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A thread is a conversation within an inbox. Emails sent and received in reply to each other are grouped into the same thread, so you can read, organize and respond to the whole conversation in one place.

Folders

  • inbox: The default. The thread holds at least one received message.
  • archive: The thread was archived.
  • spam: The thread was marked as spam.
  • trash: The thread is scheduled for deletion in 30 days.
  • sent: Threads whose messages are all outbound.
In the Dashboard, the folder switcher also shows a Drafts folder that lists your unsent drafts. The Inbox folder shows a count of unread threads.

View threads

Select an inbox from the Inboxes dashboard to see its threads, most recently active first. Use the folder switcher to change folders, or select a label in the left rail to see only the threads with that label. Select a thread to open it and read every email in the conversation. Opening a thread marks it as read. Use the Next email and Previous email buttons, or the ↓ and ↑ keys, to move between threads. You can also list threads via the API, SDKs, or CLI, filtered by folder, label and read status.
To read the emails in a thread, list the thread emails. They are returned oldest first.

Search threads

In the Dashboard, click the search icon or press / to search the inbox. Quick filters let you narrow results to emails From me, Unread, Has attachments or Assigned to me. You can also type search operators such as from:, to:, label:, has:, is:, after: and before:. Dates use the YYYY-MM-DD format. You can also search threads via the API, SDKs, or CLI by text, sender, recipient, attachments and date.
Search can be up to about a minute behind new emails. To browse an inbox exactly as it is right now, list threads instead.

Organize threads

You can act on a thread from the thread view, from the actions that appear when you hover over a thread in the list, or on many threads at once by selecting them and using the actions in the bar at the bottom of the list.
  • Mark as read or Mark as unread changes the read status of every email in the thread.
  • Archive moves the thread to the archive folder.
  • Report spam moves the thread to the spam folder. From the spam folder, use Report not spam to move it back.
  • Delete moves the thread to the trash. Threads in the trash are scheduled for deletion in 30 days.
  • Move to moves the thread to another folder, or applies a label, and archives the thread.
  • Label as adds or removes labels.
Each move shows a notification with an Undo button. To restore a thread from the archive, spam or trash, use Move to and choose Inbox. You can also update a thread via the API, SDKs, or CLI to mark it as read or unread, or move it to the inbox, archive, spam or trash folder.

Delete a thread

Deleting a thread moves it to the trash and schedules it for deletion in 30 days. Until then, you can restore it by moving it back to another folder. You can also delete a thread via the API, SDKs, or CLI.

Assign a thread

In the Dashboard, you can assign a thread to a member of your team so everyone knows who is handling it. Hover over a thread in the list and click Assign thread, or press A, then search for a teammate. Choose Unassigned to remove the assignment. The inbox agent can also assign threads based on your instructions.

Reply and forward

While viewing a thread, use the Reply, Reply all or Forward buttons at the bottom of the thread, or the More menu on an individual email. The reply opens inline beneath the email and is saved as a draft as you write. Click Send or press ⌘ + Enter to send it. Replies are sent from the inbox address and are threaded for the recipient. You can also reply to or forward an email via the API, SDKs, or CLI.

Keyboard shortcuts

Press ? in the Dashboard to see every keyboard shortcut. The most useful are:

API Reference

For complete API documentation, see the Inbox Threads API reference.