Sync iCloud with Thunderbird - Here's how

With IMAP, you can easily sync your iCloud email address with Thunderbird. We'll show you how.

Add iCloud address as an account in Thunderbird

For Outlook users, Apple has provided the convenient iCloud control panel, which you can use to synchronize emails, contacts and calendars with Outlook. This solution does not work for Thunderbird. With a simple IMAP connection to iCloud you can always keep your iCloud emails synchronized:

1. Create a new iCloud account or have the access data for your existing account ready.
2. Open Thunderbird, click on "Tools" and select "Account Settings".
3. In the pop-up at the bottom left, click "Account Actions" and "Add Email Account".
4. Now enter your name, your iCloud email address (eg ) and your password. Confirm by clicking on "Next".

Sync iCloud: adjust server settings in Thunderbird

Thunderbird will now ask you to make further settings for access to iCloud.

1. For the incoming mail server, enter "imap.mail.me.com" as the server name and select port "933".
2. For the outgoing server, enter "smtp.mail.me.com" as the server name and select port "587".
3. The name part of your iCloud email address must be stored as the user name. For the example address " " the username is "xyz". Click "Try Again".
4. After a short function test, finish the account setup with »Done« and then click on »OK«.

The final step in synchronization

To ensure that all the folders in your iCloud email address are synced in Thunderbird, you have to do one last step:

1. In the Thunderbird main window, click on your newly added iCloud account in the left column.
2. Under "Advanced Features", click "Subscribe to IMAP folder". Select all folders that you want to synchronize with Thunderbird and confirm with »OK«.

This article applies to Thunderbird 24.5.0. The procedure may vary slightly in other versions. Alternatively, if you choose not to sync your iCloud address with Thunderbird, you can connect it to Outlook.