Read and respond to emails in Mail on Mac
Archived: 2026-04-05 19:58:04 UTC
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You can read and respond to messages from specific mailboxes, read email conversations, mark messages as read
or unread, and use Apple Intelligence to get email summaries or suggestions for a reply.
The image above shows a feature that uses Apple Intelligence.*
Open Mail for me
Read messages from specific mailboxes or email accounts
1. Go to the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Do any of the following:
Show messages from one mailbox: In the Favorites bar or the Mail sidebar, click the mailbox.
Show messages from several mailboxes: In the Mail sidebar, select multiple mailboxes.
https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/reply-to-forward-or-redirect-emails-mlhlp1010/mac
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Show messages from a specific email account: Click next to a mailbox (for example, All
Inboxes) in the sidebar, then select an account (for example, your iCloud account).
Tip: You can open multiple tabs in the Mail viewer window, to easily switch between different mailboxes or
emails. Choose View > Show Tab Bar, then click to open a new tab.
Read email conversations
By default, Mail groups together email messages that are part of the same “conversation” (or thread), instead of
listing each reply individually. Conversations make it easier to follow a thread and help streamline your Inbox.
Tip: It’s easy to turn conversations on or off. In Mail, choose View > Organize by Conversation (a checkmark
shows it’s on).
1. Go to the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Click the message count in the top message of a conversation to show all of its emails.
Choose View > Expand All Conversations to always show all of the emails in a conversation.
3. Do any of the following in a conversation in the preview area:
Step through messages in a conversation: Press Option-Up Arrow or Option-Down Arrow.
Show more of a message: If a reply contains the original message but doesn’t show all of it, click
the See More link at the bottom of the reply.
Change the order of messages in the preview area: Choose Mail > Settings, click Viewing, then
select or deselect “Show most recent message at the top.”
If Apple Intelligence* is turned on, you can use it to summarize the most important points in an email message or
email thread. See Use Apple Intelligence in Mail.
Reply to or forward emails
1. Go to the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Select a message in the message list.
Note: If you select the top message in a conversation, all of the messages in the conversation are selected.
3. Move the pointer over the message header, then click one of the following buttons:
Reply to reply to just the sender.
https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/reply-to-forward-or-redirect-emails-mlhlp1010/mac
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Reply All to reply to the sender and the other recipients.
Forward to choose new recipients.
You can add or remove recipients as needed.
4. Add your text.
If you included the original message, vertical bars (called quotation bars) may appear next to it.
5. When you’re ready, click .
Note: If you want to send automatic replies when Mail isn’t open—like when you’re on vacation—check with the
provider of your email account.
Mark emails as read or unread
Email messages you haven’t read yet have a blue dot or star (for messages from VIPs) next to them. When you
select a message to read it, the dot or star disappears. If you want, you can manually mark messages as read or
unread.
1. Go to the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Do any of the following:
Mark one message in the message list: Select the message, swipe right with two fingers on your
trackpad or Magic Mouse, then click Unread or Read.
Mark multiple messages in the message list: Select one or more messages, then choose
Message > Mark as Unread or Message > Mark as Read.
Mark all unread messages in a mailbox as read: Control-click the mailbox in the Mail sidebar, then
choose Mark All Messages As Read.
View email summaries and use Smart Reply
If Apple Intelligence* is turned on, you can use it to show you the most important points in an email message or
email thread and suggest a reply to emails you receive. See Use Apple Intelligence in Mail.
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https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/reply-to-forward-or-redirect-emails-mlhlp1010/mac
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Source: https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/reply-to-forward-or-redirect-emails-mlhlp1010/mac
https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/reply-to-forward-or-redirect-emails-mlhlp1010/mac
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