How to create an email account in cPanel

February 10, 2026 · 2 min read · Markdown

This guide walks you through creating an email address on your own domain, something like [email protected]. It takes about two minutes. You need to be logged in to cPanel; the login details are in your welcome email, or you can sign in through your DrivenHost client area.

Create the account

1. In cPanel, find the Email section and click Email Accounts.
2. Click Create.
3. If you have more than one domain on the account, pick the right one from the domain dropdown.
4. Type the part of the address that goes before the @ sign, for example info or jane.
5. Set a password. Use the built-in generator if you can. Email passwords get attacked constantly, so this is not the place for your pet's name.
6. Under storage, either accept the default mailbox size or set your own. A mailbox that fills up starts bouncing incoming mail, so give it room. You can raise the limit later.
7. Click Create.

That's it. The address is live immediately and can send and receive mail, provided your domain's DNS already points at your hosting.

Log in and send a test message

1. Back on the Email Accounts page, find your new address and click Check Email next to it.
2. Pick a webmail application if cPanel asks (Roundcube is the usual choice).
3. Send a message to an outside address you control, such as a Gmail account, then reply to it from there.

If both directions work, the account is healthy. Webmail is always available as a fallback even after you set the address up on your phone or in a desktop mail program.

Change the password or quota later

Go back to Email Accounts, click Manage next to the address, and you can change the password, adjust the storage limit, or suspend the account. If a mailbox is at 100% of its quota, this is where you fix it.

If it didn't work

• Mail sends but nothing arrives. Your domain's DNS probably still points somewhere else, or the domain was registered very recently and DNS hasn't propagated yet. Check where your nameservers and MX records point.
• "Password too weak" errors. cPanel enforces a minimum strength. Use the generator, or add length and mixed characters until the meter is satisfied.
• You can't find Email Accounts at all. Some hosting plans don't include email. If the Email section is missing from your cPanel, check what your plan includes.

Still stuck? Open a ticket at /support and we'll sort it out with you.

Stuck partway through? Support is answered by the engineers who run the servers, around the clock.

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