How to Delete an Email Account

Deleting an email account permanently removes the mailbox and every message stored on the server for that address. This is different from just changing a password or address: once you delete an account, its stored mail is gone unless you've already saved a copy elsewhere. If you're only trying to set up a fresh address, see how to create an email account instead.

Before you delete an account, make sure you no longer need the messages in it. If the account was set up with IMAP on a phone or desktop mail app, those messages only exist on the server, so deleting the account deletes them everywhere. If it was set up with POP3 and "leave a copy on server" was switched off, a local copy may already exist on the device that downloaded it, but you should still check before proceeding.

Before You Delete

• Back up or forward any messages you still need. You can log in to Webmail first and export or forward important emails.
• Check whether the address is used to receive password resets, invoices, or notifications for other services, and update those first.
• Let anyone who uses that address on their phone or laptop know, so they can remove the account from their device after it's deleted.

Deleting the Account

In cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Under the Email section, click Email Accounts.
3. Find the address you want to remove in the list.
4. Click Manage next to it, then click Remove Account (on some cPanel themes this shows as a trash-can icon or a Delete link in the account's row).
5. Confirm the deletion when prompted. cPanel will warn you that this cannot be undone.

In DirectAdmin

1. Log in to DirectAdmin.
2. Go to the E-Mail Accounts section.
3. Find the address you want to remove and tick the checkbox next to it.
4. Click Delete at the top or bottom of the list.
5. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

After Deleting

Once the account is deleted, anything still pointed at that address, such as a contact form, a login for another service, or a mail client on a phone, will start failing silently rather than showing an obvious error. It's worth double-checking your website and any apps that used the address before you consider the cleanup finished.

If you deleted the account by mistake, contact support as soon as possible. Depending on how recently it happened, it may still be possible to recover the mailbox from a backup, but this isn't guaranteed once the account has been removed.