Apple Mail is often overlooked, despite being an old stalwart in the app world (it traces back to NeXTMail!). Like the Notes app, it hides several gems, thanks to Apple’s continuous updates adding numerous features over the years.
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Despite modern tech advancements, the professional world still demands we manage a hefty volume of emails. Using a robust email client simplifies this task. Mail, included with macOS, is well-equipped to handle all your email needs efficiently.
Customization Options
You have numerous customization options in Mail to tailor it to your preferences. For instance, in Settings > Viewing, you can specify how many lines, from 0 to 5, appear in the preview on the left side.
If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can switch to a layout reminiscent of email clients from decades past. Yes, the one with mail previews at the bottom and a list of emails on top. By selecting ‘Use Column Layout’ under the Viewing menu, you can relive those days while swiftly navigating between emails.
Tabbed Viewing
You don’t have to be stuck in the past; Mail has supported tabbed viewing for several versions now (similar to Finder). Go to the Viewing menu and select ‘Show Tab Bar’.
This allows you to use Mail like a web browser with tabs, which is especially handy if you manage multiple accounts in Mail, allowing a tab for each account or even one for each folder.
Customizing the Toolbar
Mail offers surprising flexibility with its customizable toolbar. You can right-click to add or remove buttons. Add a color wheel to color-code certain emails, a button to mark a message as read or unread, add to contacts, or adjust text size buttons.
Email Privacy
Under Settings > Privacy, you can enable ‘Protect Mail Activity’. This feature limits tracking of your email activity. Some senders embed images in emails that track if and when the email was read, and your location via your IP address.
By enabling this feature, senders won’t have access to this information, offering a bit more privacy.
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Create a New Email with a File
You can create a new email by simply dragging and dropping a file onto the Mail icon in the Dock. A new email will open directly with the file attached.
Scheduling Email Delivery
Mail allows you to schedule emails to be sent at a specific day and time, although make sure your computer is connected to the internet at the scheduled time.
Undo Send
Ever sent an email only to realize it was to the wrong person or full of typos? Mail has a feature that waits ten seconds by default before sending an email, giving you a chance to cancel the send. You can extend this delay up to 30 seconds under Settings > Composing.
No Need for WeTransfer for Large Files
Instead of using third-party platforms like Dropbox, WeTransfer, or Google Drive for large files, you can use Mail Drop. Enable it in Settings > Accounts to send files up to 5 GB. The recipient has 30 days to download the file, and it’s free without using your iCloud storage.
Integration with Other Apps and the System
Mail fully leverages its integration within the Mac ecosystem. For instance, if you save an attachment, it appears with an envelope icon, indicating it came from an email. Clicking the icon opens the message in Mail.
Moreover, dragging an email to Reminders creates a task named after the email’s subject. A similar feature exists with the Notes app, where dragging an email into a note displays the email subject, which you can click to open the message.
Spotlight Search
Spotlight has evolved with macOS, but it has long been possible to specify elements in your search. For example, by typing ‘type:email’ in your search, Spotlight will limit the search to your emails only. You can search by contacts, file types attached to emails, and preview the email with QuickLook without opening it.
Background Color and More
You can automatically change the background color of an email based on the sender. If you want emails from your boss to appear on a red background, you can set this in Settings > Rules. You can also set more complex rules, like automatically moving emails to a specific folder or playing a sound when an email is received, with the option to change the sound based on the sender.
Almost Intelligent Search
Mail’s search functionality is quite advanced. Typing ‘last week’, for instance, prompts Mail to search for emails sent or received the previous week. You can also filter by person or by the type of file attachment.
Direct Unsubscribe in Mail
Mail allows you to unsubscribe from email lists directly without searching for the often hidden unsubscribe link. Just click the link that Mail provides at the top of the message.
Which Mail feature do you find most useful?