.Mac FAQs
This FAQ includes questions about .Mac full and trial accounts. If you are a member and need information about specific .Mac software and services, please visit the FAQs and other support services available in our online help or .Mac Support.
Table of Contents
Membership Basics
Renewing Your .Mac Membership
Creating Email-Only Accounts
Upgrading .Mac Mail and iDisk Storage
Technical Support
Data Preservation
Membership Basics
Q: What does the full .Mac membership include?
With .Mac, the simplicity of the Mac meets the power of the Internet. .Mac software and services make it easy to do amazing things on your Mac and share all of it with friends and family.
Share and access files, photos, movies, and more:
Host web sites and publish web pages and photo albums from iPhoto.
Send and receive email with an IMAP/POP .Mac Mail account and use webmail to access it from web browsers.
Enjoy access to email, contact information, and favorite bookmarks from the web.
Purchase up to 10 additional email-only accounts.
Instant message with .Mac member name and iChat.
Turn photos into slideshow screensavers with .Mac Slides.
Publish iCal calendars online and share with friends and family.
Store all your important data:
Back up files to FireWire drives, iDisk, CD, DVD, or other mounted volumes, and use one-step backups for iLife files.
Store, publish and share files with iDisk, your personal hard drive on the Internet.
Designate 1 GB of combined storage space between iDisk and email based on your needs.
Set read/write access to and password protect the iDisk Public folder.
Synchronize your most important information:
Keep iCal calendars, Address Book contacts, and Safari bookmarks in sync between your Macs and available to you online.
With Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" keep critical Mail information—including Spotlight-driven Smart Mailboxes—as well as stored passwords from your Keychain in sync and access them from multiple Macs.
Create a .Mac space online for groups:
Use a group email account to send and receive group messages.
Access group messages, photo albums, movies, and web pages.
View the group online calendar and subscribe through iCal.
Share files using the iDisk Groups folder.
Publish group web pages.
And more:
Get exclusive tutorials on .Mac, iLife, Mac OS X, and more in the .Mac Learning Center.
Receive freebies, discounts, and other surprises throughout the year with the .Mac member benefits program.
Get comprehensive email-based support when you need assistance.
Q: What does the .Mac Family Pack membership include?
The .Mac Family Pack annual membership includes five .Mac accounts: one master account, which has the same 1 GB of storage (upgradable to 2 GB) and services as a regular .Mac membership, plus four sub-accounts. The master account is responsible for administering the sub-accounts and for renewing the family pack membership. The sub-accounts have access to the same services as a regular full .Mac membership and each have 250 MB of combined Mail and iDisk storage (which cannot be upgraded). Each account within a Family Pack has access to a Shared folder in iDisk, for easy file transfer between the accounts.
Q: If I have purchased the .Mac Family Pack membership, how do I set up the sub-accounts?
To set up Family Pack sub-accounts, go to http://www.mac.com and click Account. On the Account page, click Manage Accounts. To create a new sub-account, click the Set Up Account button or, to convert an expired .Mac account or existing .Mac trial or email-only account to a sub-account, enter the member name and password for the account you wish to convert, choose Sub-account as the type of account you wish to convert to, and click the Convert button.
Q: Once I have set up .Mac Family Pack sub-accounts, how do we share files between our accounts?
All accounts in your Family Pack, and only accounts in your Family Pack, have access to a Shared folder. This Shared folder is visible in the iDisk of each account. Any Family Pack account can drop a file into the Shared folder and any other account in the Family Pack then has instant access to that file. The Shared folder's storage counts as part of the storage quota for the Family Pack master account.
Q: If I am a current .Mac member, can I purchase the .Mac Family Pack?
Yes. You can upgrade your individual .Mac membership to a Family Pack at the rate of $80.00 per year. You will only be charged for the time remaining in your membership year. To upgrade, log into Account at http://www.mac.com, click the Buy More button, and choose Upgrade in the Family Pack drop-down menu. The amount you owe for the upgrade will appear in the Subtotal section.
After you complete the upgrade process, you can set up your new Family Pack subaccounts by logging into Account at http://www.mac.com and clicking the Manage Accounts button.
If your individual .Mac account is about to expire, you can sign up for a Family Pack at the time you renew. Your new .Mac Family Pack settings will take effect the first day of your new subscription year.
Q: What does the free 60-day .Mac trial include?
