Can somebody please explain ICloud email storage ?

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Can somebody please explain ICloud email storage ?

I use Mac Mail (within OS X Snow Leopard) with both my @mac.com address and also my @btinternet.com address.

I had a Mobile Me account also when that was still available, although that's perhaps irrelevant. (My @mac.com account is long-established)

When ICloud became available my @mac.com email account became an 'ICloud' Account although nothing else appeared to change.

I have now been told that my ' email storage on ICloud has exceeded the free limit and I must buy more'

I don't understand that, as I had no idea that my email was being stored in ICloud.

My assumption was that all stored email was somewhere within the (several terabytes) storage on my Mac Pro.

How do I stop storing email in ICloud and simply store all received email on my Mac Pro ?

Can I continue using my @mac.com account without it being an 'ICloud' account?

I do not have an Iphone or any other mobile phone. (although I do have an IPod and IPad and a MacBook)

Gordon Sapsed

Posted on Aug 10, 2012 2:23 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 10, 2012 2:39 AM in response to gordonsapsed

iCloud email is IMAP, as was MobileMe: this means that the emails are stored on the server and read from there by your Mac and other devices. The stored emails use your 5Gb free or extended (purchased) space.

You can reduce the online storage of emails by downloading some of them to your Mac. Create a new mailbox in Mail, making sure it is under 'On My Mac'. Now go to your iCloud email and select the messages you want to download. Drag them to the new mailbox and wait while they download (if there are a lot it could take some time).

This will remove them from the server and free up space: obviously they will then only be available to read on your Mac, not on any other devices.

Can I continue using my @mac.com account without it being an 'ICloud' account?

No.

Your iCloud storage is also used by 'Documents in the Cloud', iOS device backup, and 'Photo Journal' galleries if you choose to host them there. It is not used by PhotoStream, iTunes in the Cloud or iTunes Match. There is no general file storage in the manner of the late lamented iDisk.

You can increase your storage space if you need to: additional 10GB, $20 p.a., 20 GB, $40 p.a., 50GB $100 p.a.

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Answer 2

gordonsapsed Author

Level 1

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Aug 10, 2012 2:52 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Thank you Roger for the very clear and amazingly quick, response, which, of course, makes sense - like the many thousands you have given previously.

My situation is slightly complicated by the fact that my 'Primary' Icloud address is not my @mac.com address, because I hung on to my independent Mobile Me account as long as possible.

I have therefore 2 ICloud accounts ( I wish I didn't !) but my understanding is that the second ICloud account doesn't have email storage allocation anyway so we are only talking about the 'primary' account.

Thanks for you help.

Gordon Sapsed

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Answer 3

Aug 10, 2012 2:55 AM in response to gordonsapsed

If you have a second iCloud account this has its own 5GB storage independently of the first and all the same comments apply to that.

You can enter a second iCloud account in System Preferences>Mail, Contact & Calendars - it will then appear in Mail alongside the first one, the only difference being that you won't get 'push' mail, it will check periodically.

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