Skip to main content

Composing Emails

Writing a New Message​

Click the Compose button in the sidebar (or press c) to open the compose window. The compose window opens in a separate window so you can continue browsing your inbox while writing.

Message Fields​

  • From -- if you have multiple accounts, select which account to send from using the dropdown at the top.
  • To -- enter the recipient's email address. You can add multiple recipients by pressing Enter, Tab, or comma after each address.
  • Cc / Bcc -- click the Cc/Bcc button next to the To field to reveal the Carbon Copy and Blind Carbon Copy fields.
  • Subject -- the subject line of your message.
  • Message body -- write your message in the text area.

Contact Autocomplete​

As you type a recipient's email address, MailCopilot suggests contacts based on your previous correspondence. Click a suggestion to add it, or continue typing to narrow the list.

Attachments​

  • Click the Attach button or drag and drop files onto the compose window to add attachments.
  • Each attachment shows its filename. Click the X button to remove it.
  • The maximum attachment size is 25 MB per file.

Replying and Forwarding​

  • Reply (shortcut: r) -- opens a compose window pre-filled with the original sender as recipient and the quoted original message.
  • Reply All (shortcut: a) -- same as Reply, but includes all original recipients.
  • Forward (shortcut: f) -- opens a compose window with the original message quoted and "Fwd:" added to the subject. Inline attachments from the original message are preserved.

Drafts and Autosave​

MailCopilot automatically saves your draft as you type. Drafts are saved both locally and to your IMAP Drafts folder (if draft sync is enabled in settings).

If you close the compose window and reopen it, your last draft can be restored. You will see a "Draft restored" notification.

Sending​

Click the Send button to send your message. The compose window closes immediately while the message is sent in the background. If there is an error (for example, a connection problem), you will see a desktop notification.

Send & Archive​

When replying to an email, the Send button dropdown includes a Send & Archive option. Click the small ▾ arrow next to the Send button, then choose Send & Archive. This sends your reply and automatically archives the original email in one step.

This is especially useful for an inbox-zero workflow -- reply and clear the email from your inbox without extra clicks.

Scheduled Sending​

You can schedule a message to be sent at a later time:

  1. Click the small ▾ arrow next to the Send button to open the dropdown menu.
  2. Choose a preset time:
    • Later today -- the next half-hour mark.
    • Tomorrow morning (09:00).
    • Monday morning (09:00).
    • Pick date and time -- choose a custom date and time.
  3. The message will be queued and sent automatically at the scheduled time.

Scheduled messages appear in the Outbox folder, where you can edit, reschedule, send immediately, or cancel them.

Send Delay (Undo Send)​

If you enable a send delay in Settings > Productivity > Send delay, every sent message will be held for the configured number of seconds (5, 10, or 30) before actually being sent. During this time, you can undo the send.

Using Templates​

Templates let you quickly insert pre-written messages into the compose window, saving time for messages you send frequently.

Applying a Template​

  1. Open the compose window.
  2. Click the Templates button (grid icon) in the toolbar.
  3. Select a template from the dropdown.
  4. The template's subject and body are inserted into the compose window.

Template Variables​

Templates can include variables that are automatically replaced when applied:

  • {name} -- the recipient's name (if available).
  • {email} -- the recipient's email address.
  • {date} -- today's date.

For example, a template body like "Dear {name}, ..." will have {name} replaced with the actual recipient's name.

To create and manage templates, go to Settings > Templates. See the Templates Settings page for details.

Misdirection Warning​

MailCopilot helps prevent accidentally sending emails to the wrong people. Before sending, it checks the recipient list and warns you in two situations:

  • External domain -- if the majority of recipients share one domain (e.g., @company.com) and you added someone from a different, untrusted domain, a confirmation dialog appears.
  • New recipients in reply -- when replying, if you added recipients who were not part of the original conversation, a warning is shown.

You can add trusted domains (that should not trigger warnings) in Settings > Productivity > Trusted domains.

Signature​

If you have configured a signature for your account in Settings > Signature, it will be automatically appended to new messages. Signatures are not added to replies and forwards.

Follow-up Reminders​

Follow-up reminders help you track emails that need a reply. If you send an important message and don't receive a response, MailCopilot will remind you.

Setting Up a Follow-up​

  1. In the compose window, check the "Remind if no reply" checkbox at the bottom.
  2. Choose a reminder period: 2 days, 3 days, or 7 days.
  3. Send the message as usual.

If no reply is received within the chosen period, you will get a desktop notification reminding you to follow up.

The Follow-ups Folder​

Pending follow-ups appear in the Follow-ups folder in the sidebar (clock icon with a check mark). The folder badge shows the number of pending reminders.

Each follow-up shows:

  • The recipient's address.
  • The subject of the original message.
  • How long ago the reminder was due.

Dismissing a Follow-up​

When you no longer need a reminder (for example, the person replied outside of email), click the Dismiss button next to the follow-up to remove it.