Create a Yahoo Email Account for Free: 5 Steps (2026)

Short answer: Go to Yahoo's Create a Yahoo account page, enter your first and last name, the address you want (@yahoo.com or @myyahoo.com), a password and your date of birth, then verify your mobile number with the code Yahoo sends you. The account is free and comes with 20 GB of storage in the US. You can't create one without a mobile number.

This guide walks through the sign-up step by step as it looks in 2026, then covers signing in, what to do when sign-up fails, and how to use your new address in other email apps.

How to create a Yahoo email address in 5 steps

You need a few minutes and your phone, because Yahoo texts a code to your mobile number before it finishes the account (Yahoo Help: Sign up for a Yahoo account).

Step 1: Open Yahoo's sign-up page

The quickest way is to go straight to login.yahoo.com/account/create. You can also open yahoo.com or mail.yahoo.com, click Sign in in the top right corner, and choose the option to create an account. On a phone, the free Yahoo Mail app for iPhone and Android has the same sign-up option.

Yahoo homepage with the Sign in button used to start creating a Yahoo email account

Step 2: Decide whether you want a new Yahoo address

Yahoo sign-in page with the option to create a new Yahoo account

By default, the form creates a new Yahoo email address. The page also offers Use existing email and Sign in with Google. Choose those only if you want a Yahoo account for services like Yahoo Finance or Fantasy without a new Yahoo inbox. For a Yahoo Mail address, stay on the main form.

Step 3: Enter your details and choose your address

Fill in your first name, last name, the email address you want, a password and your date of birth. All fields are required. The address ends in @yahoo.com; the form also lets you switch to @myyahoo.com. If the name you want is taken, try the other domain or a variation with a dot or a number.

Yahoo registration form with name, new email address, password and date of birth fields

Pick the address carefully, because Yahoo doesn't let you change it later (Yahoo Help: account names can't be changed). Your full name or a simple variation of it ages better than a nickname. Use a long password you don't use anywhere else, then click Next.

Step 4: Verify your mobile number

Yahoo now asks for your mobile number, which is required for every new account. Pick your country code, enter the number, and follow the prompts to receive a verification code. Type the code on the Yahoo page to confirm. If no code arrives, check the number, wait a minute and ask for a new one.

Step 5: Finish and secure your account

Yahoo then opens your new account. You can add a profile picture and change settings now or later. Before you start using the address for anything important, open your account security settings and add a recovery email address, so you can get back in if you lose your phone or forget your password.

Managing several email accounts already? Our guide to the best email apps for multiple accounts compares apps that put them in one inbox.

Can you create a Yahoo account without a phone number?

No. Yahoo asks for a valid mobile number on every new account and uses it for verification and account recovery (Yahoo Help: info required to create a Yahoo account). We'd also steer clear of throwaway or online SMS numbers: the number is how you prove the account is yours when you forget your password, and a number you don't control can lock you out for good.

How to sign in to Yahoo Mail

To open your inbox later, go to mail.yahoo.com (or click Mail on yahoo.com), enter your Yahoo email address, click Next and enter your password. On a phone, the Yahoo Mail app is easier. If you forget your password or Yahoo ID, use Yahoo's sign-in helper and verify yourself with your recovery phone number or email. After too many failed attempts Yahoo may lock the account for a while; it unlocks automatically after 12 hours (Yahoo Help: fix sign-in problems).

Add an email signature

A signature adds your name and contact details to every message automatically. In Yahoo Mail on the web, click the Settings icon, choose More Settings, then Writing email. Turn on the signature toggle for your address and type your signature in the box (Yahoo Help: add a signature). You can format the text and add links.

What is Yahoo Mail?

Yahoo Mail is Yahoo's free email service, online since 1997. The free version is paid for by ads. Useful features include:

Adding other accounts, such as Gmail, Outlook or AOL, to read everything in one place
All attachments, photos and documents gathered in one view
A list of your subscriptions with one-tap unsubscribe
Custom notifications for the email you care about
Up to three disposable addresses on a free account, so you don't have to share your real address with every sign-up form

Pros

Free, with 20 GB of storage in the US
Good tools for cleaning up newsletters and finding attachments
Apps for iPhone and Android, and it works in any app that supports IMAP

Cons

The free version shows ads in your inbox
Storage is 20 GB, much less than the 1 TB Yahoo used to offer; when your mailbox is full, you can't send or receive email
You can't sign up without a mobile number

Is Yahoo Mail free? Storage and Yahoo Mail Plus

Yes. In the US, every Yahoo Mail account includes 20 GB of free storage, and Yahoo sells extra storage plans if you need more (Yahoo Help: Mail storage FAQ). If an account goes unused for 12 months or more, its messages may be deleted. The paid upgrade is Yahoo Mail Plus: $5 a month in the US with a 14-day free trial. It removes ads, raises storage to 200 GB, allows up to 500 disposable addresses and keeps your account from expiring when you don't use it (Yahoo: Yahoo Mail Plus). Storage and prices outside the US can differ, so check your own account.

