How to send messages to select iCloud accounts directly to the trash

For folks who have had Apple-managed email addresses for some time, back to the MobileMe or .Mac (dot Mac) days, you may find those old addresses are unusable because they receive mostly spam. You might have stopped giving out an address ending with me.com or mac.com years ago, and rely just on your @icloud.com address.

Unfortunately, the email keeps coming! If you had an Apple account as of July 9, 2008, it will always receive messages to account @mac.com, @me.com, and @icloud.com. If the account was created between that date and September 19, 2012, it will always accept messages to @me.com and @icloud.com.

Apple doesn’t offer a way to disable specific domains. But you can use rules to filter messages before you even see them.

1. Log into iCloud.com and click the Mail icon (or use this link).

2. Click the gear icon at the lower-left corner of the screen and select Rules.

3. Click Add a Rule.

4. Set the If a Message pop-up menu to “is addressed to”.

5. Enter the account name you want to trash, like account@me.com.

6. Select Move To Trash from the Then menu.

7. Click Done and click Done again.

Repeat for other incoming addresses.

Now your incoming unwanted messages should be nipped in the bud.

IDG

This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Doug.

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