How to Get Started With the Mail App on Your Mac
Mail is a built-in Mac app that lets you read, respond to, and organize emails from various accounts all in one place. You can use it to read your latest Gmail emails, and then go through your Yahoo spam folder without needing to switch between different tabs or browsers.
Organize your emails and make it impossible to miss messages by setting up Mail on your Mac. Read on to see how to add your email accounts to it and how to use the app, so you have a one-stop email spot from now on.
How to Add an Email Account to Mail
To use Mail on your Mac, you need to add at least one email account to the app and log in to it.
To add an email account, launchMail, then clickMail > Add Accountfrom the menu bar. You’ll have to select your email account provider, such as Google, iCloud, or other. Once you pick one, clickContinue.
A window from your account provider will open where you’ll input your email address and your email password. You’ll likely have to hit twoNextbuttons to finish navigating these windows. You’ll then be prompted to give Mail permission to access your email account information. This includes your emails, but also contacts and calendar information. ClickAllowto give the permissions.
Mail will ask if you want to use your email account with other apps, like Contacts and Calendars. you could check the boxes of any apps you want to include, or just clickDoneto finish adding your email account to Mail.
After a moment of syncing up, you should see your new email account appear in theMailboxesmenu. You can now start to use it in the app! Add all of your emails to get them all in one convenient place.
If you want to remove an email account from Mail, or change which apps have permissions to use it, go toMail > Accounts(which will open a System Preferences window), and click on the email account you want to alter.
Check or uncheck the app boxes to give or remove login permissions. To remove an account all together hit theminus (–)button below your accounts list and then clickOK.
Navigating and Sorting Messages in Mail
Once you’ve added your email accounts, you may go through all of your messages by clickingAll Inboxes. You can also click theInboxoption below the different account names in theMailboxesmenu to see a specific inbox for that account.
To navigate through emails, scroll through the central Inbox window or use theUpandDown Arrowkeys. Click on email to read it and see more details on where it’s from and when it was sent.
Mail checks for new messages on its own, but it’s possible to make Mail check for new messages on all of your accounts by clicking on the envelope icon at any time.
Mark Important Emails for Later
To mark an email as read or unread, Control-click on the email and selectMark as Read/Unreador pressShift + Command + Uwhile the email is highlighted.
To flag an email for later, Control-click on an email and select any of the colored flag icons beneath theFlagoption. you’re able to also clickMessage > Flagfrom the menu bar and select your color there. To remove a flag, Control-click a message and select theXicon, or go toMessage > Flag > Clear Flag.
Filter Your Inboxes
Flags can help you sort messages, as you can click theFlaggedoption to just see flagged messages in your different accounts.All SentandAll Draftswork the same way, just with sent and drafted emails. You can sort your inboxes in other ways in Mail too. ClickView > Filter > Enable Message Filterand go back toView > Filterto select filtering options like unread only, or only seeing emails with attachments.
TheView > Sort Byoption lets you organize your entire inbox by date, sender name, subject line, and more. You can also adjust if newer emails or the top of the alphabet appears at the top or bottom of the window.
How to Write and Send a New Message in Mail
To compose a new email in Mail on your Mac, click on the icon of apencil on paper, selectFile > New Message, or typeCommand + N. A new window will open for your message.
Put the email addresses of whoever you’re writing to in theToorCCboxes. To BCC someone, click the bulleted lines icon and selectBcc Address Field. Type text in theSubjectbox. If you put nothing here, Mail will warn you when you try to send it, asemails without subject lines can often go unnoticed. Click on the name inFromto select which Mail account you want to send your message from.
Write your message in the main box of the window. You can change font size and color by clicking on theAaicon, and include images and emojis by selecting the picture or emoji icon. When you’re done, click thearrow/paper airplaneicon to send your message.
Replying and Forwarding Mail Messages
To reply to an email in Mail, click on a message, then click thedouble arrow (»)icon at the top of the Mail window. SelectReplyorReply All, or typeCommand + RorShift + Command + R. To forward an email, selectForwardfrom thedouble arrow (»)menu, or hitShift + Command + F.
Type and send your message in the window that appears, like you would a new message.
How to Delete and Archive Messages in Mail
A deleted message moves into Mail’s trash, where it’s permanently deleted after one month. An archived message moves out of your main inbox, but it isn’t automatically deleted after any amount of time.
To delete an email in Mail, select it and click thetrashicon or hitBackspaceorDeleteon your keyboard. ClickingEdit > Deletealso works. To archive an email in Mail, select one, and then click the box icon or hitCtrl + Command + Aon your keyboard. ClickingMessage > Archivealso works.
You can use the above moves to delete or archive multiple emails at once if you have multiple emails selected.
Select several emails at by Command-clicking on them individually, or by clicking on one and Shift-clicking on a message further down to select all the messages in between. This is the same way you wouldSelect All in other apps on your Mac.
To see your recently deleted emails, click on theTrashoption for a specific account in the Mailbox sidebar. To see an archived message later, click theArchiveoption in the same place.
Deal With Junk Messages
You can also mark a message as junk (or spam) in Mail. Click the box with anXicon while highlighting an email, typeShift + Command + J, or go toMessage > Move to Junk.
To change how long it takes for deleted and junk emails to be permanently deleted, or stop or start that process for them, go toMail > Preferences > Accounts, and select theMailbox Behaviorstab. Set theErase junk messagesandErase deleted messagesdropdown menus to whatever you want for each of your email accounts.
Using the Favorites Menu in Mail
TheFavoritesmenu in Mail sits at the top of all of your inboxes for easy access to certain folders and mailboxes within Mail. It defaults to showingAll Inboxes,All Sent,All DraftsandFlaggedas options, but you’re able to customize it to make Mail easier to use on your Mac.
To add a favorite to this menu, hit theplus (+)button that appears when you mouse over theFavoritestitle, and select the mailbox or folder you want to add. Then clickOK. To remove a folder or mailbox from Favorites, Control-click on it and selectRemove from Favorites.
Use Mail for Easier Inbox Management
Mail is a great app for managing several email accounts at once. You can navigate through every email you have, or focus on particular inboxes, and sort or filter messages to see all the ones you need at different times. With a customizable Favorites menu and easy controls, Mail on the Mac is great for all your email needs.
Keep your emails organized by creating Smart Mailboxes in the Mail app on your Mac.
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