📬 Setting Up Your Mail on Apple Devices

How-to guides
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For setting up mailcow mail accounts on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, using tobias@tobiaseigen.org on mail.tobiaseigen.org as an example.

New to this? The easiest way to set up mail, calendar, and contacts on an Apple device is by installing a configuration profile — a small file that configures everything automatically, including a secure app password unique to your device. No manual settings required!

Windows user? Setting up Outlook or Thunderbird is done differently — see the separate Windows guide.

Before You Begin

You’ll need access to this Discourse forum — digitallysovereign.org — because your login there is the key that unlocks your mail account setup. No separate password needed! This is called Single Sign-On (SSO).

Make sure you:

  • :white_check_mark: Are logged in to digitallysovereign.org
  • :white_check_mark: Are using Safari on iPhone/iPad (Firefox won’t work for downloading the profile — it takes you to webmail instead)
  • :white_check_mark: Have a few minutes — the profile must be installed within 8 minutes of downloading or it will be deleted automatically

Setting Up on iPhone or iPad (iOS)

Step 1 — Log in to your mail account

  1. Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad (not Firefox or Chrome)

  2. Go to mail.tobiaseigen.org

  3. On the login screen, tap “Login with SSO”

    This uses your Discourse forum login — no separate mail password needed!

  4. You’ll be taken to your mail account settings page.

Step 2 — Download your configuration profile

  1. Tap the :wrench: wrench icon in the top-right corner of the page to access your mailcow settings

  2. Go to Mailbox → General

  3. Tap the link labelled:

    Email, calendars and contacts [IMAP, SMTP, Cal/CardDAV]

  4. The profile will begin downloading. You should see a message at the top of Safari saying “Profile Downloaded”

:light_bulb: This profile is personalised for your device and includes a freshly generated app password. It sets up your email, calendar, and contacts all at once.

:stopwatch: You have 8 minutes to complete the next step. If you take longer, the profile is automatically deleted for security reasons and you’ll need to download a new one.

Step 3 — Install the profile

  1. Open the Settings app

  2. Near the top, tap “Profile Downloaded”

    If you don’t see it, go to Settings → General → VPN & Device Management and look for the profile there.

    Profile Downloaded button in Settings

  3. Tap Install in the upper-right corner

  4. Follow the on-screen instructions — you may be asked to enter your iPhone passcode

:locked: Stolen Device Protection note: If you’re away from home, Apple may require you to temporarily disable Stolen Device Protection before installing a profile. Go to Settings → Face ID & Passcode → Stolen Device Protection to toggle it off, install the profile, then re-enable it.

Step 4 — Verify it’s working

Open each of these apps and check that your account appears:

  • Mail — your tobias@tobiaseigen.org inbox should load
  • Calendar — your calendars from the server should appear
  • Contacts — your address book should sync

:tada: You’re all set!

Setting Up on Mac (macOS)

On a Mac, you can use the same profile method — and there’s no browser restriction, so any browser works.

  1. Log in to mail.tobiaseigen.org using “Login with SSO”

  2. Click the :wrench: wrench icon in the top-right corner

  3. Go to Mailbox → General

  4. Click Email, calendars and contacts [IMAP, SMTP, Cal/CardDAV] to download your profile

  5. Open the downloaded file — macOS will prompt you to install it

  6. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Profiles and follow the prompts to complete installation

    See Apple’s full instructions for macOS if needed.

  7. Open Mail, Calendar, and Contacts to verify everything is working :white_check_mark:

Something Stopped Working?

If your mail suddenly stops working on your Apple device (for example, after a server update), the most common fix is to remove the old profile and install a fresh one. This generates a new app password and re-establishes the connection cleanly.

Find and remove an old profile on iPhone/iPad

The profile settings are a little hidden on iOS:

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. In the search bar at the top, type “Profile”
  3. Tap “VPN & Device Management” from the results
  4. Find the old mail.tobiaseigen.org profile and tap it
  5. Tap “Remove Profile” and confirm

Then follow the setup steps above to download and install a fresh profile.

Find and remove an old profile on Mac

  1. Open System Settings
  2. Go to Privacy & Security → Profiles
  3. Find the old mail profile, select it, and click the – (minus) button to remove it

Then follow the macOS setup steps above to install a fresh profile.

Still stuck? Post in this forum and someone can help you out! :raising_hands:

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Digitally sovereign email on apple and windows devices