info, but that’s not at all what I’m asking. You just described making new mailboxes and folders outside of the Inbox. Again, I’m speaking of folders *WITHIN* the Inbox.

Thus, as a circular back to my original point: it seems this is a feature that was removed from the iOS 18 mail client as the iOS 17 mail client had absolutely doing what I’m describing where new folders are created WITHIN the Inbox.

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Answer 11

Oct 4, 2024 9:21 AM in response to phoenixdv

Ah, I finally see what you are asking. My additional folders are parallel to the inbox, not sub-folders to the inbox. And I can’t create subfolders to the inbox on any platform, not on a Mac, iPad or even iCloud.

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