Mastering Your Email Workflow: Essential Tips for Mail 5 Users
Discover practical tips and hidden tricks to enhance your experience with Mail 5 and other email clients, boosting your productivity and organization.
Typically, I used to check my emails through a web browser and wasn't accustomed to native mail clients. However, after upgrading to the latest Mac OS X Lion and installing Mail 5, my perspective changed dramatically. While it has its pros and cons, the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks. Here are some useful tips for Mail 5 users, along with a couple of tricks applicable to other versions that you might not have discovered yet.
Back when I worked in an office, I used desktop email clients like Outlook and Bat, and I wasn't particularly impressed by them. Even after switching to a Mac, I hesitated to adopt a desktop client until I updated to Mac OS X Lion. Honestly, I was almost persuaded to switch to Mail 5, and so far, I have no regrets.
Organize Your Conversations Using Threaded Views
By default, Mail 5 does not display your email exchanges with a single contact as a threaded conversation, which can make it challenging to track which response corresponds to which question, especially if the thread exceeds five messages.
To view your messages alongside replies from others, go to Mail Preferences from the menu or press "Cmd + ," then navigate to the Viewing tab. Under the View Conversation section, check the box for "Include related messages." This will group your emails into coherent threads for easier reading.
Highlight Important Emails with Custom Rules and Colors
If you want to emphasize emails from key contacts beyond just colorful flags, utilize the Rules feature. Access Mail Preferences again, open the Rules tab, and click on "Add Rule." Set the condition "From is" followed by the email address of the important sender. Then, choose your preferred background color for these emails by selecting "Set color of background" and confirm by clicking OK. If the preset colors don’t meet your needs, select "Other" to pick a custom shade.
Keep Track of Unread Emails with a Menu Counter
To conveniently monitor your unread messages, download the "Mail Unread Menu" application. Simply install and launch it on your computer, and you'll see a real-time counter of unread emails right in your menu bar, keeping you informed without opening the mail client.
Customize Flag Names for Better Email Organization
Mail 5 allows you to tag emails with colored flags—seven colors in total. By default, these flags are named after their colors (red, yellow, green, etc.), which might not be very intuitive. Fortunately, you can rename them!
To do this, assign each flag color to at least one email. Once you’ve done this for all seven colors, a new section will appear in your Reminders. Right-click on a flag, select "Rename Mailbox," and type in your preferred label. This new name will appear both in the sidebar and in the dropdown menu when tagging new emails, making your email management more personalized and efficient.
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