Mail.app, the native email client for the OS X platform, has emulated exchange capability that allows it to perform tasks such as calendaring and task management. Below are some tips to help you leverage the most out of Mail.app application.
General Information
How do I show the CC/BCC fields? I can’t send emails — how do I check my SMTP settings? How do I change my client password? How do I find the full email headers for a message? How do I create a new message? How do I sync my inbox? How do I create a new Note? How do I change my junk mail setting? How do I search my inbox?How do I set up Mail.app to work with my staff email?
Follow our tutorial on setting up your staff email with Mail.app for instructions on configuring the mail application to work with our Exchange server. Alternatively, you can forgo Exchange capability and set up your staff email account as an IMAP.
(return to top)
How do I show the CC/BCC fields?
- Open New message.
- Select the options menu next to the Subject line, then Bcc Address Field.
- Enter desired email addresses within the Bcc: field and complete message as usual.
(return to top)
I can’t send emails – how do I set up/check my SMTP settings?
- Open Mail.app
- From the Mail menu, choose “Preferences“.
- If not already highlighted, click on the “Accounts” button near the top of the window then select Advanced.
- Under the Advanced tab, double check that Password is selected from the “Authentication” drop down menu.
(return to top)
How do I change my client password?
- Open Mail.app in OS X.
- Go to the Mail menu and then Preferences…
- In the Password box enter your new password.
(return to top)
How do I find the full email headers for a message?
- Open the Mail application email client.
- Select the message for which you need to view the header.
- Then select View from the menu bar. Go to Message > Raw Source.
- You will now see the full header of the original message you selected.
(return to top)
How do I compose a new message?
With Mail.app open, simply click the compose new message button from the menu up top. Alternativly, you can use the keyboard shortcut command + n.
(return to top)
How do I sync my inbox manually?
Mail.app automatically defaults to checking for new messages every five minutes. This setting can be changed from the mail->preferences submenu.
If you wish to sync your inbox and check for new messages manually, you can do so by clicking the get new messages in all accounts button from the main tab menu bar at the top of the application.
(return to top)
Notes can be used to organize to-do items, thoughts and ideas. Mail.app allows you to create special notes, which can also be transferred to your mobile iPhone or iPad devices. To create a new note, navigate to file->New Note from the menu bar. A new mailbox titled notes will be created and any notes in this folder will be automatically synced to your devices.
(return to top)
How do I change my junk mail settings?
Mail provides a junk mail filter that automatically identifies and handles junk mail. The filter’s default settings catch most of the junk messages you receive, but you can customize it as needed.
- Choose Mail > Preferences, and then click Junk Mail.
- Specify which actions Mail should perform when junk mail arrives.
- When you want to verify what Mail is identifying as junk mail, select the “Mark as junk mail, but leave it in my Inbox” checkbox.
- When you are sure the filter is accurately identifying junk mail, select the “Move it to the Junk mailbox” checkbox.
- To set up other actions, select the “Perform custom actions” checkbox, and then click the Advanced button. In the pane that appears, click Add (+) to add conditions and actions. To remove a condition or action, click Remove (-).
Note: To use the junk mail database when identifying junk mail, make sure “Message is Junk Mail” is one of the conditions (it’s specified by default). Otherwise, Mail uses only the conditions listed to identify junk mail.
- In the Junk Mail pane, indicate the types of messages that don’t need to be evaluated by the junk mail filter.Typically, these are messages from senders you know.
- To include in the filter any junk mail detection that may already be present in messages, select “Trust junk mail headers in messages.”
Mail maintains an internal database of information that helps it detect junk mail. When you mark messages as junk or not junk, Mail updates the junk mail database accordingly and your junk mail filter continually improves over time. If you change your mind about what is junk mail (for example, you want to receive someone’s messages that you previously specified were junk messages), you need to mark them as not junk.
(return to top)
Mail.app does automatic searching and indexing of mail across all of your accounts. Simply start typing in your search term into the search box at the top right of the application. You can search by message content, name or contact information.
