How to Set Up USPS Informed Delivery to Preview Your Mail (2026)

You want to see your mail before it lands in your mailbox. USPS Informed Delivery does exactly that: it emails you grayscale images of the letter-sized mail arriving that day, plus the status of incoming and outgoing packages.

The service is free, but it has prerequisites and an identity check, so setup is not always a one-click affair. This guide walks every verified path (web, iOS, Android) quickest-first, with the exact steps, plus how to clear the two things that trip most people up: an ineligible address and a failed identity verification.

Start by confirming you meet the basics below, then pick the surface you want to enroll from.

Confirm You Are Eligible Before You Start

Informed Delivery is not available everywhere, and a few conditions decide whether you can enroll at all. Check these first so verification does not fail later.

• Your address must be in an eligible ZIP Code. Residential addresses, business addresses, and PO Boxes are all supported where the service is offered.
• Your mailbox must be uniquely coded in the USPS system. Some apartment buildings and condos are not uniquely coded and cannot enroll.
• You need a USPS.com account. A personal account works for a residential address; a business street address or business PO Box requires a USPS.com BUSINESS account.
• You must be able to verify your identity, either online or in person at a participating Post Office.
• The address you enroll with has to match USPS records exactly, including correct street spelling and the correct apartment or unit number. Even a small mismatch breaks verification.

If more than one adult at your address wants their own previews, each person registers a separate USPS.com account with their own email and verifies identity individually.

Sign Up From a Desktop Browser (New Users)

This is the fastest path if you do not already have a USPS.com account. Work through it in order.

1. 1.Go to informeddelivery.usps.com (or usps.com/manage/informed-delivery.htm) and click Sign Up for Free.
2. 2.Enter your full address including ZIP Code. USPS immediately tells you whether Informed Delivery is available at that address.
3. 3.Create a USPS.com account (or sign in to an existing one). For a new account you provide an email address (used as your username), a password meeting USPS security standards, your name, address, phone number, and security questions for recovery.
4. 4.Verify your identity using one of the methods USPS presents (see the verification section below).
5. 5.Once verified, you reach a confirmation page; click Go to Dashboard or wait to be redirected to your Informed Delivery dashboard.
6. 6.Adjust your notification preferences in your Informed Delivery settings (Daily Digest email, package tracking alerts, mail delivery notifications).

Activation time varies, but you typically start getting notifications within 3 business days.

Add Informed Delivery to an Existing USPS.com Account

If you already have a USPS.com login, you do not need a new account; you opt in instead.

1. 1.Sign in to your existing USPS.com account.
2. 2.Go to your account preferences and find the Informed Delivery section.
3. 3.Opt in to Informed Delivery.
4. 4.Enter or confirm your address so USPS can check eligibility.
5. 5.Provide account info as prompted and complete identity verification.

As with new signups, notifications typically begin within 3 business days, and you manage them in your Informed Delivery settings.

Choose an Identity Verification Method

USPS has to confirm you live at the address before linking your physical mailbox to a digital account. During enrollment you choose from these options.

• Online verification: answer knowledge-based questions about your credit history and background, handled by an identity-verification service. This is the quickest when it works.
• Phone verification: USPS sends a one-time numeric passcode to your mobile phone by call or text, which you enter to verify.
• Mail verification: request a code be mailed to your address, then enter it online once it arrives. Allow a few business days for the letter to reach you.
• In-person verification: if you cannot verify online, go to a USPS location that offers Identity Verification Services with a photo ID (see the next section).

Verify in Person at a Post Office

If online verification fails, USPS routes you through an in-person flow powered by Login.gov. Complete the online portion first, then visit a Post Office.

1. 1.Complete the online identity steps: verify your personal info and ID details, then verify your phone number.
2. 2.You are emailed a barcode and a deadline. Per Login.gov the barcode expires 7 days after you verify online, so go before then.
3. 3.Bring the SAME photo ID you used online. The in-person flow accepts only a driver's license or state ID card; a passport book is not accepted here even though it is accepted in other contexts.
4. 4.Bring the barcode, either printed or shown on your mobile device.
5. 5.Go to any participating Post Office (use the locator tool; available in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands).
6. 6.Tell the retail associate you are there for in-person identity verification; they scan your barcode and review your ID.
7. 7.You receive your result by email, which Login.gov states arrives within 24 hours of your visit.

