E-Mail Basics > 4: Managing Your E-Mail

4A: Where is Your Mail Stored?

If you use an e-mail software program, you can set it up to download your messages to your computer, where they can be stored indefinitely. If you use a Web mail service, you must occasionally delete some messages in your mailbox.

More information: How to Reduce Your Stored OSU Email

4B: Create Mailboxes or Folders

Create a custom filing cabinet to store and organize e-mail messages you want to retain. You can have as many mailboxes or folders as you wish. For example, you could make separate folders or mailboxes for each course you are taking.

Example: Thunderbird

1. Select File, then New, then Folder from the menu.

2. In the dialog box that opens, type the name for your new folder.

3. Select a location for it (if you want to place it within another existing folder).

4C: Transfer Mail

To transfer messages from one mailbox or folder to another:

1. First, select the message summary line of the message to be moved.

2. Choose the appropriate menu option.

   Thunderbird: Select Message, then Move, and finally select the new destination for the message.

   Outlook Express: Select Edit, then Move to Folder. Highlight the new location in the dialog box that opens.

If your mail program displays all of your mailboxes in a window, you may also be able to "drag and drop" messages from the Inbox window to a particular mailbox.

4D: Managing Several E-Mail Accounts

If you have several different e-mail accounts, you may set up one e-mail program to retrieve the mail sent to all accounts.

• Outlook Express Identity

  Each e-mail account has an "Identity." Select File, then Identity, then Add New Identity from the menu. Outlook Express then walks you through the Internet Connection Wizard. Click the button next to "Create a new Internet mail account" and fill in the details (username, password, server address). To read mail sent to this account, select File, then Switch Identity on the Outlook Express menu.

• Thunderbird Account

  You may use Thunderbird to read mail sent to multiple accounts. Select Tools, then Account Settings from the menu. Click the Add Account button and follow directions in the Account Wizard. To read email sent to this account, click on the Get Mail button and select the account listed there.

• Gmail

  You may read multiple e-mail accounts using Gmail. Click on Settings, then Accounts, then Add Another Mail Account. Follow the directions to complete setup. After you set up Mail Fetcher, Google will check your other account on a regular basis, and new mail will appear automatically in your Gmail account.

4E: E-Mail Forwarding at Ohio State

Anyone with an Ohio State University e-mail account can arrange to have their University e-mail forwarded to another e-mail address. To arrange this service, complete the e-mail forwarding form (click the "Change Delivery" tab). Simply login to your other e-mail account to read any OSU e-mail forwarded there.

4F: Filter Your E-Mail

Filters or message rules can be used to sift through mail and route messages to appropriate mailboxes automatically. The filter or rule scans mail for keywords and names that you specify.

If you subscribe to a mailing list that generates many messages, for example, you can filter and read through them when you have time. Or you can filter junk e-mail ("spam") messages.

-- To create a message rule in Outlook Express: Select Tools, then Message Rules, then Mail from the menu. Choose a condition for your rule, then an action (move, delete, etc.). Click on each link in the rule description area to open a dialog box, where you can type specific information (names, words to scan for, etc.) Click on the OK button to save your new rule. -- Other Programs: See Setting Up Filters in Your E-Mail Program.

4G: Junk Mail

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