Can't send iCloud mail. "Edit SMTP Server List" is empty.

Question

Can't send iCloud mail. "Edit SMTP Server List" is empty.

Something is up with Mail.app's SMTP for my iCloud account.

I can't send email with my main iCloud account.

I have 3 iCloud accounts.

I have 1 Gmail account.

Connection doctor shows one one thing is not like the others. But green lights across the board.

When I look at my accounts under Mail > Preferences > Accounts the available outgoing servers looks good!

But when I select "Edit SMTP Server List..." I see nothing.

I tried signing in/out of iCloud. I know that iCloud accounts don't have any configuration to do. You just put in your username (email address) and password and everything else is set up.

I can send from that account on iOS!

I tried deleting/re-adding my account.

I tried starting up in Safe Mode.

I saw some posts about replacing Accounts.plist which was in Library/Mail/V2 but with Mojave, we're up to V6.

If anyone has specific solutions on what to look at, replace, try, let me know!

Posted on Nov 1, 2018 7:33 AM

Reply

Answer 1

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Nov 2, 2018 7:34 AM in response to Nicolas diPierro

Hello, Nicolas diPierro!

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities, it's great to have you here. I see from your post that you're having some trouble sending messages out from one of your iCloud accounts. That's definitely something I can help with.

For this, you've done really good troubleshooting so far but I think I would recommend testing this issue in a new admin account on your Mac. This will tell us if the issue is affecting your entire system or just one account. It won't necessarily resolve the issue, but it's more of an isolating step to try. You can find the steps to do this in the article titled How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac .

If you notice that the issue happens in your new administrator account (after signing in to the affected iCloud account), then I would recommend that you contact Apple for support and service . You will be able to work closer on this issue.

I hope that this information is helpful.

Have a great day!

Reply

Answer 2

Nov 2, 2018 2:09 PM in response to chris_g1

So I've done more troubleshooting per your instructions, Chris. Thank you for your help!

On a fresh, admin account, on the same Mac, I was able to send mail.

Also on this account, in Connection Doctor, the iCloud SMTP entry said "Connection and login to server succeeded."

As you'll recall, my problem account reports as "Connection to server succeeded; login not required." (as shown in the screenshot in the original post)

One final data point: I booted up in Safe Boot Mode (holding down the Shift key all the way through startup).

Upon completing startup, I launched Mail.app. I was able to send mail.

Connection Doctor, the iCloud SMTP entry said "Connection and login to server succeeded."

So tl;dr

I can send on a fresh admin account.

I can send in Safe Boot mode.

I suppose my next step would be to start uninstalling any third party software I think might have an effect on networking.

I could also attempt to restore my ~/Library/Mail/ folder from an earlier TimeMachine backup.

Do I turn off all my iCloud services, sign out of iCloud, maybe delete my ~/Library/Mail/ folder and re config?

I'd like to find the least invasive/destructive solution to this.

iCloud mail accounts are sort of designed to be zero config type services, I shouldn't be able to change anything.

But clearly something is affecting JUST ONE ICLOUD ACCOUNT'S SMTP setting. This is maddening.

Reply

Answer 3

jeremy_v

Community Specialist

Nov 4, 2018 6:28 AM in response to Nicolas diPierro

Hey, Nicolas diPierro,

Removing third-party software that could be conflicting is a really good idea and could shed some light on what is causing this issue to begin with. It's always a good idea to remove items one by one and test the issue after each app you remove from your login items. This will hopefully tell you which app is conflicting so you can either edit its settings or reach out to the developer.

Best regards.

Reply

Answer 4

Lanny

Level 6

13,225 points

Nov 2, 2018 8:00 AM in response to Nicolas diPierro

"Edit SMTP Server List" is empty.

That is normal for an iCloud SMTP setup.

Reply

Answer 5

Nov 2, 2018 1:52 PM in response to Lanny

Understood. But maybe the fact that the gmail SMTP server is absent is a clue.

Reply

Can't send iCloud mail. "Edit SMTP Server List" is empty.

Similar questions