Use your Yahoo account in another email app

You don't have to read Yahoo Mail in a browser or in Yahoo's app. Yahoo supports IMAP, so it works in Apple Mail, Outlook, Thunderbird and most other email apps. Apps that sign in through Yahoo's own page set it up automatically. Others need these settings and an app password, which you create on your Yahoo Account Security page under External connections (Yahoo Help: IMAP settings, Yahoo Help: app passwords):

Incoming (IMAP): imap.mail.yahoo.com, port 993, SSL
Outgoing (SMTP): smtp.mail.yahoo.com, port 465 or 587, SSL, authentication required
Username: your full Yahoo email address
Password: the app password, not your normal Yahoo password

Reading your Yahoo account in a separate email app also means you don't see Yahoo's inbox ads. If that's your main reason for upgrading, our guide to ad-free email apps covers the options.

Disclosure: we make Canary Mail. Canary is one of those apps: an email app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android, used by more than 2 million people and featured by Apple on the App Store and the Mac App Store. It handles Yahoo alongside Gmail, Outlook, iCloud and any IMAP account in one inbox. The free plan covers unlimited accounts on 2 devices, with a unified inbox, snooze and email templates. Growth ($36 a year) adds AI for writing and summarizing, send later and full read receipts; Pro+ ($100 a year) adds PGP encryption, SecureSend and phishing protection (Canary Mail pricing). The downside: the AI and security features are on paid plans, which are billed yearly or as a lifetime license, with no monthly option. You can try every paid feature free for 7 days without a credit card.

Yahoo Mail for a small business?

A free Yahoo address works for personal use, but it ends in @yahoo.com. If you want an address on your own domain, look at business email services such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail or Proton. Our comparison of free and low-cost business email providers covers prices and limits. If you're weighing Yahoo against other free services, see our Yahoo Mail vs Gmail comparison and our list of Yahoo Mail alternatives. Prefer Gmail after all? Here's how to create a new Google account.

FAQ: creating a Yahoo email account

Is Yahoo Mail free?

Yes. The standard account is free and shows ads. Yahoo Mail Plus ($5 a month in the US) removes the ads and adds 200 GB of storage.

Can I still make a Yahoo email in 2026?

Yes. Yahoo still offers free @yahoo.com addresses, and the sign-up form also offers @myyahoo.com. Sign up at login.yahoo.com/account/create.

Can I create a Yahoo account without a phone number?

No. A mobile number is required for every new account and is used to verify it and recover it later.

Can I have two Yahoo email addresses?

Yes. Sign out and create a second account with the steps above, using a different address. On a free account you can also create up to three disposable addresses for sign-ups, and the Yahoo Mail app lets you add several accounts and switch between them.

Why can't I create a Yahoo account?

The usual reasons: the address is already taken, the verification code doesn't arrive or has expired (check the number and request a new code), or the browser is causing trouble (try another browser or a private window).

Can I change my Yahoo email address later?

No. Yahoo IDs and email addresses can't be changed. Create a new account if you want a different address, or use a disposable address for sign-ups.

How much storage does Yahoo Mail have?

Free accounts in the US have 20 GB. Yahoo Mail Plus has 200 GB, and Yahoo sells extra storage plans on top. When your mailbox is full, you can't send or receive email until you free up space.

How secure is Yahoo Mail?

Yahoo offers two-step verification, encrypted connections and spam and malware filtering. Turn on two-step verification and add a recovery email address to your account.

Can I use Yahoo Mail on my iPhone or in Outlook?

Yes. Yahoo has free apps for iPhone and Android, and you can add your account to Apple Mail, Outlook or any other IMAP email app. Apps that don't use Yahoo's sign-in page need an app password.

Sources

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How to Create a Yahoo Email Account for Free (2026 Guide)