Windows 10: The Missing Manual

Chapter 11. Mail

Mail, which is Windows 10’s built-in email program, is easy to use, it’s beautiful, and—especially if you have a touchscreen—it offers a fast, fluid way to work. And it’s not nearly as stripped down as it was in Windows 8.

This Mail app is, as you’ll soon discover, super basic. For example, you can’t create or edit mail folders, view your messages in a unified Inbox, set up message rules, turn off “conversation threading” view, or open a message in its own window (at least not in the initial version).

But Mail works great on a touchscreen, thanks to its very few, but bold, buttons. And it’s handy that it syncs with your other Windows 10 machines. Set up your accounts once, and find them magically waiting for you on any other phones, tablets, or PCs you may pick up. And it’s handy that Mail’s messages notify you by appearing in the Windows 10 Action Center (Silence for good).

Note

Saying that the Mail app is very simple to use is another way of saying that it’s fairly rudimentary.

There are plenty of alternative mail programs, though—including Microsoft’s own Windows Live Mail, which came with Windows 8 but not with Windows 10. It’s a desktop program (rather than a “Windows Store” app), so it’s far more complete. It’s a free download, it works great in Windows 10, and you can find it on this book’s “Missing CD” page at www.missingmanuals.com. In fact, there’s a free PDF appendix to this book that describes it, on the same “Missing CD”—“Windows Live Mail.pdf.”

Setting Up ...