While our Mozilla Mail tutorial focuses on Windows, keep in mind that Mozilla Mail is a "cross-platform" email client: it runs and operates the same way on Windows, Apple's Mac OS X and Linux. The Mozilla Foundation also offers the standalone Thunderbird email client: see the Mozilla Thunderbird Tutorial

Mozilla Mail's Interface

Up to this point, we covered the most boring parts of this tutorial! Now comes the point where you learn how to actually use Mozilla Mail as your email client.

Mozilla Mail's Main Window

By default, Mozilla Mail is divided in three panes:

The top left pane contains your folders, default folders and those you create, as well as email accounts folders.

The top right pane displays the emails (if any) from the folder selected in the left pane.

The bottom pane displays the content of the selected email.

On the left pane, a listing of Mozilla Mail's default folders:

1. Inbox — where your incoming emails will be stored by default.
2. Unsent Messages — where unsent emails are stored until a connection is available. (Often called Outbox in other email clients.)
3. Drafts — where Mozilla Mail stores your saved but unsent emails.
4. Sent — where a copy of every email you send is kept.
5. Trash — where all deleted emails will be stored.

Mozilla Mail's Search Bar

The Search Bar appears right above the current folder's email listing. If you cannot see the Search Bar, go to View > Show/Hide > Search Bar We will come back to it when showing you how to manage your emails, but for now let's just say that this drop-down menu and input field allow you to search and filter the current folder's emails.

The Search Bar is a very intuitive tool, and once you have a few emails in your inbox, playing around with it will reveal its powerful capabilities. Skip to Mozilla Mail's Search Bar tutorial

Customizing Mozilla Mail's Interface

The first thing you'll want to determine is Mozilla Mail's "Layout". To change Mozilla Mail's Layout, go to Edit > Preferences, which will open the Preferences window.

Then, select Mail & Newsgroups > Windows and choose between the two layout options.

- Default View -	- "Wide" View -
This view allows you to take advantage of the height of your screen to see all folders in the left pane.	This view lets you take advantage of the full width of your screen to read your emails (that's our favorite!)

F8 Toggle the message pane's visibility

You can also choose to show or hide the Mail Toolbar, the Search Bar, or the Status Bar. To do that, click the View menu, click Toolbar, and check/uncheck the appropriate toolbar. By default, Mozilla Mail has all three toolbar visible.

Customizing Mozilla Mail's Mail Toolbar

You can easily customize Mozilla Mail's Mail Toolbar. Go to Edit > Preferences, and select Mail & Newsgroup. Check or uncheck the buttons you would like to see on the Mail toolbar.

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