How to remove an email account in Apple Mail on Mac: step by step

Removing an account and turning it off are two different jobs. Removing deletes that account's messages from this Mac. Turning it off hides them, and the account stays set up. Pick the one you need before you start, because the steps below cover removal.

Decide what you actually want to happen

Mail gives you three separate actions. They sit in different places, and they change different things. The table shows what each one does to the messages on your Mac. Read it once before you click anything.

Save the messages you want to keep first

Apple's guide tells you to move or copy messages you want to keep into a mailbox under On My Mac before you remove the account. Mailboxes under On My Mac stay on this Mac after the account is gone. Mailboxes that belong to the account are removed from this Mac with it.

1. Click the account's Inbox or the folder that holds the messages you want.
2. Command-click each message you want to keep, so they all stay selected.
3. Drag the selection onto a mailbox under On My Mac in the sidebar.
4. Open that On My Mac mailbox and confirm the messages are there.

Then check the server side. Apple's troubleshooting page suggests testing the account in webmail. For iCloud Mail, that means iCloud.com. If your messages show up there, the server still has them. If they don't, sort that out before you remove anything.

Settings or Preferences: which label your Mac shows

Apple's main guide says Mail > Settings, then Accounts. Apple's older 13.0 guide says Mail > Preferences > Accounts for removal, and it uses Mail > Accounts to turn an account off. That guide doesn't explain the difference. Use the label your menu shows, because the steps after it stay the same. I could not confirm which label the newest Mail build uses, so check your menu before you follow the path word for word.

When another app still uses the account

Mail doesn't always finish the job on its own. If an app such as Calendar or Contacts uses the account, Mail prompts you to handle it in Internet Accounts. In System Settings, Internet Accounts sits in the sidebar, and you may need to scroll to find it. Select the account there to see your options.

You have two choices in that pane. Deselect Mail to keep the account for other apps. Or click Delete Account to remove the account and turn off all of its features. Apple warns that this can remove data stored in your apps. That data may come back if you add the account again, so decide before you click.

Turn off an account without deleting it

Turning off is the safer choice when you're unsure. Open Mail > Accounts, then clear the Mail checkbox next to the account. Mail hides its messages. Select the checkbox again later, and the messages return without a fresh download from the server. This works well when you want a break from one inbox.

Why a removed account comes back

Some people remove an account and watch it reappear a minute or two later. Apple's support pages don't list that as a known problem. One Apple Community thread from a Monterey 12.7.4 user describes it. The suggested fixes in that thread were Internet Accounts, Mail > Settings > Accounts, and backing up messages first.

The original poster said the Internet Accounts step did not help. Signing out of iCloud on their iMac solved it. That is one report from one person on one version. Check the Internet Accounts pane and your iCloud settings to see whether the account is still attached somewhere. Don't sign out of iCloud on a Mac you rely on without knowing what else depends on it.

Password prompts and full mailboxes

Apple's troubleshooting page offers a simple fix for many account problems. Remove the account, add it again, and choose the correct provider. Apple also has a separate article for Mail that keeps asking for a password. Search Apple's support site for that article if the prompts continue after you re-add the account.

A full mailbox can stop an account from working, and Apple gives a path for that. Control-click the mailbox, choose Get Account Info, and delete the messages you no longer need. Then choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items. You can also move messages to On My Mac. Do this before you remove the account, so you don't lose messages you wanted.

Mistakes people make when they remove an account

• Removing the account before moving messages to On My Mac.
• Clicking Remove when they only wanted to hide the account. The Mail checkbox does that job.
• Forgetting the Internet Accounts step, so the account stays active in Calendar or Contacts.
• Choosing Delete Account without reading Apple's warning that it can remove data stored in your apps.
• Assuming the job is done after one click. Check the Accounts list again, and look in Internet Accounts too.

Keyboard shortcuts for this task

Apple's Mail keyboard shortcut page lists about 30 shortcuts for composing, replying, moving, and archiving mail. None of them opens Settings or Accounts, and none removes an account. You'll click through the menus for this task. Some third-party guides mention ⌘, for Settings. Apple's pages don't confirm it, so test it yourself before you rely on it.

Check that the account is gone

Look in three places. First, the Accounts list in Mail should not show the account. Second, the Mail sidebar should no longer list its mailboxes. Third, Internet Accounts in System Settings should not show it, unless you chose Deselect Mail on purpose. Then open your On My Mac mailbox and confirm the messages you saved are still there.

Which Mail version these steps cover

I could not run these steps on a Mac while writing this page. Apple's guide pages don't label the macOS or Mail version they cover. Some of Apple's URLs point to macOS 27 and Mail 16.0, but the pages don't say so in plain words. Apple's What's new page for Mail 16.0 lists Suggestions, Personalized Writing, and search by meaning. It does not mention changes to the Mail menu, Settings, or Accounts.

What to do after the account is gone

Many people remove an account because they're switching to another one. If you're adding Gmail to this Mac, follow How to add Gmail to Apple Mail on Mac. That page covers the account setup, so your new inbox starts out tidy.

If your inbox was the reason for the cleanup, try How to unsubscribe from emails in Apple Mail on Mac. Blocking a sender is another option, covered in How to block a sender in Apple Mail on Mac.

Why this question comes up so often

Litmus put Apple Mail at 45.51% of tracked email-client opens in February 2026, according to SellCell's summary of that table. Opens are not the same as users, so read the number as a rough signal. Still, a large share of tracked opens means many Mac owners will meet this task at some point.