Connect iCloud Mail to Pop3Fetch

Step 1 — Confirm two-factor authentication is on

Apple only lets you generate app-specific passwords when two-factor authentication is enabled on your Apple ID. This is the modern Apple 2FA — not the older "two-step verification." If you already have it on, skip to Step 2.

1. Sign in at appleid.apple.com
2. Open Sign-In and Security → Two-Factor Authentication
3. Follow Apple's prompts to verify a trusted phone number

Step 2 — Generate an app-specific password

1. Sign in at appleid.apple.com
2. Open Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords
3. Click Generate an app-specific password (or the + button)
4. Enter a label — Pop3Fetch works well
5. Apple may ask you to re-enter your Apple ID password to confirm
6. Apple will display a 16-character password formatted like abcd-efgh-ijkl-mnop. Copy it now — Apple won't show it again.

Step 3 — Add iCloud to Pop3Fetch

1. Sign in to app.pop3fetch.com
2. Click Add an account
3. Fill in:
   • IMAP host: imap.mail.me.com
   • IMAP port: 993
   • Username: your full iCloud email (e.g. yourname@icloud.com)
   • Password: paste the app-specific password from Step 2
4. Click Save

Pop3Fetch verifies the connection and starts importing on the next sync cycle — within 5 minutes on Basic, 1 minute on Pro.

Common issues

"Authentication failed"

You're probably using your regular Apple ID password instead of the app-specific password. Go back to appleid.apple.com → Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords and generate one (Step 2).

"App-Specific Passwords" option isn't showing

Apple hides this option until two-factor authentication is fully enabled on your Apple ID. Complete Step 1 first, then refresh the page.

Custom domains and @me.com / @mac.com addresses

iCloud Custom Domain addresses, @me.com, and @mac.com all route through the same IMAP server. Use the full address as the username — Pop3Fetch handles the rest. iCloud+ Custom Domains work identically; use the full custom-domain address.

"Hide My Email" addresses

Hide My Email aliases forward into your primary iCloud inbox — there's no separate IMAP login for them. Pop3Fetch will sync the messages the same as any other inbound mail; you don't need to configure aliases separately.

I lost the app-specific password

Apple only displays each app password once. If you lost it, just generate a new one — you can have up to 25 active at a time. Revoke the old one from the same page if it's not in use anywhere else.

Notes

• App-specific passwords don't expire on their own. They stay valid until you revoke them, change your Apple ID password, or disable two-factor authentication.
• Changing your Apple ID password automatically revokes all app-specific passwords. You'll need to regenerate the Pop3Fetch one and update it in your dashboard.
• Revoking the Pop3Fetch app password at Apple will immediately stop Pop3Fetch from importing — useful as a fast "off switch" if you ever need one.
• Apple limits each account to 25 active app-specific passwords. Pop3Fetch needs exactly one slot.