What Happens After You Choose “Change and Remove Email Address” for Your iCloud Email?

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Level 1

4 points

What Happens After You Choose “Change and Remove Email Address” for Your iCloud Email?

I’m planning to change the iCloud email address on my Apple Account. In Settings, I see an option to “Change and Remove Email Address” for my current @icloud.com email.

I understand that after the change, I won’t be able to use Old iCloud Email to send emails or sign in to my Apple Account. Before I proceed, I’d like to confirm what happens to my existing mail and related features.

1) Old mailbox / existing emails

After changing the iCloud email address, will I still be able to access the existing inbox and all previously received emails associated with Old iCloud Email?
Or will any emails/history be permanently lost?

2) Receiving mail sent to the Old iCloud Email

After the change, will emails sent to Old iCloud Email still be delivered (for example, does it become an alias)?
- If it does become an alias, will it count toward the iCloud Mail alias limit? I currently have three active aliases and would like to confirm whether this would occupy an alias slot.
Or will it become completely inactive/undeliverable?

3) Current iCloud Mail aliases

Will they remain active and continue delivering to my inbox after the change, become aliases for the New iCloud Email
Or will they be deactivated/undeliverable?

4) Hide My Email

Will changing my iCloud email address affect my existing Hide My Email addresses?
Will I keep the full list and continue receiving emails sent to those Hide My Email addresses as usual?

Best regards,

Posted on Dec 21, 2025 5:09 PM

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Answer 1

Limnos

Level 10

427,289 points

Dec 21, 2025 5:35 PM in response to Sea2212

First, let's be clear as to where you are changing things and what you can change.

It is possible to use an iCloud address as your Apple account identifier (= username = Apple ID). That is what I read when you say you are changing this on your account. Change your Apple Account primary email address - Apple Support

Another place is to change the address you use as your iCloud email username for using iCloud as a mailing address. I don't think you can actually change that, all you can do is add and remove aliases to that email account.

Create a primary email address for iCloud Mail - Apple Support

Note: You can’t rename your primary iCloud Mail email address later. If you change your mind, you can add an email alias instead.

Add and manage email aliases for iCloud Mail on iCloud.com - Add and manage email aliases for iCloud Mail on iCloud.com - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Sea2212 Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 21, 2025 6:47 PM in response to Limnos

Hi Limnos, thanks for replying. Yes, my situation is Change your Apple Account primary email address - Apple Support.

according to the page:

"If you only have an iCloud email address associated with your Apple Account

You can change your iCloud email address using a device with iOS 18.1 or later, and iPadOS 18.1 or later.
If your only email address associated with your account is an iCloud email address, you won’t see an option to Remove from Account. Instead, you’ll see an option to Change Email Address.
Choosing this option changes only your existing iCloud email address. You’ll continue to be able to use your iCloud Mail and the messages sent to it. Your new iCloud email address replaces the old email address."

My questions are about what will happen once I make this change.

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Answer 3

Limnos

Level 10

427,289 points

Dec 21, 2025 7:30 PM in response to Sea2212

From my reading of it nothing much will happen with your email account except it will now be using a different user name. To me it looks like everything else remains the same. From the link you provided:

"Choosing this option changes only your existing iCloud email address.

You’ll continue to be able to use your iCloud Mail and the messages sent

to it. Your new iCloud email address replaces the old email address."

I don't think this is assigning an alias, it is instead changing the identifier for the email component of the account entirely.

You are welcome to ask Apple if they can provide more details but I suspect that if anything radical was going to happen to anything associated with this that they would have included it in the article.

Refer to this page for Apple Support features ➔ Contact - Official Apple Support

Select from the presented options until you find a solution for your issue, or see if there is a chat or phone call contact method offered lower on the page under “Get more help” (you sometimes have to narrow down the options multiple times before this is shown). If you do not see your issue, keep experimenting with any series of selections until you reach one that offers a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you. For chat, you can also try using the Apple Support App —> https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044

This support article has various country telephone numbers for contacting Apple for support and service ➔ Contact Apple Support - Apple Support For some countries look under “Other” listing at the end of the list. Not every country has telephone support, and phone numbers may only work when calling from the same country.

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