When someone leaves your business, or you no longer need an address, you can delete the email account in the cPanel that comes with your Instant Access Internet Services hosting. Deleting a mailbox is permanent and removes every message in it, so this guide walks you through saving what you need first, the safer alternatives, and then how to delete the email account.
Before you delete: save anything you need
Once a mailbox is deleted, its messages, folders and settings are gone. Before you start:
- Keep a copy of the mail. If the mailbox is set up with IMAP in an app like Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird, copy the folders you want to keep into a local folder ("On My Computer" / "Local Folders") or into another mailbox. Or ask the user to export what they need.
- Check where the address is used. Website contact forms, WordPress notifications, online store orders, domain renewals and accounts at other services (banks, suppliers, social media) may send to this address. Change them to another address first.
- Remove it from devices. Delete the account from phones and computers that use it. Apps that keep trying to log in to a deleted mailbox can cause repeated failed logins, which can get your office IP address blocked by our firewall.
Alternatives to deleting
Forward the address to someone else
If customers might still write to the old address, you can delete the mailbox and then create a forwarder with the same address that sends mail to a colleague. See How to Create an Email Forwarder in cPanel. Create the forwarder after the mailbox is deleted.
Suspend the account instead
If you're not sure yet, suspend it. The mail stays on the server, but nobody can use it:
- In cPanel, go to Email > Email Accounts.
- Click Manage next to the account.
- Under Restrictions, set Logging In to Suspend. You can also suspend Sending Outgoing Email and, if you don't want new mail, Receiving Incoming Mail.
- Click Update Email Settings.
Changing the password (see How to Change an Email Account Password in cPanel) is another quick way to lock a former employee out while you decide. A suspended mailbox still uses disk space, so delete it once you're sure.
How to delete an email account in cPanel
- Log in to cPanel (see How to Log In to cPanel from the Client Area).
- Go to Email > Email Accounts.
- Find the account. Use the search box if you have many.
- Click Manage next to it.
- Scroll to the bottom and click Delete Email Account.
- Read the confirmation message and click Delete to confirm.
To remove several at once, tick the checkbox next to each account on the Email Accounts list, click the Delete button that appears at the top of the list, and confirm.
The account's main system mailbox (the one named after your cPanel username, with no domain) can't be deleted. That's normal.
Common questions
Can I get a deleted email account back?
Possibly. Your account is backed up three times a week and the last 7 backups are kept, so a mailbox deleted within roughly the last two weeks can usually be restored with JetBackup 5. See How to Restore an Email Account with JetBackup 5. Mail that arrived after the latest backup, or mailboxes deleted longer ago, can't be recovered. Don't rely on this -- save the mail first.
What happens to mail sent to the address after I delete it?
Senders get a bounce message saying the address doesn't exist, unless you set up a forwarder for it. (Catch-all / default addresses aren't included on standard plans.)
Does deleting a mailbox free up disk space?
Yes. The space the mailbox used is freed straight away. If you only need more space, you could clean out old mail instead -- see How to Free Up Mailbox Space with Email Disk Usage.
Will deleting the email account affect my website?
No, unless your website sends mail from or to that address. Check contact forms and WordPress settings first, as described above.
I'm moving my email to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
Copy the mail you need, switch your DNS as described in How to Use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace Email with Your Domain, and then delete the old mailboxes here.
Related guides
- How to Create an Email Account in cPanel
- How to Create an Email Forwarder in cPanel
- How to Restore an Email Account with JetBackup 5
- How to Free Up Mailbox Space with Email Disk Usage
- How to Use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace Email with Your Domain
Still stuck? Open a support ticket and the Instant Access Internet Services team will help.
