Getting Started¶
This page walks through first launch: setting up your account and connecting.
Your account¶
The app cannot send or receive until your account is configured. On first launch the welcome screen opens in place of the main window and asks for it:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Email address | Your e-mail address. |
| Password | Your account password. |
Press Connect account (or Enter) to save. The address must be a well-formed e-mail address and the password cannot be empty; a problem is reported in red beneath the fields, and the field concerned is outlined in red until you correct it. The account takes the address as its name; you can give it another under Account and Options.
Skip for now (or Esc) leaves the screen without an account. The main window then opens with a reminder, and the welcome screen returns the next time you try to connect.
The screen follows the colour scheme your desktop uses; see Look and Layout.
After the first run, your account and the rest of your settings are in the
Options dialog: Tools ▸ Options (Ctrl+O) or the
toolbar button.
If sign-in fails
When the server rejects your details, the Options dialog opens on the Account tab with the server's message beneath the account fields. Check the address and password, then press OK.
Connecting¶
The connection light at the bottom of the folder pane shows where you stand:
grey — disconnected
green — connected
red — connection error
Click the light for a two-entry menu:
| Choice | Effect |
|---|---|
| Stay Connected | Connect now, and keep retrying if the connection drops. |
| Stay Disconnected | Disconnect now, and stop retrying. |
Pick Stay Connected and the app holds the connection for you, retrying by itself if it drops — the light goes red while that is happening, and the menu stays on Stay Connected because that is still what you asked for. Tools ▸ Connect (Ctrl+T) connects or disconnects right now, and the same pair of entries sits on the Message menu.
A new mailbox arrives ready for this: it connects on launch and reconnects on its own. Both are yours to change under Options ▸ Connection.
Beside the light, a line of text reports the latest connection or transfer event; broader progress goes to the status bar.
Once connected, new mail lands in your Inbox; see Navigating folders and Navigating and searching messages.
Profiles (mailboxes)¶
A profile is a self-contained mailbox stored in its own folder on disk — its own account, folders, and messages. Most people use one, but you can keep several (for example, a personal and a work mailbox) and choose which one loads.
Open the Profile Manager from Tools ▸ Profile Manager. It lists your profiles, marking which is current, which is the default, and which are empty.
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| New | Create a brand-new, empty mailbox in the default storage location. |
| Add | Register an existing mailbox folder (e.g. a backup or one you moved here). |
| Remove | Unregister the selected profile from the list. |
| Set Default… | Make the selected profile load at startup. |
| Set Display Name | Give the selected profile a friendly label. |
| Open Folder | Open the profile's folder in your file manager. |
| Show folder names | Show the on-disk folder name beside each profile. |
Switching profiles needs a restart
Changing the default profile takes effect on the next launch. The app offers to restart right away; if you decline, the new profile loads next time you start the app.
To find a profile's files for backup, use Open Folder here, or Help ▸ Show Data Folder (for Backup) in the main window.
Where to next¶
| If you want to… | See |
|---|---|
| Find your way around the window | The Main Window |
| Change the theme, font, or pane layout | Look and Layout |
| Read, write, and organize mail | Reading, Composing, Folders |
| Tune how the app connects and composes | Account and Options |
Icon reference¶
| Function | Icon |
|---|---|
| Options | |
| Connection light | |