How to Change iPhone Mail Settings

Your iPhone’s Mail app is flexible, but many people never dig into its settings. Changing a few options can make email faster to read, easier to organize, and less cluttered. This guide walks you through the key settings you might want to tweak, from adding a signature to controlling how many lines of each message appear in your inbox.

What You’ll Need

Your iPhone with the Mail app installed
Your Apple ID password if you plan to change account passwords or add a new account

Step-by-Step

Open Settings: Tap the gray gear icon on your home screen. This is the main control center for all iPhone apps, including Mail.
Scroll to Mail: Scroll down until you see the Mail entry (usually in the third group of apps, alongside Contacts and Calendar). Tap it.
Adjust Preview Lines: Under the “Message List” section, tap “Preview.” Choose how many lines of each email you want to see in your inbox: None, 1, 2, or 5 lines. More lines let you scan content faster but show fewer messages on screen.
Set a Default Signature: Still in Mail settings, tap “Signature.” You can type a custom phrase (like “Sent from my iPhone”) or something personal. This text appears at the bottom of every email you send. If you have multiple email accounts, you can set different signatures for each by tapping “Per Account” at the top.
Choose a Default Account: Tap “Default Account.” This is the account used when you compose a new email from the Mail app’s main screen (when you don’t specify an account). Pick the one you use most often.
Manage Accounts: Go back to the main Settings screen, then tap “Mail” again. Under “Accounts,” tap “Accounts” to see all your email accounts. Tap any account to change its email address, password, or other details. You can also remove an account entirely by tapping “Delete Account” at the bottom.
Set Notification Preferences: While still in Mail settings, tap “Notifications.” Here you can choose which accounts send alerts, set the alert sound, and decide whether to show previews on the lock screen. You can also turn off notifications for specific accounts by tapping that account and toggling “Allow Notifications” off.

Common Mistakes

Changing the wrong account: If you have multiple email accounts, be careful which one you select when changing signature or default account. A common mistake is updating the signature for the wrong address.
Deleting an account accidentally: The “Delete Account” button is at the bottom of each account’s settings. Tapping it removes the account from your iPhone, but does not delete the emails from the server. Still, it’s easy to tap by mistake, so read the confirmation carefully.
Turning off notifications for everything: If you toggle “Allow Notifications” off at the top of the Mail notification settings, you’ll stop getting all email alerts. Make sure you only toggle off the accounts you really want to mute.
Forgetting to set a default account: If you don’t set a default, your iPhone uses the first account you added. That might be an old or rarely used address, causing new emails to be sent from the wrong account.

Tips

Use swipe actions: In Mail settings, tap “Swipe Options” to change what happens when you swipe left or right on a message. You can set one swipe to flag, archive, or mark as unread — much faster than opening the message.
Turn on “Load Remote Images”: If you want to see images in emails automatically, make sure “Load Remote Images” is enabled (under the “Composing” section). If you’re worried about privacy or data usage, leave it off.
Set “Ask Before Deleting”: Under “Message List,” you can enable “Ask Before Deleting” to get a confirmation popup when you delete an email. This prevents accidental deletions.
Use “Thread Notifications”: If you want to be notified only when you’re mentioned in a thread, turn on “Notify Me” in the thread view. This is separate from general Mail notifications.

Troubleshooting

Changes don’t seem to take effect: If you change a setting but don’t see the result, try closing the Mail app completely (swipe up from the bottom and pause, then swipe the Mail app away) and reopening it. Some changes only apply on a fresh launch.

Can’t find a specific setting: The Mail settings menu is long. If you can’t find an option, use the search bar at the top of the Settings app. Type “Mail” and you’ll see a list of matching settings.

Notifications still coming from a disabled account: If you turned off notifications for an account but still get alerts, check that you’ve toggled off “Allow Notifications” for that specific account, not just the master switch. Also, make sure the account is not set to “Push” in the Fetch New Data settings (under Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data).

Signature not appearing: If your signature doesn’t show up in new emails, make sure you’ve typed it correctly and that you’re looking at a new compose window, not a reply. Also, if you have multiple accounts, check that you’ve set the signature for the account you’re using.

Mail app crashing after a change: This is rare, but if it happens, restart your iPhone (press and hold the side button and either volume button, then slide to power off). If it persists, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings (this does not delete your data, but resets system preferences).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change my email password on iPhone?

Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts, tap the account, then tap “Account” again. You’ll see a field for the password. Enter the new one and tap “Done.” Note that if your email provider requires two-factor authentication, you may need to generate an app-specific password from their website.

Can I change the order of my email accounts?

Yes. In Settings > Mail > Accounts, tap “Edit” in the top-right corner, then drag the accounts up or down using the three-line icon. The order affects which account is used by default for new messages and how they appear in the Mail app’s sidebar.

Why are my emails not syncing after I changed settings?

This usually happens if you turned off “Push” or changed the fetch schedule. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data and make sure “Push” is on (if your provider supports it) or set a fetch schedule like “Every 15 Minutes.” Also check that your internet connection is stable.

How do I set a different signature for each email account?

In Mail settings, tap “Signature.” At the top, switch from “All Accounts” to “Per Account.” Then you’ll see a list of your accounts, each with its own signature field. Type a unique signature for each.

Can I change the font size in the Mail app?

Yes. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Text Size, and drag the slider. This changes the font size across all apps, including Mail. For a larger change, you can also enable “Larger Accessibility Sizes” in the same menu.

How do I stop the Mail app from showing a preview of my emails on the lock screen?

Go to Settings > Mail > Notifications. Under “Alerts,” tap “Show Previews” and choose “Never.” This hides the content of emails from the lock screen, though you’ll still see the sender and subject.

Sources: Apple Support. Menus and buttons can differ slightly by version. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.