10 Hacks Every Apple Mail User Should Know

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Because the Mail app is built into all Macs, iPhones, and iPads, it becomes the default choice for many Apple users. For some, the simple interface is the biggest draw, but that doesn’t mean the Mail app is a simple piece of software. After decades of active development, Mail is packed with powerful hidden features that lurk beneath the surface. These Apple Mail hacks can help you manage and organize your email — and hopefully reduce the stress that comes with it.

Disable “Categories” to restore the original mail design

Apple Mail automatically categorizes email In categories like Primary, Transactions, Updates and Promotions. For the most part, Apple does a good job at this. But if you’re used to the old mail interface, migrating to this new category can be jarring. Fortunately, you can bring back the simple interface at any time: swipe to the end of the category tabs to view All mail Tab, which shows all your emails on one page. You can also disable the categories view entirely. Tap the three dots at the top and switch on List view. On a Mac, click the three-dotted menu Press the button from the top toolbar and select Unselect Show mail categories.

Use custom swipe gestures to create a routine to clear your inbox

The swipe gesture is a lifesaver in the Mail app. You can swipe left or right on any email to see quick actions like setting a reminder, marking the email as read, or archiving the email. You can swipe once to reveal all the options and follow that swipe to trigger the main action. Best of all, you can customize this key action, so your full swipe doesn’t have to trigger Apple’s default action. go to settings > Mail > Swipe options. Here, you will see Swipe left And Swipe right For each of the options, you can choose between “Mark as read,” “Flag,” “Move message,” and “Archive.” If you rely heavily on the flag and archive method, use the left swipe gesture to flag an email and the right swipe gesture to archive it. But you can configure this as you want.

Use “remind me” and “mute” to disable threads you can’t respond to yet.

Not all email is important—at least, not right at the moment. If you want some peace of mind while dealing with important stuff, use the “remind me” feature to turn off some emails in the future. When you’re viewing an email, tap give answer button, and select remind me Option then select the reminder time from the following: “one hour,” “evening,” “the next day,” or a custom time. You can also swipe right while in the inbox to access the Remind Me feature.

Likewise, a long email thread that doesn’t really concern you can annoy you. You can use the mute feature to mute alerts from overactive threads. Press and hold and select an email thread from the inbox Mute option (in Email view, you can find it below give answer feature.) On a Mac, right-click any email and select remind me option

Use filters and flags to prioritize your important conversations

When it comes to focusing on important emails, combining flags with filters can really help. The Mail app lets you flag emails based on importance, including custom colors. Each day, you can flag important emails in the morning and then filter out the rest to focus on critical tasks. You will find the Flags option under the reply menu in any email. Then, when you’re in the inbox, tap Filter icon at the bottom-left, select Filtered by: button, and switch to “Flagged”. Now, the only emails you see in your inbox will be your flagged emails. On your Mac, you’ll find the flag icon in the top toolbar. To view only emails flagged with a specific color, go to flag hoisting section in the sidebar, and select the flag you want to filter.

Use “Hide My Email” to protect your address

If you pay for iCloud+, you can use Hide My Email to create as many unique email aliases as you want. All these aliases forward back to your real email address. This way, you can share a unique address with the new company, without revealing your real address. You can manage and create all your email addresses settings on your iPhone and System settings on your Mac. Click above your name and go to iCloud > iCloud+ features > hide my email. The easiest way to use this, however, is in the email compose window. When you’re drafting an email from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, select the “Sender” button and select hide my emailWhich will quickly generate a new address to send the message to.

Set up Send Undo to buy yourself time to catch errors

Typos are inevitable in emails. Instead of panicking or sending a follow-up email, plan ahead using Undo Send. go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Undo Send Delay and adjust the option to as high as 30 seconds. Now, every email you send will be delayed by 30 seconds, giving you plenty of time to stop it from flying by. On your Mac, you’ll find this option Mail settings > Composing > Undo the delay in sending.

Use these keyboard shortcuts to move quickly throughout the Mail app

On your Mac (or iPad with a keyboard), you can move through your inbox and pending emails more quickly if you adopt keyboard shortcuts. Here are some beginner-friendly keyboard shortcuts to get you started:

• Create a new email message: command + n

• Reply to selected email: Command + R

• Forward selected email: Shift + Command + F

• Mark email as read or unread: Shift + Command + U

• Move selected emails to Junk mailbox: Shift + Command + J

• Archive email: Control + Command + A

Use Smart Mailbox to automatically sort specific types of messages into an inbox (Mac only)

If you use the Mail app as your default email client, you should try setting up some smart mailboxes. A smart mailbox helps you automatically sort incoming emails based on pre-configured parameters. You can set up a mailbox to receive all emails about a project from a specific client or on different mail servers.

To get started, go to Mail’s sidebar, then click the folder icon next to “Smart Mailboxes” to create one. Give it a name, then set the criteria for filtering. For example, the first condition can filter based on email addresses, while the second condition can filter based on keywords in your project. Click “OK” to save it. You will now see a new Smart Mailbox in the sidebar, which will only contain emails based on your conditions.

If you suffer from email overload, you might have turned off notifications for the Mail app a long time ago. While checking your inbox often keeps you in the loop, there may be times when you need to reach for an email the moment it arrives. That’s where Mail’s VIP feature comes in handy. When you receive an email from a VIP, you will receive a notification without receiving alerts for other emails. (Just note: You’ll need to turn on mail notifications, but you can disable alerts for all accounts to limit notifications to VIPs.) To get started, open the contact card for the person in question and tap “Add to VIP.” Next, go to settings > Instructions > Mail > Customize notifications > V.I.P And make sure alerts and sounds are enabled. On your Mac, right-click the contact’s name and select Add to VIP.

Set up rules to ensure that spam and unwanted email never reach you

If you use your iCloud email address, you can set up rules for your mailbox that automatically hide emails that match certain criteria. It could be an email address you know to be a scammer or spammy keywords that appear in the subject line. For example, you can set up a rule that automatically removes all incoming emails containing the words “crypto” or “bitcoin”. To set this up, go to settings > (your name) > iCloud > iCloud Mail > iCloud Mail RulesThen tap Add a rule And fill in your criteria. You don’t even need to move emails to trash. You can also use this feature to automatically move emails to specific mailboxes or mark them as read.