How to Delete an AT&T Email Address

AT&T's email is unusual: the interface and servers are Yahoo's, but the account structure — who owns it, which addresses exist, and how they're removed — lives on the AT&T side. That split confuses people who go looking for a "delete account" button in Yahoo Mail and can't find one that applies. The controls you need are in your AT&T profile.

The Yahoo backend, explained

Through a long-running partnership, AT&T Mail is powered by Yahoo. Your att.net or sbcglobal.net messages sit on Yahoo's servers and you can read them in the Yahoo/AT&T webmail interface (reachable via currently.att.yahoo.com). But the address itself is a sub-account or member ID under your AT&T account. That means:

• You create and delete addresses from AT&T's account tools, not from Yahoo settings.
• To connect a mail client you'll need a secure mail key (an app-specific password) generated in your AT&T profile, not your normal password.
• AT&T accounts can have one primary member ID plus several secondary sub-accounts, each with its own email address.

Back up your mail first

1. Create a secure mail key

   Sign in to your AT&T account, open the profile / Sign-in info area, and look for Manage secure mail keys. Generate a key for the address you're backing up — you'll paste this into your mail client instead of your password.

2. Add the account to a desktop client over IMAP

   In Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or Outlook, add an IMAP account using AT&T's published mail-server settings and the secure mail key. Sign in with your full address (for example [email protected]).

3. Let everything download

   Wait for all folders to sync, then copy important messages into a local folder so they survive after the mailbox is gone. Export contacts from webmail as a CSV or vCard file.

Move accounts off the address

AT&T addresses are old — many have been in use for fifteen or twenty years and are attached to banks, tax accounts, and utilities. Before deleting, change the login or recovery email on every important service. Search the mailbox for "verify", "statement", "receipt", and "welcome" to find them. After deletion, reset emails to this address bounce and you can be permanently locked out.

Delete a secondary email address

1. Sign in with the primary member ID

   Go to att.com and sign in with the primary account holder's credentials — only the primary can manage sub-accounts.

2. Open profile and sub-account management

   Find Profile or My linked accounts / Manage sub-accounts. Menu labels shift over time, so look for the area that lists the member IDs and email addresses on your account.

3. Select the secondary address

   Choose the sub-account you want gone, then pick the option to delete or remove it.

4. Confirm

   Approve the removal. The address stops receiving mail and its contents are deleted.

The primary address and cancelling service

The primary member ID is the account's main identity and can't be deleted like a sub-account while the AT&T account is active. If you want it gone, that generally happens when you close the AT&T account entirely — do that by contacting AT&T. When you cancel, tell the representative whether you want the email address deactivated or kept.

AT&T has historically allowed former customers to keep their email address as free webmail after service ends, but whether that applies to you depends on your account type and AT&T's current policy — so confirm it at the time you cancel rather than assuming. Either way, don't leave a bank or password manager pointed at an ISP address you might lose. If you keep it, sign in periodically so the mailbox isn't flagged inactive.

Frequently asked questions