> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.decodahealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Email Mailbox

> Read, triage, reply to, and compose clinic email from a shared inbox with folders, filters, and drafts.

<Info>
  **Where to find it:** In the left sidebar, click **Comms**, then **Email**.
</Info>

<Info>
  **Prerequisites:** Your clinic needs a verified sending domain (see [Email Settings](/modules/settings/emails)) and you need the **Messaging Emails Read** permission. Replying, forwarding, and composing also require **Messaging Emails Write**.
</Info>

The Email mailbox is your clinic's shared inbox for patient and contact email. It works like a familiar email client: folders on the left, a list of conversations in the middle, and the full conversation on the right when you open one. Conversations linked to a patient are connected to their chart.

By default you see the email threads you're part of. With the **Messaging Emails Read All** permission you see your whole clinic's email, including system-generated receipts and invoices.

## Folders

The left rail has these folders:

* **Inbox** — incoming email that hasn't been archived.
* **Starred** — threads you've starred.
* **Sent** — email your clinic has sent. A successfully sent message appears here after sending.
* **Drafts** — unfinished email saved and updated automatically. Discarded drafts are removed from this folder.
* **Archived** — threads you've cleared out of the Inbox.
* **All Mail** — every thread, regardless of folder.

**Inbox** shows the number of unread threads next to it, and **Starred** and **Drafts** show their totals. The **Compose** button sits at the top of the rail.

## Find an email

Use the **Search email...** box at the top of the page to search by subject, sender name, or email address. As you refine, add filter chips below the search box to narrow the list:

* **Unread** — only threads you haven't read.
* **Starred** — only starred threads.
* **Has attachment** — only threads with a file attached.
* **Patients** — only threads linked to a patient.

The available chips change with the folder you're in.

## Read and triage a thread

Click any thread to open it on the right. Click it again, or the back arrow on a small screen, to close it.

Each row in the list shows the sender, subject, a preview, and the date. Rows also show:

* A **Patient** link when the thread is connected to a patient — click the name to open their chart.
* A star for starred threads, a paperclip for **Has attachment**, and an **Awaiting reply** marker on threads waiting on a response.

When a thread is open, the actions across the top of it are:

* **Archive** (or **Unarchive**) — move the thread out of, or back into, the Inbox.
* **Star** — flag the thread for follow-up.
* **Mark unread** / **Mark read** — toggle the read state.

Click the sender's email address in the thread header for more options: **Show all mail from this address**, **Compose new email**, and **Copy email address**.

### Triage several threads at once

Hover a row and use its checkbox (or press **x**) to select threads. A bar appears at the bottom with **Archive**, **Star**, and **Mark read** / **Mark unread** for everything you've selected.

## Reply or forward

Open a thread and, on the message you want to respond to, click **Reply** or **Forward**. Write your message and click **Send**. Your edits save to **Drafts** automatically, so a reply or forward you don't finish is waiting for you the next time you open the thread.

## Compose a new email

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the composer">
    Click **Compose** at the top of the folder rail. The composer opens on the right.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add recipients and content">
    Check the **From** name and address, then enter one or more recipients in **To**. Use the **Cc / Bcc** option to add more, then add a subject and your message.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    Click **Send**. To set it aside instead, close the window — your draft is saved automatically to **Drafts**. **Cancel** discards it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Resume a draft

Open the **Drafts** folder and click a draft to keep working on it. It reopens in the same composer it was written in — a forward reopens as a forward, a reply as a reply, and a new email in the compose window.

## Track opens and clicks

When you open a thread you've sent, its header shows engagement for the email: how many times it was **Opened**, how many links were **Clicked**, and when it was **Last opened**. This appears only for outbound email.

## Keyboard shortcuts

With a thread list open (and not while typing in a box), these shortcuts speed up triage:

| Key | Action          |
| --- | --------------- |
| `↓` | Next thread     |
| `↑` | Previous thread |
| `/` | Search          |
| `c` | Compose         |
| `e` | Archive         |
| `s` | Star            |
| `u` | Mark unread     |
| `x` | Select thread   |
| `?` | Show shortcuts  |