The free 60-day .Mac trial includes limited versions of many of the key features of a .Mac full membership plus the ability to join .Mac Groups:
.Mail Mail with convenient online access from any Internet-connected computer
HomePage for hosting web sites and publishing web pages and photo albums from iPhoto and iMovie
50 MB of combined storage for use between iDisk and email (a combined 1 GB of iDisk and email storage comes with full membership)
Trial version of Apple's Backup software (Trial accounts are limited to 100 MB per backup.)
Web-based access to email, your address book, and favorite bookmarks
.Mac Slides Publisher for turning your photos into slideshow screensavers
Additional .Mac-only functionality for Apple's iCal — keep your calendars available to you online and across multiple Macs
Instant messaging with .Mac account name and iChat
Q: What are the system requirements for using .Mac?
Please click here to see the current system requirements.
Q: Does .Mac include Internet Service Provider (ISP) services?
No, but a .Mac membership does require Internet access. Broadband access is recommended.
Q: Is .Mac available to Microsoft Windows users?
Yes. Customers can sign up for a .Mac trial using a Windows machine and participate in .Mac Groups. They can also can sign up for a full .Mac membership. iDisk, .Mac Mail, .Mac Groups, Address Book, HomePage, Bookmarks, iCards, and Support can be used on a Windows machine, but stand-alone applications, such as Backup, are not available.
Q: Is .Mac available worldwide?
.Mac services are available for any customer, worldwide, and European customers can subscribe to the .Mac services with an international credit card. Transactions are billed according to a customer's country. Only certain currencies are supported. Click here for a list of countries and associated currencies. However, .Mac services only exist in English, French, German, and Japanese and are supported only in those languages.
Q: Which web browsers are supported?
.Mac requires the use of an up-to-date web browser. For Mac users, we recommend Safari 2.0.2 or higher or Firefox 1.0.1 or higher. For PC users, we recommend Firefox 1.0.1 or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.
Q: Do I need a .Mac account to send iCards?
No. Standard iCards may be sent without a .Mac membership. Create-Your-Own iCards (using your own images) and Address Book access require .Mac membership.
Q: Can I continue to use my .Mac Mail address as an AIM or iChat screen name after my .Mac trial or paid account has expired?
Yes. Your screen name will remain valid.
Q: Is .Mac syncing included with Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger"?
Yes. .Mac syncing can be set up through Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" System Preferences. If you are using Mac OS X v10.2.8 or Mac OS v10.3.x, you will need iSync, and you will only be able to sync Safari bookmarks, Address Book contacts, and iCal calendars between your Mac computers. If iSync was not pre-installed on your Mac, you can download iSync from the Apple Support website.
Q: Can I still sync if I have not yet upgraded to Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger"?
Yes. If you are using Mac OS X v10.2.8 or Mac OS v10.3.x, you can still use iSync to sync your Safari bookmarks, Address Book contacts, and iCal calendars between your Mac computers. You can also use iSync to sync your bookmarks and contacts to your .Mac Bookmarks and Address Book. If iSync was not pre-installed on your Mac, you can download iSync from the Apple Support website.
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Renewing your .Mac Membership
Q: How do I renew my .Mac membership?
If you are set to auto-renew (check the Credit Card Info page in your Account settings), you will receive a message about 30 days before your anniversary date letting you know that your account is set to be renewed automatically with the credit card you provided. If you are not set to auto-renew, you will get a series of messages before your anniversary date with instructions on how to renew your account. You will be directed to the .Mac site where you can enter your credit card information or an activation key, if you purchased a .Mac box. You will not be charged until your anniversary date.
Q: Can I use a .Mac retail box to renew my .Mac membership?
Yes. Simply go to http://www.mac.com/activate, enter the member name and password for the account you'd like to renew and your activation key code from the .Mac box, and follow the instructions. You will only need a credit card if you have purchased .Mac add-ons such as additional email accounts or storage space, or wish to add them for your next year.
Q: How early prior to expiration can I set my .Mac account to renew?
As a manual renewer or activation key renewer, you can set your .Mac account to renew 60 days prior to your anniversary date. However, at any point during the year you can set yourself to auto-renew by updating your credit card information and checking the auto-renew button on the Credit Card Info page in your Account Settings. You will not be charged until your anniversary date.
Q: How do I turn off auto-renewal and cancel my .Mac membership?
