HT201342: Using your @icloud.com email address

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Grey haired old lady
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: e mail address

I bought my first apple mac computer over ten years ago and after the first year didn't use my mac e mail address except of course for my mac id. How can I start to use my mac e mail address. Since my 1st Apple purchase I've bought several apple products,a MacBook pro, two iPhones, an iPod touch and an iPad but didn't reuse my address. Lots of friends write to me with mac and icloud addresses, am I missing something?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), All products

Posted on May 28, 2013 3:43 AM

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Grey haired old lady

Q: e mail address

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  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 May 28, 2013 4:57 AM in response to Grey haired old lady
    Level 9 (78,510 points)
    iTunes
    May 28, 2013 4:57 AM in response to Grey haired old lady

    The @mac.com address was part of DotMac (later MobileMe) that was a paid-for service. I gather that though you had an account for a time, perhaps a trial account, you did not renew it.

     

    This means that the address expired, though it can be used as an Apple ID where it is just a text string used for login.

     

    Apple's documentation on this situation is as clear as mud. From what I can gather, you should be able to go to System Preferences (or Settings)>iCloud and sign in with this ID; but most probably you will get an @icloud.com address with the same text before the '@' that was before it in the @mac.com address, but you will not be able to use the @mac.com version.

  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 May 28, 2013 7:05 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1
    Level 9 (78,510 points)
    iTunes
    May 28, 2013 7:05 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

    I should perhaps make it clear that you will need to know the password the original DotMac account had when you were using the address. Presumably if you've been using it as a functioning Apple ID you will be OK on this; but if you don't know it you won't be able to reactivate even the @icloud.com version of the address.

     

    In that case you will have to sign in with a different Apple ID, and create a different @icloud.com address - you won't be able to use the one you had before.