Compose and send an email

Composing a message in Mail takes a few seconds: add who it's going to, write a subject and a message, and click Send. This page walks through writing a brand-new email from start to finish.

Start a new message

Click the Compose button at the top of the sidebar. A blank message opens next to your folder list, ready for you to fill in.

The From line shows your own name and email address. You send as your own account, so this line can't be changed.

Add the people you're writing to

Type a name or email address in the To field. As you type, Mail suggests matching contacts and people on your team. Pick one from the list (click it, or use the arrow keys and press Enter), or finish typing the full address yourself.

You can add more than one recipient. After you pick or type an address, keep typing to add the next one.

• To is for the main recipients.
• Cc ("carbon copy") is for people you want to keep in the loop. Everyone can see who's in Cc.
• Bcc ("blind carbon copy") is for recipients you want to hide. People in To and Cc can't see who you added to Bcc.

The Cc and Bcc fields work the same way as To, with the same contact suggestions. Leave them empty if you don't need them.

Write your subject and message

Click the Subject field and type a short summary of what the email is about.

Click in the large area below and write your message. If you've set up an email signature, it's added to the bottom of the message for you. You can format the text, add lists, and insert links from the toolbar in the message area.

Attach a file

To send a file with your message, click the paperclip (Attach file) button in the toolbar. You can pick a file from your computer or one already in Drive. You can also drag a file from your desktop and drop it onto the message.

Send it

When the message is ready, click Send. Mail sends the email and takes you back to your folder list. Mail keeps a copy in your Sent folder.

A couple of checks happen before the email goes out:

• If you haven't added anyone to To, Mail asks you to specify at least one recipient.
• If you've left the subject empty, Mail asks Send without subject? first. Click Send to send it anyway, or close the question to go back and add one.

Reply instead of starting fresh

If you're answering a message you've received rather than writing a new one, you don't need to compose from scratch. Open the email and use Reply, Reply All, or Forward. See Read and reply to email for how that works.