Reading and triaging mail

The Mail screen

Open Mail. The sidebar lists your Folders (Inbox, Drafts, Sent, Archive, Junk and Trash), then Smart views, Labels, Categories and any Shared inboxes you belong to. Select a conversation to read it in the reading pane. Messages that belong together are grouped as one conversation.

Choose Compose to write a new message. Fill in the recipients (use Cc Bcc to reveal those fields), the subject (the box that asks "What's it about?") and the body, then press Send or Enter as the shortcut shown on the button.

Smart views

Smart views save you from re-reading your inbox to find what matters. They are:

• Needs reply: messages that are waiting for you to answer.
• Waiting: messages you sent that are waiting for someone else.
• Promised: things you or others said they would do.
• Today: items for today.
• Follow up: conversations you want to revisit.
• Completed: conversations that are done.

Each shows a count so you can see at a glance how much needs attention.

Triage actions

With a conversation open, the toolbar offers:

• Archive (e) moves it out of the inbox but keeps it searchable.
• Delete (#) sends it to Trash.
• Mark unread brings it back to bold when you cannot deal with it now.
• Move to folder files it elsewhere, and you can create a new folder from there.
• Labels tags it.
• Snooze until hides the conversation and brings it back at a date and time you pick, with quick choices or Pick a date and time.
• A star marks it as important to you.

After you archive, delete or move something, an Undo link appears briefly in case you slipped.

Tip: Archive instead of deleting when you are unsure. Archived mail never clutters the inbox but is still found by search.

Labels

Open Manage labels from the Labels section of the sidebar. Type a name in New label (for example Clients) and create it. To tag a conversation, choose Labels in its toolbar and tick the label. Clicking a label in the sidebar then shows everything tagged with it. Labels can be managed too from Settings, Labels.

Send later and Undo send

Next to Send in the composer is Send later. Choose a quick time or Pick a date and time, and the message leaves on schedule. Waiting messages appear under Scheduled in the sidebar, where you can change or cancel them.

For regular sends, Undo send in Settings, Preferences sets how many seconds a message waits before leaving, giving you a window to cancel after pressing Send.

Templates

If you write the same reply often, open Manage templates (or Settings, Templates) and save it. In the composer use Insert a template to drop it in.

A simple daily routine

1. Open Needs reply first and answer what you can.
2. Snooze anything that needs a later decision.
3. Archive everything that is finished.
4. Check Waiting before the end of the day and nudge as needed.