How to set up and use iCloud mail, contacts, calendars, and more

[Guest Allyson Kazmucha]

 

iCloud includes push email, calendaring, and contact services. That means whenever you get an email, it's immediately made available on all your devices. Whenever you make or change an appointment on your iPhone, it instantly shows up in your Calendar app on your iPad and Mac. Whenever you add or change contact information, its reflected in the contacts on all of your devices. iCloud will also sync Bookmarks, Notes, and Reminders. You're prompted to set all this up when you first set up your iPhone or iPad, but if you chose not to, it's never too late. You can also set it up at any time!

 

• How to set up iCloud sync for Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and more
  
• How to access iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and more on the web
  
• How to access iCloud sync settings on your Windows PC
  
• How to access iCloud sync settings on your Mac
  
• How to manually set up iCloud mail using IMAP and SMTP
  

How to set up iCloud sync for Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and more

 

 

If you didn't originally set up your iPhone or iPad with iCloud, or if you want to use a different iCloud account than you do for iTunes purchases, for example, or you simply want to add an additional account to your device, you can add an iCloud account at any time via the Settings app.

 

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
   
2. Tap iCloud.
   
3. Enter your iCloud email and password and tap Next in the upper right hand corner.
   
4. Turn On the services you want to sync with your iPhone or iPad. By default most, if not all, of iCloud's services are turned on.
   

 

 

In the future, if you ever want to disable a specific iCloud syncing service, just return to Settings > iCloud and turn Off anything you don't want to sync any longer.

 

This is also the area you'd want to visit if you want to manage settings for services such as iCloud Drive or iCloud Photo Library.

 

How to access iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and more on the web

 

 

You can access your contacts, iCloud email, calendar events, and more through any web browser when your iPhone or iPad aren't handy.

 

1. Launch any web browser on any computer.
   
2. Go to iCloud.com.
   
3. Log in to your iCloud account.
   
4. If you have two-step authentication enabled, click on Verify at the top. If not, you can skip to step 6.
   
5. Complete verification by sending a code to one of your trusted devices by following the steps presented.
   
6. Once you're logged in, you can access mail, contacts, reminders, calendar events, documents saved in iCloud, and much more. Just tap on the icon for the service you'd like to access.
   

 

 

How to access iCloud sync settings on your Windows PC

 

 

To access your iCloud data via a Microsoft Windows PC, first you need the iCloud for Windows

 

1. Download iCloud for Windows for free from the Apple website - Download Now
   
2. Launch iCloud for Windows. In Windows 8, just click on Start and click on the iCloud tile. If you're running Windows 7, you should be able to access it from All Programs.
   
3. Sign in with your iCloud account credentials.
   
4. Turn On or Off the options you'd like iCloud to sync with your PC.
   

 

 

How to access iCloud sync settings on your Mac

 

1. Launch System Preferences from the Apple menu on your Mac running OS X Lion or newer.
   
2. Click on iCloud.
   
3. Check mark the iCloud services you want to enable.
   

 

 

You can choose to turn on Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, iCloud Drive, Find my Mac, and a few others. The following apps will then be able to access your iCloud data:

 

• Mail: Mail, Outlook for Mac (via IMAP)
  
• Contacts: Address Book, Contacts
  
• Calendars: iCal, Calendar
  
• Photos: iPhoto, Aperture
  
• Keychain: Safari
  
• Documents & Data: Any app that saves data to iCloud and has a Mac app that supports iCloud as well. Examples include Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and many more
  

How to manually set up iCloud mail using IMAP and SMTP

 

 

If you want to access your iCloud mail from a non-iOS, Windows, or Mac mail program, or with an alternate smartphone platform like BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone, etc. you'll need to set it up manually using IMAP and SMTP.

 

1. Launch the Mail app of your choice.
   
2. Add a new account.
   
3. Enter the following IMAP server name: imap.mail.me.com
   
4. Toggle SSL encryption to On or Yes.
   
5. Set the port to 993.
   
6. Enter your iCloud email address as the username, using @me.com instead of @icloud.com — example: ally@me.com.
   
7. Enter your iCloud password.
   
8. Enter the following SMTP server name: smtp.mail.me.com
   
9. Toggle SSL encryption to On or Yes.
   
10. Set the port to 587.
    
11. Set Authentication Required to Yes.
    
12. Enter your iCloud email address as the username, using @me.com instead of @icloud.com — example: ally@me.com
    
13. Enter your iCloud password.
    

 

Apple advises that, if you receive errors using SSL, you try using TLS instead.

 

Note: Originally published April 2012. Updated December 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

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