Menu

Working with Mail

In this topic, learn how to use your voice to:

  • Create new messages in Mail
  • Navigate message text
  • Edit and format text
  • Send a message
  • View messages and threads
  • Print a message
  • Sort and label messages
  • Search your mail
  • Navigate Mailboxes

The commands below are available when you are using Apple Mail. Use the menu walking commands to access other Mail features. For example, say Click Message menu, then Click Add Sender to Contacts.

Remember, in some applications, it's better not to use your mouse and keyboard while dictating text. See Mixing dictation with typing for more information, including a list of currently supported applications.

Creating a new message

  • Say New message to compose a new message from scratch.

To reply to the selected message

Say one of the following:

  • Reply to this message
  • Reply All to this message

To forward the selected message

Do one of the following:

  • Say Forward this message to forward the whole message.
  • Say Forward selection to forward a selected portion of the message.
  • Say Redirect this message to send the message directly to a new recipient.

To resend the selected message

  • Say Send this message again.

Navigating within your message

Move your cursor to a different point in your text with the standard navigation commands, such as:

  • Insert before <text>
  • <Direction> arrow (up, down, left or right)
  • Click next / previous field

See Navigating within a document for more information.

You can also say any of the following in Mail:

  • Move to beginning / end of message
  • Move up / down one paragraph
  • Move left / right one word
  • Move to beginning / end of this line
  • Move left / right one character

Selecting text

Use the standard commands for making a selection, such as:

  • Select <text>
  • Select All
  • Select next / previous word
  • Unselect that

See Making a selection for more information.

You can also say any of the following in Mail:

  • Extend selection left / right one character
  • Extend selection to beginning / end of line
  • Extend selection up / down one line
  • Extend selection to end of paragraph
  • Extend selection up / down one paragraph
  • Extend selection to beginning / end of message
  • Extend selection to end of window

Editing your message

Use the standard commands for revising your text, such as:

  • Cut <text>
  • Cut selection
  • Copy <text>
  • Copy selection
  • Paste from clipboard
  • Delete <text>
  • Delete selection

See Revising text for more information.

You can also say any of the following in Mail:

  • Paste as quotation
  • Paste and match style
  • Append selected messages
  • Check spelling

Formatting text

You can use the global commands to format the last word or phrase you spoke:

  • Bold / Italicize / Underline that

You can also say any of the following:

  • Say Make selection bigger / smaller to increase or decrease the font size by one point.
  • Say Increase / decrease quote level to format the selected text as a quote and increase or decrease the quote level:

    • Mail: quote levels

If you want to apply formatting from one section of text to another:

  1. Select the formatted text.
  2. Say Copy style of selection.
  3. Select the text where you want to apply the formatting.
  4. Say Paste style.

Sending your message

  • Say Send message.

Navigating messages and threads

To scroll within a message or thread

  • Say Move up / down one page.

To toggle viewing threads in the Mailbox pane

Say one of the following:

  • Expand / Collapse this thread
  • Expand / Collapse all threads

To move between messages

  • Say Go to next / previous message.

To view your selected message or thread in the Mailbox

  • Say Jump to selection.

To check for new messages

  • Say Get new mail.

Printing a message

  • Say Print this document.

Managing your messages

To sort your messages

  • Say Sort by <property>.

    • You can sort messages by:

    • Attachments
    • Date Received
    • Date Sent
    • Flags
    • From
    • To
    • Subject
    • Size

To label the selected message

  • Say Mark as <status>.

    • You can mark messages as:

    • Flagged
    • Unflagged
    • High Priority
    • Low Priority
    • Normal Priority
    • Junk Mail
    • Read
    • Unread

To delete the selected message

  • Say Delete selection.

To clear deleted or junk messages

Say one of the following:

  • Erase deleted messages in all accounts
  • Erase deleted messages on my Mac
  • Erase Junk Mail

Searching your messages

To search the text of the current message

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Say Access Find window.
    • With text selected in the current message, say Use selection for Find.
  2. Dictate the word or phrase you want to search for.

To search your Mailbox

  1. Say Find in selected mailboxes.
  2. Dictate the word or phrase you want to search for.
  3. Say Find Next / Previous to switch between Find results.

Navigating your mailboxes

To switch to the Viewer Window

  • Say Show Message Viewer.

To navigate between Mailboxes

Say one of the following:

  • Go to Inbox
  • Go to Drafts
  • Go to Sent box

Creating and deleting mailboxes

To create a new Mailbox

Say one of the following:

  • Make new Mailbox
  • Make new Smart Mailbox

To rename the selected Mailbox

  • Say Rename selected Mailbox.

To delete the selected Mailbox:

  • Say Delete this Mailbox.

Adjusting your view

  • Say New Viewer Window to open a new Viewer Window.
  • Say Show / Hide Mailboxes to toggle the Mailbox list view.
  • Say Show / Hide Toolbar to toggle the Toolbar.
  • Say Zoom this window to toggle Zoom view for the current window.
  • Say Arrange in front to bring all Mail windows to the front.

Related topics: