Macintosh Spy Mail is a free email service for people who use older Macs. By using an account you agree to these terms. The short version: be decent, don't spam, and don't rely on it for anything critical.
In these terms, "we" and "the operator" mean the person who runs Macintosh Spy Mail. "You" means the account holder.
Every account is approved by hand. The operator decides who gets one, using the operator's own judgment and criteria, and doesn't have to give a reason for saying no.
An account is for one person. Don't share it, sell it, or let someone else use it. You must be 18 or older, or have a parent or guardian's permission.
Every address name (the part before @macintoshspy.com) is subject to the operator's approval, at the operator's sole discretion.
The service is for general personal email and occasional small-business use, at the volume of mail a normal person sends and receives. It is not for newsletters, mailing lists, marketing, or automated bulk sending.
| Limit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Mailbox size | 500 MB |
| Largest single message, attachments included | 50 MB |
Attachments grow by about a third when they're sent, so the largest file you can attach is around 35 MB. When your mailbox is full, new mail sent to you is refused and bounced back to the sender until you delete some.
Do not use this service for regulated or sensitive data. It is not set up for HIPAA, medical records, payment card data, or anything else with legal security or privacy requirements.
The server accepts unencrypted connections on the standard IMAP, POP3, and SMTP ports, so older computers that can't use modern SSL/TLS can still get mail. On an unencrypted connection, your password and your mail travel in plain text. Anyone on the same network, such as public Wi-Fi, may be able to read them.
Use the encrypted (SSL) settings whenever your computer can. We are not responsible for passwords or mail stolen over unencrypted connections or insecure networks.
CRAM-MD5 and other "challenge-response" login methods are not available. Set your mail program to plain "password" authentication.
Webmail is for newer computers only, and always requires SSL.
Passwords must be at least 12 characters and include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and digits. You can choose your own or be given a randomly generated one, and a random one is strongly preferred. We believe this format works with every compatible mail program on older Macs. Never reuse a password you use anywhere else. You are responsible for anything sent from your account.
If you think your password has been stolen, tell us right away so we can change it.
There is no password recovery. If you lose your password, too bad. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
Breaking any of these can get your account closed immediately, without warning.
No spam. Don't send unsolicited bulk mail, chain letters, or mail to lists of people who didn't ask for it.
Outgoing mail is rate limited. There is a strict cap on how much you can send. Normal personal use won't come close to it.
No bots. No scripts, bots, or automated programs of any kind may use your account, and connecting it to an AI or LLM service is forbidden. Mail programs checking for new mail automatically are fine, from a reasonable number of devices.
No forwarding. Don't set up automatic forwarding of your mail to another address.
Obey the law. Don't send, receive, or store anything that violates the laws of the State of Texas or the United States.
No abuse. Don't use the service to harass people, spread malware, phish, or impersonate someone else.
Don't attack the server. No probing, overloading, or trying to get around limits or other people's accounts.
If your account is used to send spam, even because your password was stolen, we may lock it first and ask questions afterward.
The service is provided on a best-effort basis. We aim for 99.9% uptime, but we don't guarantee it, and there will be outages, maintenance, and the occasional mistake.
Keep your own copies of any mail that matters. The server is backed up, but we don't promise that any message can be recovered.
Spam filtering isn't perfect. Some real mail may be marked as spam, and some spam will get through.
We are not responsible for any loss you suffer because of downtime, lost or delayed mail, or anything else to do with the service. That includes lost business, missed messages, and lost data.
The service is provided "as is", with no warranty of any kind.
Privacy. We don't read your mail, sell your information, or show you ads. The server keeps normal logs (connection times, IP addresses, sender and recipient addresses) for running and protecting the service. We may look at an account or its mail to fix a problem, investigate abuse, or when the law requires it, and we will comply with valid legal requests from law enforcement.
Closing your account. You can close your account at any time by asking. We can close it at any time, for any reason, including breaking these rules. Accounts not used for 12 months may be closed. Closures take effect immediately and the account's mail is deleted, so save anything you want to keep first.
If the service shuts down, every account holder gets at least 30 days' notice by email (except in the trademark case below), so you have time to save your mail and move to another provider.
Trademark risk. "Macintosh" is a trademark of Apple Inc. This service is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. In the unlikely but possible event that Apple asserts a trademark claim against the domain name, the service may have to shut down immediately, without the usual 30 days' notice. If Apple takes control of the domain, mail sent to your macintoshspy.com address will no longer reach this server, and we will have no way to recover or redirect it. Keep copies of anything important, and make sure the people who matter can reach you some other way.
Changes to these terms. We may update these terms. If we make a significant change, we'll email account holders. Continuing to use the service means you accept the updated terms.
Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, United States.
Donations. The service is free. If you'd like to help cover its costs, contact postmaster to donate by PayPal or crypto. A donation doesn't change these terms or buy any guarantee.
Contact. Questions, problems, or abuse reports go to postmaster@macintoshspy.com.
Last updated October 18, 2026.