How to log out of the Mail app on iPhone

If you’re managing multiple email accounts on your iPhone, you might want to learn how to log out of your email accounts, whether it’s from the default Mail app or the Gmail application. This guide will walk you through the steps to remove accounts, temporarily disable mail syncing, and even how to add new accounts or restore the Mail app to your home screen.

How to manage your email accounts on an iPhone

Follow these detailed steps to log out, disable, or add email accounts on your iPhone.

Method 1: How to log out of the Mail app

• Open your iPhone’s Settings. It’s the grey gear icon on your Home screen. To log out of mail in the iPhone Mail app, you will need to delete the account. You can add it again later.
• Scroll down and tap Apps. This is located at the bottom of the menu.
  • If you’re on an older version of iOS: Skip this step.
• Tap Mail. You may need to scroll down to find this option.
• Tap Mail Accounts. This is near the top of the page and shows a list of all email accounts added to your iPhone.
• Tap the account you want to log out from. A confirmation message will appear.
• Tap Delete Account.
  • Some versions of iOS: May say Sign Out instead.
• Tap Delete Account again. This will sign you out of the Mail app on your iPhone and remove the email account’s data, including any synced emails, contacts, and calendar events.

Method 2: How to disable Mail temporarily

• Open your iPhone’s Settings. This method will turn off Mail syncing, preventing new messages until you turn it back on.
• Scroll down and tap Apps. It’s at the bottom of the Settings menu.
  • If you’re on an older version of iOS: Skip this step.
• Tap Mail. You may need to scroll down to find this option.
• Tap Mail Accounts. This is near the top of the page and shows a list of all mail accounts added to your iPhone.
• Tap the email account you want to turn off temporarily. When you disable an account temporarily, you won’t be able to send or receive email with that account on your iPhone. You can enable the account again at any time.
• Toggle off “Mail”.
  • If you’re using an iCloud email account: You’ll turn off Use on this iPhone instead.

  If you want to keep other features for this account, such as Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders, keep their corresponding toggle switches in the on position.

Method 3: How to log out of Gmail

• Open the Gmail app on your iPhone. This looks like a multi-colored M icon. Signing out of the Gmail app on your iPhone will not affect the Mail app.
• Tap your profile icon. This is at the top-right corner of the app.
• Tap Manage accounts on this device. This is at the very bottom of the screen. If you have many accounts added, you may need to scroll down to see this option.
• Tap Remove from device under your account. This will delete the email from the Gmail app. If you want to remove the email account temporarily, tap the switch so it moves to the off (grey) position instead. When you’re ready to enable it again, tap the switch so it moves to the on (blue) position.

Method 4: How to add a new email account to iPhone

• Open your iPhone’s Settings. It’s the grey gear icon on the Home Screen. If you logged out of Mail earlier, you can use this method to log back in.
• Scroll down and tap Apps.
  • If you’re on an older version of iOS: Skip this step.
• Tap Mail. You may need to scroll down to find this option.
• Tap Mail Accounts. This is near the top of the page and shows a list of all mail accounts added to your iPhone.
• Tap Add Account. If you have existing emails linked to the Mail app, you’ll see them listed under the Accounts header.
• Tap the email provider. You can select iCloud, Microsoft Exchange, Google, Yahoo, AOL, Outlook, or other.
• Log into your email account. This will look different depending on the provider you selected. Follow the on-screen instructions to sign into your account. Once signed in, you can select the features you want to sync, such as Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, and Notes.

Method 5: How to add the Mail app to the Home screen

• Swipe to the App Library. This is on the far right when swiping from the home screen. Use this method if you accidentally deleted the Mail app from your home screen and want to add it back.
• Find the Mail app. You can search for the app icon in the folders, or type “mail” into the search bar at the top.
• Tap and hold the Mail app. A pop-up menu will open.
  • If a menu doesn’t open: Tap and hold the app, and then drag it to your home screen.
• Tap Add to Home Screen. The Mail app will be added to your home screen. If desired, you can rearrange the apps on your home screen.

What to do next?

After managing your email accounts, consider organizing the remaining ones by creating separate folders or tags within your Mail app. This can significantly improve your productivity by helping you prioritize important messages.

You might also explore your iPhone’s notification settings for each email account. Customizing alerts can prevent distractions while ensuring you receive timely notifications for critical communications.