Since the Numericable brand disappeared in 2016, email addresses ending in @numericable.fr have been managed technically by SFR. Numericable webmail is still accessible, and messages and contacts have been preserved, but the infrastructure has changed hands. This situation leaves users who don’t closely follow changes to their email service with some unanswered questions: which login address should they use, which server should they configure, and, above all, how long will this address remain active?
Numericable IMAP and SMTP servers: technical settings to check
Most online guides focus on logging in through the web portal. The technical details of the server settings deserve more attention, because configuration errors are what actually prevent users from accessing their email.
To receive your Numericable messages in a program such as Outlook, Thunderbird, or the Mail app on an iPhone, the recommended protocol is IMAP with the server imap.numericable.fr on port 993 using SSL. This protocol syncs your folders across all your devices: an email you read on your phone will also appear as read on your computer.
For sending email, the legacy SMTP server is smtp.numericable.fr. A detailed guide to Numericable webmail on the Perspective Media portal covers these settings and the configuration steps for the main email clients.
One thing to watch out for: some programs try to detect servers automatically based on the @numericable.fr domain. This automatic detection often fails because the domain is no longer associated with a standard DNS configuration. It’s better to enter each field manually rather than rely on the setup wizard.
- Incoming server: imap.numericable.fr, port 993, SSL/TLS encryption
- Outgoing server: smtp.numericable.fr, port 587 or 465, SSL/TLS encryption
- Username: your full email address ([email protected])
- SMTP authentication: enabled, using the same credentials as for incoming mail
Logging in to Numericable webmail after the SFR migration
The webmail.numericable.fr address still works. It redirects to the SFR Mail interface, hosted at webmail.sfr.fr. In practice, you’ll land on the same login page as SFR subscribers, but your username remains your @numericable.fr address and your original Numericable password.
If you haven’t changed your password since the 2019 migration, it’s likely still valid. If you’ve forgotten it, you’ll need to reset it through your SFR customer account. This confuses many former subscribers: password recovery is handled through SFR, not Numericable. The customer service number is 1023.
Once logged in, the SFR Mail interface gives you access to your inbox, address book, and calendar. Folders created in the old Numericable webmail were migrated. Forwarding and redirect rules were also preserved during the migration, according to the SFR support page dedicated to this transition.
How long is an @numericable.fr address kept? What the regulations say
As long as you remain an SFR customer (or your line is active), your @numericable.fr address will continue to work. The situation is different if you switch providers.
Article L. 44-1 of the French Postal and Electronic Communications Code requires the operator to provide free access to received emails for six months after cancellation. Arcep states that continued access to the address is not guaranteed beyond this period. Six months is a short time to migrate years of correspondence and update all the online accounts linked to that address.
This legal framework means an @numericable.fr address should not be considered yours for life. If you use it for banking services, subscriptions, or administrative accounts, you could genuinely lose access after switching internet providers.
Accounts to update first
The safest approach is to link an email address that isn’t tied to any provider (Gmail, Outlook.com, ProtonMail) to your most sensitive accounts. Update these services first:
- Bank and insurance accounts, where losing access to the recovery email address could prevent an urgent transaction
- Online government services (taxes, Ameli, CAF), whose notifications are sent exclusively by email
- Online shopping platforms where payment details are stored
Updating these details before cancelling your service helps you avoid a race against the clock during the six-month grace period required by law.
Managing Numericable emails day to day: sorting and storage
The SFR Mail interface offers filtering and sorting features that remain underused. Creating automatic sorting rules lets you direct newsletters to a dedicated folder and keep your inbox focused on messages that require action.
The storage capacity of email accounts inherited from Numericable is not unlimited. SFR does not publish a specific quota for migrated accounts, but users report reaching storage limits after several years without clearing out their mailboxes. Deleting large attachments that have already been saved locally frees up space without losing data.
A useful habit: periodically archive old messages using an IMAP client. Thunderbird, for example, lets you download your entire mailbox to a local file that you can access offline. This backup protects you against data loss if the service is unexpectedly discontinued.
The @numericable.fr address still works, but it depends on infrastructure that its original provider no longer maintains. Treating it as a temporary tool rather than a permanent address is the safest way to avoid unpleasant surprises.