To cancel your .Mac membership for the following year, go to Account and click the "Credit Card Info" button. Uncheck the "Auto-Renew" checkbox and click "Submit". The main Account page will then show that your account is set to expire on your anniversary date. Your credit card will not be charged for the following year, and you will receive a notice on your anniversary date that your account has expired.
Q: Can I renew my .Mac membership using the .Mac Family Pack box?
Yes. You will be able to renew your membership with the .Mac Family Pack if you purchase the .Mac Family Pack box in a retail location or at the online Apple store. At renewal time, go to http://www.mac.com/activate and enter the activation key from the Family Pack box. After you complete that renewal process, you will be able to set up your new .Mac Family Pack sub-accounts by logging into Account at http://www.mac.com.
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Creating Email-Only Accounts
Q: How do I purchase and set up an email-only .Mac account?
If you have a full .Mac membership, you can purchase up to ten email-only accounts (with 50 MB of storage each). You can give an email-only account a brand new address or you can use the name of an expired account or a .Mac trial account.
To purchase additional email-only accounts, go to http://www.mac.com and click Account. On the Account page, click the Buy More button. Select the number of additional email-only accounts you'd like to purchase, then click the Continue button, review your billing information, then click Continue, verify your purchase, and then click Buy Now.
To assign the email-only account the name of an expired account or existing trial account, click the Manage Accounts button. Enter the member name and password of the account you want to convert, then click Convert. Please note that if a trial account is converted to an email-only account, all the account's data files, except for email messages, will be removed from Apple's servers. Other .Mac services, such as iDisk, HomePage, Bookmarks, Mac-to-Mac synching, Backup, are not accessible to email-only accounts, and the photo signature feature is not available for email-only accounts.
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Upgrading .Mac Mail and iDisk Storage
Q: Can I upgrade my .Mac Mail or iDisk storage space?
Trial accounts and Family Pack sub-accounts cannot upgrade their storage. But once you become a full .Mac member, you can upgrade your combined .Mac Mail and iDisk storage to 2 GB for an additional US$49.95* a year. You can also purchase up to 10 additional email-only accounts.
Additional .Mac Mail accounts include 50 MB of storage and cost US$10* per year. It is not possible to purchase additional storage for email-only accounts.
*See .Mac pricing in other currencies.
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Technical Support
Q: Is technical support included in the .Mac membership?
Apple's online support is available to all Apple customers and features dedicated .Mac Support pages that include frequently asked questions and top support issues for each of the .Mac software programs and online services, as well as access to community discussion boards and the AppleCare Knowledge Base. If you are still having trouble, you can reach customer service representatives directly via e-mail-based forms. Support experts will reply to your request within 24 hours.
Q: What level of support is offered to trial members?
Trial members have access to all the .Mac Support features.
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Data Preservation
Q: If my .Mac trial, full or sub-account expires, what happens to my data?
If your .Mac trial, full or sub-account expires, any web pages, files you have backed up to or stored in iDisk, messages left on the email server, contact information stored in Address Book, and websites saved in Bookmarks will be removed. Emails sent to your .Mac Mail address will bounce back to the sender. If you are the owner of any .Mac groups, group pages will no longer be accessible or visible to group members, and messages sent to the group email address will bounce back to the sender.
Q: How do I preserve my data prior to the expiration of my .Mac trial or full account?
iDisk
Open your iDisk and drag all your files to your own hard disk.
Email
If you're using IMAP, open your email client and create a local mailbox. Drag email you want to keep from your .Mac mailboxes to the local mailbox. For more detailed information on this topic, please see the Email Help section. If you're using POP, your messages are already stored on your local machine.
Email address
Inform your contacts of your new email address if you have one. Any message sent to your .Mac Mail address after the account expiration date will bounce back to the sender.
.Mac Groups
If you are the owner of any .Mac groups, you should transfer ownership to another group member. For further information, see the .Mac Groups FAQ.
Address Book
If you stored contact information in your .Mac Address Book online, use iSync to synchronize this data with the Mac OS X Address Book on your desktop. Your most up-to-date addresses and phone numbers will be saved on your Mac.
Bookmarks
If you’ve compiled important bookmarks in .Mac Bookmarks, use iSync to synchronize this information with the Safari bookmarks on your desktop. After syncing, your most current bookmarks will be saved in Safari.
HomePage
If you created your web pages using an HTML editor other than HomePage, move your files located in the iDisk Sites folder to your desktop or to another hosting server. Inform your contacts of your new home page address if you have one.