You may not need a second Apple Account at all: iCloud Mail includes up to nine extra aliases, and iCloud+ adds Hide My Email and custom email domains, all in one inbox. If you do have two Apple Accounts, Apple Mail on Mac, iPhone and iPad can add the second one as a mail account, and on Windows you can add it to Outlook. The hard part is iCloud Mail on the web, where iCloud.com keeps one Apple Account signed in per browser. That's where browser profiles or WebCatalog Desktop help.
First, check whether you need a second account
Apple gives you several ways to use more than one address with a single Apple Account:
- Aliases: you can create up to nine @icloud.com aliases on iCloud.com and send and receive from them. If you're at the limit and delete one, you have to wait seven days before creating a new one.
- Hide My Email: with iCloud+, Hide My Email creates random addresses that forward to your inbox, which is handy for sign-ups and newsletters.
- Custom email domain: with iCloud+, you can use a domain you own with iCloud Mail, with up to five domains and up to 10 addresses on each.
All of these arrive in the same inbox and need only one sign-in. A separate Apple Account makes sense when the mail truly belongs to someone or something else, such as a work account or a shared family address.
Add a second iCloud account in Apple Mail
Apple Mail can hold more than one iCloud account:
- iPhone or iPad: go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Add Account, choose iCloud, and sign in, as described in Add an email account to your iPhone or iPad.
- Mac: in Mail, choose Mail > Add Account and pick iCloud (Add email accounts in Mail on Mac).
The extra account is used for mail. iCloud Drive, Photos and backups stay with the Apple Account your device is signed in to.
On Windows: add iCloud Mail to Outlook
On a PC, iCloud for Windows can set up iCloud Mail in Outlook for the Apple Account you sign in with. For another Apple Account, turn on two-factor authentication, create an app-specific password, and sign in to Outlook with that account's email address and the app-specific password. Apple covers both routes in If you can't add iCloud Mail to Outlook.
Why iCloud.com is the tricky part
iCloud.com has no account switcher. Signing in with a second Apple Account in the same browser means signing out of the first. To keep both signed in on the web, use a separate browser profile for each Apple Account, or a dedicated app with separate profiles.
Keep two Apple Accounts signed in with WebCatalog Desktop
WebCatalog Desktop (macOS, Windows, and Linux) turns iCloud Mail into a desktop app with its own window and Dock or taskbar icon. Its profiles keep cookies and sessions separate, which is exactly what iCloud.com needs to keep two Apple Accounts signed in at once. This is especially useful on Windows, where there's no Apple Mail.
- Install WebCatalog Desktop and add iCloud Mail from the catalog.
- Open Profiles, select Add profile, and name it, for example Personal.
- Open iCloud Mail with that profile and sign in with that Apple Account, including the two-factor code Apple sends to your devices.
- Add a second profile, for example Work, and sign in with your other Apple Account.
The help article on creating and managing profiles has the details. The same profile also works with iCloud Calendar and iCloud Drive, so a Work profile can open all three with your work Apple Account. You can group each set in spaces, with each space in its own window.
The app only changes how you open iCloud.com. It doesn't change which Apple Account your iPhone or Mac uses, and deleting a profile removes only its local data and sessions, not the Apple Account.
Frequently asked questions
Can an iCloud Mail alias become its own Apple Account?
No. Apple says you can't use an alias to create a separate Apple Account. If you need a fully separate account later, create a new Apple Account with its own address.
Conclusion
If you only need more addresses, aliases, Hide My Email or a custom domain may be enough. If you have two Apple Accounts and want both signed in to iCloud.com in their own windows, download WebCatalog Desktop.
