Opera Mail Tutorial
Write and send messages
There are various tools and features to make writing and sending messages simple and quick.
In this topic:
- Respond to a message
- Write a new message
- Message drafts
- Address a message
- Quick Reply
- Customize settings
Respond to a message
When you view a message from someone, use the toolbar above it to quickly reply, forward, redirect, mark as read or spam, delete, or label.
Message context menu
There is also a context menu for multiple options, when you right-click a message, as outlined in the table below.
| Context menu header | Use this option to... |
|---|---|
| Reply | Answer a message - click the button to select from options to reply, reply to sender, or reply to the mailing list, as relevant |
| Reply All | Answer a selected message and include all recipients |
| Forward | Pass a message to a third party, with you as the sender in the From field |
| Redirect | Send a message to a third party so that it looks as though it is coming from the original sender by keeping the original sender, date, and message-id headers and only adding message headers showing the redirecting details (Resent-Date, Resent-To, and Resent-From) |
| Follow/Ignore | Follow or ignore an email thread - see View and manage threads |
| Mark | Mark a message as read, unread, spam, and so on |
| Label As | Apply a default label, or add a new one of your own. Labeled messages are listed under the Labels header in the Mail panel |
| Go To | Navigate unread messages, or go to a thread or contact |
| Copy | Copy a message and paste it to another view or label |
| Paste | Show any copied or hidden messages and paste in a view or label |
| Remove from view | Delete a message from the active view or label; this will still display in the Received view |
| Delete | Move a message to the Trash (Deleted) |
| Delete Permanently | Delete a message permanently, without moving to the Trash (Deleted) |
| Fetch Complete Message | If messages are not completely fetched |
| Cancel post (in the Sent view) | Request all news servers to delete a posting |
| Edit | Continue editing an outgoing message |
| Add contact | Add the sender of a message to your contacts |
| View All Headers and Message | Show all messages with email headers, which contain details about the sender, route, and receiver (this can be useful for detecting spamming, for example) |
Write a new message
To write a message, you can either select Compose from the Mail panel, go to , or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl⌘ + Option + M.
Compose tools
The tools in the Compose window allow you to:
- Send messages
- Discard drafts
- Choose HTML or plain text
- Alter view settings
- Add attachments
Message drafts
While you are composing a message, Opera Mail saves it for you automatically in the Drafts view. After you send the message, it moves from the Drafts view to the Sent view. If you decide not to send the message, delete the draft by selecting Delete Draft on the Mail toolbar.
Address a message
The auto-complete feature in Opera Mail helps to fill in email addresses automatically as you type based on your contact list. As this feature is based on names, you do not have to remember email addresses, making it quick and easy to use. Start typing the first name, last name or email address of someone listed in Contacts in the To field and then select from the list of matching names.
You can also select To and either:
- Select contacts from your list, or
- Select Add All Contacts in Folder to add all contacts in a particular folder as message recipients (not for nested contact folders). For more information, see the Organize Contact into folders topic.
Quick Reply
For brief, chat-like correspondence, Opera Mail's unique Quick Reply feature is just the tool you need.
To use the Quick Reply field, follow these short steps:
- Enable it by clicking the Default Mail Settings icon, shown as a wrench, at the top-right of the message view. Check Show Quick Reply.
- Type a short reply in the Quick Reply field at the bottom of the Mail window.
- Click the Quick Reply button to send it.
The original message is quoted in the reply, with your reply added underneath, and is sent to all recipients of the original message. Opera Mail removes text that has been quoted more than twice. For a news message, your reply is sent to the message sender's email address.
To disable Quick Reply, click the Default Mail Settings icon and uncheck Show Quick Reply.
Customize settings
You can maximize the message view so that it displays across the full window width, change the fields that are displayed, edit your signature and choose another outgoing account if you have more than one set up. Click the Settings button at the top-right of the compose window and make your selection.
You can also enable automatic completion of reply-to, cc and bcc fields, change fonts and more. See: Edit mail and news accounts
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