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How to create and manage email accounts in cPanel

Create cPanel mailboxes, set storage quotas, access webmail, reset mailbox passwords, troubleshoot refused passwords, and safely delete email accounts.

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cPanel Email Accounts lets you create and manage mailboxes for domains hosted in your cPanel account. Each mailbox has its own password, storage quota, webmail access, and IMAP/SMTP settings.

Create an email account

  1. Open Email Accounts

    Log in to cPanel, then open Email and choose Email Accounts.

  2. Click Create

    Click Create and select the domain for the mailbox.

  3. Enter the address and password

    Enter the mailbox name, which is the part before @. For hello@example.com, enter hello. Use a strong unique password or generate one in cPanel.

  4. Set storage

    Choose a quota that fits the mailbox use. The mailbox storage counts toward your hosting account disk space.

  5. Create the account

    Click Create. The mailbox can be used immediately through webmail or an email client.

Storage quota

The quota controls how much mail can be stored in that mailbox. If the mailbox becomes full, new incoming mail may bounce back to the sender.

Use caseSuggested quotaNotes
Contact forms and notices250 MB to 500 MBGood for low-volume addresses.
Regular business mailbox1 GB to 2 GBWorks for most daily email use.
Heavy attachment use5 GB or moreMonitor disk usage often.
UnlimitedUse carefullyCan consume all hosting account disk space.

For deeper quota cleanup steps, see managing email storage quotas.

Access the mailbox

From the Email Accounts list, click Check Email next to the mailbox. This opens webmail for that account. You can also access webmail directly:

https://yourdomain.com/webmail
https://yourdomain.com:2096

Log in with the full email address, such as hello@example.com, and the mailbox password. For email apps such as Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or mobile devices, use IMAP and SMTP settings.

Change an email password

  1. Go to Email and open Email Accounts.
  2. Find the mailbox and click Manage.
  3. In the Security section, enter or generate a new password.
  4. Click Update Email Settings.
  5. Update the saved password in Outlook, Thunderbird, phones, tablets, and any scripts that send mail through this account.

Change the password immediately if you suspect the mailbox was shared, guessed, reused on another site, or compromised.

Password refused or authentication failed

If webmail or an email client refuses the password, work through these checks:

  • Use the full email address as the username, not only the mailbox name.
  • Confirm you are using the email account password, not the cPanel or CustomerPanel password.
  • Reset the mailbox password in cPanel, then try webmail before testing an email client.
  • If webmail works but Outlook or a phone fails, update the saved password and check the IMAP/SMTP server settings.
  • If there were many failed login attempts, wait a few minutes before retrying in case temporary brute-force protection was triggered.

Delete an email account

Delete a mailbox only when it is no longer needed and its stored mail has been backed up or migrated.

  1. Open Email Accounts.
  2. Find the mailbox and click Manage.
  3. Scroll to the delete option.
  4. Confirm deletion.
Deleting a mailbox deletes its stored mail

Download or migrate mail first if you need to keep it. Recovery after deletion depends on available backups and is not guaranteed.

You cannot delete some system/default addresses from the same screen. For unrouted mail to unknown addresses, use Default Address.

Plan limits

The number of mailboxes, mailbox storage, and hourly sending limits depend on your hosting plan and server policy. If cPanel refuses to create another mailbox, check your plan limits and disk usage in CustomerPanel or open a support ticket.

Related: How to access webmail from cPanel | Default Address in cPanel: handle mail to unknown addresses | Email forwarders in cPanel: redirect mail to another address | Email client settings-IMAP, POP3, and SMTP for UnderHost | Managing email storage quotas in cPanel | How to manage spam filters in cPanel

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