How to create an email account

A custom email address that matches your domain name builds credibility and strengthens your brand. An address like contact@yourdomain.co.uk looks more professional than one from a free provider.

This guide shows how to create an email account from the client area, in cPanel or in Plesk. Each method gives you an address with a password you choose or generate, so pick the one that matches where you are already working.

Decide the name you want before you start. A role name such as info or sales suits a shared mailbox, and a person’s name suits a personal one. Whichever method you use, pick a password you have not used anywhere else and store it in a password manager.

How do I use Quick Create in the client area?

Quick Create is the fastest method, because its box sits on the Manage tab of your service page and asks only for a name and a password. It works for cPanel hosting and cPanel reseller services. It has no storage setting, so use cPanel if you want to limit the size of the mailbox.

The Manage button next to your hosting service on the My Services page.

1. Log in to your client area. Go to the Unlimited Web Hosting client area, enter your Email Address and Password, and click LOGIN.
2. Open your hosting service. In the top bar, click Services, then My Services. Find your hosting service in the list and click Manage. This opens the service page.
3. Open the Manage tab. On the service page, click the Manage tab. Quick Shortcuts sit at the top, and the Quick Create Email Account box is below them.
4. Create the email account. Type the name for the address in the first field, which ends in your domain, and enter a password in Desired Password. Then click Create.

The Quick Create Email Account box on the Manage tab of the service page.

How do I create an email account in cPanel?

The cPanel Email Accounts page gives you more options than Quick Create, including the storage setting for the mailbox and a tick box that keeps the form open so you can add several addresses in a row. These steps are for cPanel 138 with the Jupiter theme.

Email Accounts in the Email section of the cPanel Tools page.

The Create button on the cPanel Email Accounts page.

1. Log in to cPanel. On your service page in the client area, open the Overview tab and click Log in to cPanel in the Actions list.
2. Open Email Accounts. On the Tools page, find the Email section and click Email Accounts. The page lists the addresses that already exist.
3. Start a new account. Click the blue Create button above the list. The create form opens.
4. Enter the account details. If your account has more than one domain, choose the one you want from the Domain menu. Type the name for the address in Username. Enter a password in Password, or click Generate and cPanel creates one for you. We recommend Generate because the password it makes is strong and unique.
5. Adjust storage (optional). Click Edit Settings next to Optional Settings to set the storage space for the mailbox.
6. Create the account. Click Create at the bottom of the form. cPanel creates the account and returns you to the Email Accounts list. To add another address straight away, tick Stay on this page after I click Create first.

The create form with the Username field outlined in red.

The Create button at the bottom of the create form.

How do I set up email in Plesk?

Plesk lists email addresses under its Mail section, and the steps follow the same pattern as cPanel. You choose the address and set a password, then save the form. Use this method if your hosting account runs Plesk.

1. Log in to Plesk. Access your Plesk control panel using your login credentials.
2. Open Mail. Go to Mail in your Plesk dashboard.
3. Start a new address. Click Create Email Address.
4. Enter the address details. Type the part of the address before the @ sign. If your account has several domains, choose the domain. Then set a password for the mailbox.
5. Save the address. Save the form. The new address appears in the list under Mail.

Where do I read the new mailbox?

To read the new mailbox, click Log in to Webmail in the Actions list on your service page, or add the address to an email client. Our guide to logging in to webmail has the steps.

Consider setting up email forwarding if you want messages sent to multiple addresses.