If you have created an email account in cPanel, you can add it to the built-in Mail app on your iPhone or iPad. Once configured, you can send and receive email directly from your device using secure IMAP and SMTP connections.
Before you begin
- You need an active email account created in cPanel. See our guide on how to create an email account.
- Have your incoming and outgoing mail server hostname ready. This is either
mail.yourdomain.co.uk or your server’s hostname.
- Have your full email address and mailbox password to hand.
- We recommend using
mail.yourdomain.co.uk as your server hostname if your domain’s A record points to your hosting server and an SSL certificate is active. This means you will not need to reconfigure the account if you move servers in future.
Add your email account in the Mail app
The Mail app on iOS and iPadOS supports manual account setup, which lets you specify your own incoming and outgoing server details. The steps below apply to iPhone and iPad.
- Open the Settings app.
Tap Settings on your home screen.
- Navigate to mail accounts.
Scroll down and tap Mail, then tap Accounts, then tap Add Account.
- Select Other.
Tap Other at the bottom of the provider list, then tap Add Mail Account.
- Enter your account details.
Fill in the following fields:
Name – the name recipients will see when you send email.
Email – your full email address, for example you@yourdomain.co.uk.
Password – the password you set for this mailbox in cPanel.
Description – a label for this account as it appears in the Mail app.
Tap Next.
- Select IMAP and enter server details.
At the top of the next screen, select IMAP. Then fill in the server fields:
Under Incoming Mail Server:
Host Name – mail.yourdomain.co.uk or your server hostname.
User Name – your full email address.
Password – your mailbox password.
Under Outgoing Mail Server:
Host Name – the same hostname as above.
User Name – your full email address.
Password – your mailbox password.
Tap Next.
- Save the account.
Leave Mail toggled on. Tap Save. The account will now appear in your accounts list.
Confirm your SSL and port settings
After saving the account, you should verify that SSL is active and the correct ports are set. Without SSL, your email credentials and messages are transmitted without encryption.
- Open the account settings.
In Settings > Mail > Accounts, tap the account you just added, then tap the email address under IMAP.
- Check outgoing mail settings.
Tap SMTP, then tap the entry under Primary Server. Confirm the following:
Server – On
Use SSL – On
Authentication – Password
Server Port – 587 or 465
Tap Done, then tap Account in the top left to go back.
- Check incoming mail settings.
Tap Advanced. Scroll to the bottom and confirm the following:
Use SSL – On
Authentication – Password
IMAP Path Prefix – INBOX
Server Port – 993
Tap Account in the top left, then tap Done in the top right.
Your account is now fully configured. Open the Mail app and your inbox should begin loading messages.
Troubleshooting
Mail cannot connect to the server
This usually means the hostname, username or password was entered incorrectly, or the required ports are blocked on your network.
- Double-check that the hostname matches exactly what is shown in your cPanel email settings.
- Confirm your username is the full email address, not just the local part before the @ symbol.
- Try connecting on a different network to rule out port blocking by your ISP or router.
- Verify that an SSL certificate is active on your domain if you are using
mail.yourdomain.co.uk as the hostname.
Emails send but do not arrive
If outgoing mail appears to send but recipients do not receive it, your domain’s sending records may need attention.
Wrapping up
You have added your cPanel email account to the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad. Your device is now configured to send and receive mail over encrypted IMAP and SMTP connections using the correct ports and SSL settings.
If you use other devices or clients, see our guides on setting up email in Outlook, adding email on Android and adding your email to iCloud. You can also access your mailbox from any browser using our guide on logging in to webmail.
All of our hosting plans include email hosting as standard. Visit our cPanel hosting page to find a plan that suits your needs.