Apple quietly raises the iCloud Mail alias limit from three to nine

Apple has tripled the number of @icloud.com email aliases you can create, from three to nine, without announcing it. A Reddit user spotted the higher limit last week, a MacRumors forum member reported the same thing shortly after, and MacRumors has confirmed the change is live at iCloud.com. Digital Trends also covered the Reddit thread, where one user saw seven slots remaining with two aliases already in use.

Apple's documentation hasn't caught up. Its iCloud User Guide still says you can create up to three aliases, and its note about waiting seven days before replacing a deleted alias still refers to accounts with three. MacRumors says the change could conceivably be a test, though it considers that unlikely.

Custom domains get more addresses, too

A related change is documented. Apple's Custom Email Domain support page, dated September 30, now says iCloud+ subscribers can use up to five custom domains with up to 10 personalized email addresses per domain. An archived copy from September 17 lists three addresses per domain. Each person you share a domain with can also create up to 10 addresses on it.

Aliases, Hide My Email, and custom domains

• iCloud Mail aliases: Addresses you pick yourself, ending in @icloud.com. You only need a primary iCloud Mail address to create them. You can send and receive from an alias in Mail, and incoming messages land in your primary inbox by default. Apple says aliases can't be changed, transferred, or converted to primary accounts.
• Hide My Email: An iCloud+ feature that generates unique, random addresses that forward to your personal inbox, built for sign-ups and web forms where you'd rather not share your real address.
• Custom Email Domain: Also part of iCloud+, it lets you use a domain you own, or buy one, for personalized addresses, now up to 10 per domain.

How to create an iCloud Mail alias

Apple's guide lists these steps on iCloud.com:

1. Go to icloud.com/mail and sign in to your Apple Account.
2. Select the settings button at the top of the Mailboxes list, then choose Settings.
3. Select Add Alias, then enter the alias address (3 to 20 characters), a label, and the full name you want shown in the From field.
4. Select Create.

Once created, the alias works in Mail on any device with iCloud Mail turned on. Turning an alias off is temporary, but deleting one is permanent, and mail sent to a disabled or deleted alias is returned to the sender.

Sources

• MacRumors, Tim Hardwick, October 5, 2026
• Digital Trends, Shikhar Mehrotra, October 5, 2026
• Apple iCloud User Guide: Add and manage email aliases
• Apple Support: Use Custom Email Domain with iCloud Mail