Set Up on the iOS App

USPS launched a dedicated Informed Delivery Mobile app on October 2, 2025. It is a separate app from the older general USPS Mobile app, so download the right one.

1. 1.Download Informed Delivery Mobile from the Apple App Store.
2. 2.Open the app and tap Sign Up if you are new; create a username and password and follow the prompts to verify your identity. If you already have an account, sign in instead.
3. 3.Optionally enable Face ID for biometric login.
4. 4.Enable push notifications so you are alerted when your Daily Digest is available and for package delivery updates.

From the app you can view grayscale images of incoming mail, scan tracking numbers and label barcodes to track packages, and share tracking status.

Set Up on the Android App

The same dedicated app is on Android, also released October 2, 2025.

1. 1.Download Informed Delivery Mobile from the Google Play Store.
2. 2.Open the app and tap Sign Up if new (create a username and password, verify identity), or sign in to your existing account.
3. 3.Optionally enable fingerprint login.
4. 4.Turn on push notifications for Daily Digest availability and package updates; you can choose to show notifications only for delivered packages or ones that need action.

You can then view incoming mail images, scan eligible barcodes, and track inbound and outbound USPS packages.

Add a Second Address to One Account

Since a December 2020 upgrade, one Informed Delivery account can hold a primary residential address plus a secondary PO Box address (two total). From the dashboard you toggle between the two addresses to view each one's mail and packages. Each address must still pass eligibility and identity verification.

Fix a "Not Eligible" or "Unable to Verify" Message

Two errors stop most enrollments. Here is what each means and what to do.

A not eligible result means Informed Delivery is not available for your specific address or ZIP, often an apartment or condo without a uniquely coded mailbox, or a non-participating ZIP. Re-check using the ZIP and address lookup on the sign-up page; if it is genuinely ineligible, there is no setting to override it.

An unable to verify identity or address-mismatch result usually traces back to the address not matching USPS records exactly. Recheck the street spelling and your apartment or unit number against how USPS has it on file, then retry. If online verification keeps failing, completing the in-person flow at a Post Office is the reliable fallback, so it is worth doing promptly rather than retrying online repeatedly.

Know What Gets Previewed (and What Does Not)

After setup, your previews and tracking show up in three places: the Daily Digest morning email with grayscale exterior images of letter-sized mail, the online dashboard with images and a delivery calendar, and the mobile app with push notifications.

The standard grayscale previews come from letter-sized mailpieces processed through automated USPS facilities, showing the address side only. Large envelopes and flats and items marked confidential are not shown this way, and some facilities will not produce previews. Previews appear only on days you receive mail, so none arrive on Sundays or federal holidays. There is currently no way to separate mail sent to the same physical address, so housemates at one address may occasionally see each other's mailpiece images; a virtual mailbox service is the suggested route if per-person privacy is required.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long after signing up will I start seeing my mail?
You typically start getting notifications within 3 business days of completing setup and identity verification.

Which photo ID do I need for in-person verification?
The Login.gov in-person flow accepts only a driver's license or state ID card, and it must be the same ID you used during online registration. A passport book is not accepted for Post Office verification.

Can my spouse and I both get previews at the same address?
Yes. Each adult registers their own separate USPS.com account with their own email address and verifies identity individually. Be aware that mail to a shared address cannot be split per person, so you may see each other's mailpiece images.

Why does my address say it is not eligible?
Either your ZIP is not a participating area, or your mailbox is not uniquely coded in the USPS system, which is common in some apartments and condos. Use the address lookup on the sign-up page to confirm.

Can I add more than one address?
One account can hold a primary residential address plus a secondary PO Box (two addresses), and you toggle between them on the dashboard. Each must pass eligibility and verification.

I have a business address. Is setup different?
Yes. Enrolling a business street address or business PO Box requires a USPS.com BUSINESS account rather than a personal one, and that flow often routes you to request an invitation code by mail. Allow a few business days for the code to arrive.