How to Create iCloud Email Aliases & Mail Rules on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iCloud.com
If you want to keep your primary iCloud email address private, stay organized, or better manage incoming messages, iCloud email aliases can be an incredibly powerful — and often overlooked — tool.
In this video, I walk through what iCloud email aliases are, how to create them across your Apple devices, and how to use mail rules to automatically sort and organize messages. You’ll also see how aliases sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iCloud.com, plus a few features that aren’t always obvious at first glance.
🎓 What You’ll Learn
What iCloud email aliases are and how they work
How to create iCloud email aliases on iCloud.com
How to create and use aliases on iPhone and iPad
How to send emails from an alias
How to set an alias as your default sending address
How to create email rules using iCloud Mail
How to create more advanced Mail rules on a Mac
✉️ What iCloud Email Aliases Are and Why They Exist
Apple defines an email alias as an alternate email address associated with your primary iCloud email account. Aliases act like nicknames for your real email address, allowing you to send and receive mail without exposing your primary address.
When someone emails an alias, the message still arrives in your main inbox unless you create rules to route it elsewhere. When you send from an alias, recipients only see the alias address.
Key characteristics of iCloud email aliases include:
Aliases protect your primary iCloud email address
Messages sent to aliases still arrive in your account
You can send mail from an alias on supported devices
Aliases are limited in number per account
🌐 Creating iCloud Email Aliases on iCloud.com
iCloud.com is the primary place where email aliases are created and managed. After signing in, you can access Mail settings to view your primary email address and existing aliases.
From this interface, you can create new aliases, assign labels, and manage whether an alias is active or disabled.
Important things to know when creating aliases:
Each account can create a limited number of aliases
Alias names must be available and unused
Deleted aliases cannot be recreated
New aliases sync automatically to all devices
📱 Using iCloud Email Aliases on iPhone and iPad
Once an alias is created, it becomes available on iPhone and iPad automatically. These devices display all available email addresses tied to your iCloud Mail account.
You can choose which address an email is sent from directly inside the Mail app, or set a default sending address in iCloud Mail settings.
Alias behavior on iPhone and iPad includes:
Viewing all available sending addresses
Sending emails from an alias
Changing the default outgoing address
Automatic syncing with other devices
💻 Using iCloud Email Aliases on a Mac
On a Mac, iCloud Mail aliases are managed through the Mail app rather than System Settings. Once Mail is enabled for iCloud, all aliases appear as selectable sending addresses.
The Mail app also provides access to additional features that go beyond what’s available on iCloud.com or mobile devices.
On a Mac, you can:
Select aliases when composing messages
Set default sending addresses
Manage aliases through Mail preferences
🕒 Sending Emails Later
iCloud Mail includes a send later feature that allows emails to be scheduled for delivery at a future time. This feature is available when composing an email on supported devices.
Scheduling an email lets you choose predefined times or set a custom send time, making it useful for reminders or timed communication.
📤 Setting a Default Sending Address
If you use an alias frequently, you can set it as your default sending address. Once set, all new outgoing emails will use that address automatically.
This setting syncs across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iCloud.com, ensuring consistency regardless of which device you use.
📂 Creating Email Rules in iCloud Mail
iCloud Mail rules allow incoming messages to be automatically routed based on conditions you define. Rules are especially useful when using aliases for subscriptions, purchases, or specific workflows.
Rules can be created directly on iCloud.com and then sync to your devices.
Common uses for iCloud Mail rules include:
Moving alias emails to specific folders
Keeping promotional emails out of your main inbox
Automatically organizing subscription messages
🧠 Creating Advanced Mail Rules on a Mac
The Mail app on macOS provides more advanced rule options than iCloud Mail alone. These rules allow multiple conditions, additional actions, and even automation through AppleScript.
Advanced rules on a Mac can:
Apply multiple conditions to a single rule
Change message colors or flags
Trigger scripts or notifications
Create highly customized email workflows
🔒 Managing and Disabling Email Aliases
Aliases can be disabled without being deleted. Disabling an alias prevents sending mail from that address while still allowing incoming messages.
Deleting an alias permanently removes it and prevents it from being recreated, making it important to choose carefully.
