How to change an email password or mailbox size

This guide shows how to set a new password for an email account and how to change its storage limit, both from Email Accounts in cPanel.

Change the password

1. Log in to cPanel. See how to log in to cPanel.
2. Open Email Accounts in the Email section.
3. Find the address in the list and click Manage next to it.
4. Under Security, type a new password in the password box, or click Generate to create a strong one. If you generate one, copy it somewhere safe before moving on.
5. Click Update Email Settings at the bottom of the page.

The old password stops working straight away.

Update your devices

Every program and phone that uses the mailbox still has the old password saved. They will show a sign-in error until you update them.

• Outlook: it will usually ask for the new password the next time it checks for mail. If not, update it in the account settings.
• Apple Mail: open Settings (or Preferences), then Accounts, select the account and type the new password.
• iPhone and Android: you will normally be asked for the new password. If not, edit the account in your mail app’s settings.
• Webmail: just log in with the new password.

Remember to change both the incoming and outgoing password if your program stores them separately.

Change the mailbox size

1. In cPanel, open Email Accounts.
2. Click Manage next to the address.
3. Find the Storage section. You’ll see how much space the mailbox is using.
4. Enter a new size in MB or GB, or choose Unlimited. The exact options can vary between cPanel versions.
5. Click Update Email Settings.

Choosing Unlimited means the mailbox can grow until it reaches the total disk space on your hosting plan. Your website and all your mailboxes share that same space.

If it doesn’t work

• The new password is rejected when you save. cPanel checks password strength. Make it longer or click Generate.
• A device still won’t connect. Check the username is the full email address and that you updated the outgoing server password too. See why is my email not sending.
• The mailbox is full but you can’t make it bigger. Your hosting may be out of disk space. Delete old mail, empty the trash and deleted items folders, or open a support ticket to ask about a bigger plan.

Good to know

You don’t need the old password to set a new one, so this is also how you recover a forgotten email password. If you can’t log in to cPanel itself, see how to log in to cPanel.

When a mailbox is full, new mail bounces back to the sender. Keeping an eye on the storage figure helps avoid this.

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we’ll help.