Take Control of Apple Mail, 3rd Edition

Book description

Master Mail in El Capitan and iOS 9!

You can work more effectively in Apple Mail with expert advice from Joe Kissell. You'll learn how to make Mail serve your needs with essential setup, usage, and troubleshooting instructions, whether you use Gmail, iCloud, Exchange, IMAP, or POP -- or more than one -- in both 10.11 El Capitan on your Mac and iOS 9 on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

Joe explains core concepts like special IMAP mailboxes and email archiving, reveals Mail's hidden interface elements and gestures, and helps with common tasks like addressing and adding attachments. He also offers tips on customizing Mail, including a nifty chapter on how simple plug-ins and special automation can dramatically improve the way you use Mail. Joe also covers finding that message in the haystack with El Capitan's new natural language search, improving the messages you send, how digital signatures and encryption work in Mail, and -- perhaps most important -- a strategy for avoiding email overload (the article where he introduced it won an American Business Media's Neal Award for Best How-To Article).

Older OS? After you download this ebook, you can follow its Ebook Extras link to download an earlier edition (look in the Blog) about Mail in Mavericks/iOS 7 or Yosemite/iOS 8.

You'll quickly find the information that's most important to you, including:

  • Key changes in Mail for El Capitan and iOS 9
  • What the new natural language search features mean for email
  • Getting through your email faster with gestures
  • Letting a plug-in significantly enhance how you use Mail
  • Taking Mail to the next level with AppleScript and Automator
  • The whys and hows of sending attachments
  • Using markup features to embellish, and even sign, outgoing attachments
  • Defeating spam with the Junk Mail filter -- and what to do if you need more firepower
  • Understanding special mailboxes like Sent, Drafts, and Junk
  • Using notifications to stay apprised of incoming messages
  • Turning on the much-loved classic window arrangement
  • Taking charge of email organization with rules and other measures
  • 15 things everyone should know about Mail in iOS 9
  • Deciding whether you should encrypt your email, along with detailed, real-world steps for signing and encrypting messages
  • Fixing problems: receiving, sending, logging in, bad mailboxes, and more

Publisher resources

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Table of contents

  1. Read Me First
    1. Updates and More
    2. Basics
    3. What’s New in the Third Edition
  2. Introduction
  3. Apple Mail Quick Start
  4. Learn What’s New in El Capitan and iOS 9 Mail
    1. Mail Changes in El Capitan
    2. Mail Changes in iOS 9
  5. Learn about Email Protocols
    1. POP
    2. IMAP
    3. SMTP
    4. IMAP and POP Misconceptions
    5. Switch from POP to IMAP
    6. iCloud
    7. Exchange
    8. Gmail
    9. Fetch, Push, and IMAP IDLE
  6. Master Mail Concepts
    1. Account Setup
    2. Decoding the Mail Sidebar
    3. Special Mailboxes
    4. Hidden Interface Elements
    5. Gestures
    6. Full Screen Mode
    7. Addressing
    8. Archiving
    9. Notifications
    10. Data Detectors
    11. Attachments
    12. Handoff
  7. Customize Mail
    1. Sidebar
    2. Toolbars
    3. Message Header
    4. Views
    5. Favorites Bar
    6. VIPs
    7. Signatures
    8. Keyboard Shortcuts
  8. Extend and Automate Mail
    1. Use Third-party Plug-ins
    2. Archive and Search Messages
    3. Remove Duplicate Messages
    4. Use AppleScript and Automator
  9. Use Gmail with Mail
    1. Understand How Mail Works (or Not) with Gmail
    2. Set Up Mail to Use Gmail
    3. Avoid Gmail Problems
  10. Find Your Messages
    1. Perform a Natural Language Search
    2. Perform a Conventional Search
    3. Search for a Phrase
    4. Use Boolean Expressions
    5. Search by Date Range
    6. Search within the Current Message
    7. Work Smarter with Smart Mailboxes
  11. Take Control of Your Inbox
    1. Take Responsibility
    2. Consolidate Your Accounts
    3. Optimize Your Mailboxes
    4. Use Rules
    5. Control Spam
    6. Develop an Email Strategy
  12. Become a Better Correspondent
    1. Don’t Be Part of the Problem
    2. Choose Formatting Wisely
    3. Use Attachments Judiciously
    4. Quote Effectively
  13. Sign and Encrypt Messages
    1. Learn When and Why to Sign or Encrypt Messages
    2. Use S/MIME Encryption
    3. Use GnuPG for Mail
    4. Sign and Encrypt Messages in iOS 9
  14. Fix Mail Problems
    1. Fix Incoming Mail Problems
    2. Fix Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Problems
    3. Untangle Special Mailboxes
    4. Fix Mailbox Problems
    5. Fix Searching Errors
    6. Solve Other Problems
  15. Use Mail in iOS 9
    1. iOS 9 Mail vs. OS X Mail
    2. 15 Things Every iOS Mail User Should Know
    3. Troubleshoot iOS Mail Problems
  16. About This Book
    1. Ebook Extras
    2. About the Author
    3. About the Publisher
  17. Copyright and Fine Print

Product information

  • Title: Take Control of Apple Mail, 3rd Edition
  • Author(s): Joe Kissell
  • Release date: October 2015
  • Publisher(s): Take Control Books
  • ISBN: 9781615424627