# PowerMail help centre --- > Guides, steps, tips and common questions for PowerMail, in full. Landing page: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail --- # Connect Gmail, iCloud Mail or another IMAP mailbox > Type your address and password, let PowerMail find the servers, test the connection and name the account. Gmail and iCloud need an app password, and the wizard links to it. ## Goal Add a Gmail, iCloud or other IMAP mailbox to PowerMail's unified inbox. ## Before you start - PowerMail installed. - Your email address and its password. Gmail and iCloud need an app password instead, which Google offers only with 2-Step Verification on and Apple only with two-factor authentication on. - For other providers, their incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) server names, in case PowerMail can't find them by itself. ## Steps 1. **Open Add IMAP account** Click Add account at the bottom of the left pane, or open Settings > Accounts and click Add account. Choose Google Gmail, Apple iCloud Mail or Other provider (IMAP). All three open the same wizard, Add IMAP account, which recognises the provider from the address you type. 2. **Get an app password for Gmail or iCloud** Type a gmail.com, googlemail.com, icloud.com, me.com or mac.com address in Email address. A box appears, Gmail needs an app password or iCloud needs an app password, and the password field becomes App-specific password. Click Create an app password to open Google's or Apple's page in your browser, create one there and copy it. Turn on 2-Step Verification (Google) or two-factor authentication (Apple) first; until then the page has no app passwords. 3. **Enter the address and password** Fill in Email address and Password (App-specific password for Gmail and iCloud) and click Next. Leave Server settings (optional) closed: PowerMail finds the servers from your address. Open it only for a provider it can't find, and enter Server, Port and Security for incoming mail, and Outgoing server (SMTP) with its own Port and Security. 4. **Test the connection** Step 2 of 3 - Test connection checks Incoming mail (IMAP) and Outgoing mail (SMTP) one after the other. When the title says Connection works, click Next. If it says Connection failed, read the message below it, then click Back to correct your entries or Retry to test again. 5. **Name it, pick a color and save** Step 3 of 3 - Name & color: Account name starts as your address; change it to anything, for example Personal mail. Pick a Color; it marks this account's messages in the unified inbox. Click Save. Mail starts syncing right after you save. ## Tips - Paste the app password exactly as Google or Apple shows it. PowerMail removes the spaces or dashes between the groups for you. - To change the password or a server later, open Settings > Accounts, expand the account and click Edit on the Server and password row. Leave the password blank there to keep the current one. - Hover Google Gmail or Apple iCloud Mail in the Add account menu: the tooltip reminds you that they need an app password. ## Result The mailbox appears in the left pane and its mail flows into the unified inbox, marked with the color you picked. ## If something goes wrong - **The test says the server rejected the sign-in for your address.** -> The server didn't accept the password. For Gmail and iCloud, use an app password, never your normal password. Other providers may require an app password for IMAP too; check their help pages. - **Couldn't find an IMAP server for your address automatically.** -> Click Back, open Server settings (optional) and enter your provider's incoming server under Server and its outgoing server under Outgoing server (SMTP). Your provider's help pages list both. - **Connection works, but the outgoing (SMTP) server couldn't be confirmed yet.** -> You can still save. PowerMail checks the outgoing server the first time you send, or you can set it under Server settings. - **Clicking Next opens Server settings instead of testing.** -> PowerMail can't guess the servers from what you typed in Email address. Enter the Server yourself, or type the full address. - **Your address is already connected - edit or remove it under Settings > Accounts instead.** -> That mailbox is already in PowerMail. To change its password or servers, open it in Settings > Accounts and click Edit. - **The connection fails, but these settings worked before.** -> When your other accounts sync normally, the message says the mail server itself may be down. If you entered the server yourself, Save anyway - PowerMail will keep retrying in the background keeps the account and keeps trying. ## Common questions ### Why don't Gmail and iCloud take my normal password? Google and Apple don't accept your normal account password from a mail app that connects over IMAP. They want an app password, which you create in your Google or Apple account and use only for PowerMail. ### Do Gmail and iCloud accounts bring their calendar? Not through IMAP, which carries mail only. For Gmail, connect Google Calendar in Settings > Accounts. iCloud and other IMAP mailboxes have no calendar in PowerMail. ### Which providers does Other provider (IMAP) work with? Any mailbox that offers IMAP for incoming and SMTP for outgoing mail. PowerMail tries to find the servers from your address; if it can't, you enter them under Server settings (optional). ### How do I remove an IMAP account? Open Settings > Accounts, expand the account and click Remove on the Remove this account row. ## Related guides - [Connect a Microsoft account (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live or Microsoft 365)](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-add-microsoft-account): Choose Microsoft account, sign in in your browser, and the mailbox joins your inbox with its calendar. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-add-gmail-icloud-imap (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30. --- # Connect a Microsoft account (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live or Microsoft 365) > Choose Microsoft account, sign in in your browser, and the mailbox joins your inbox with its calendar. ## Goal Bring an Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live or Microsoft 365 mailbox, and its calendar, into PowerMail. ## Before you start - PowerMail installed. - The address and password of your Microsoft account, personal or work or school. - A default browser set in Windows; the sign-in opens there. ## Steps 1. **Open the account menu** Click Add account at the bottom of the left pane. You can also open Settings > Accounts and click Add account on the Add a mailbox card. On a first start, the welcome tour's Connect account button and the welcome screen's Connect account button open this same menu. 2. **Choose Microsoft account** The menu lists Microsoft account, Google Gmail, Apple iCloud Mail and Other provider (IMAP). Click Microsoft account. 3. **Sign in in your browser** Microsoft's sign-in opens in your default browser and asks you to pick an account. Pick yours or enter its address, and sign in. If the browser is already signed in to Microsoft, picking the account may be all it asks. If Microsoft asks whether PowerMail may access your mail and calendar, accept. 4. **Close the tab and go back** The browser shows Account connected: you can close the tab and return to the app. In PowerMail the new account appears in the left pane, opens, and its mail starts loading. 5. **Check it in Settings** Open Settings > Accounts. The account is listed with Microsoft account under its address. Expand it to change its Color and picture, see its Signature, switch Instant new mail on or off, or Sign out. ## Tips - Every Microsoft sign-in shows the account picker, so you can add a second or third Microsoft account the same way. - Installing the beta needs a personal Microsoft account, but inside PowerMail you can connect work or school Microsoft 365 mailboxes too. ## Result The Microsoft mailbox is in the left pane and in the unified inbox, and its calendar is in the Planner. ## If something goes wrong - **The browser shows Sign-in didn't finish.** -> The sign-in was cancelled or couldn't be completed. Close the tab, then choose Add account > Microsoft account again. - **PowerMail says Sign-in cancelled.** -> The sign-in was cancelled, or the browser was left open for more than five minutes. Start again from Add account > Microsoft account. - **You closed the browser tab and PowerMail is still waiting.** -> PowerMail waits up to five minutes for the browser. You don't have to wait: choose Microsoft account again, and the new sign-in replaces the old one. - **A message starts with Login failed:** -> Microsoft didn't complete the sign-in; the text after the colon says why. Try again. If it keeps failing, send that text to us through Beta feedback in the title bar. ## Common questions ### Which accounts count as a Microsoft account? Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live addresses, and work or school Microsoft 365 mailboxes. ### Why does the sign-in open my browser? PowerMail hands the Microsoft sign-in to your default browser instead of showing its own sign-in window. When you're done, the browser hands the result back to the app. ### Does my Outlook calendar come along? Yes. A Microsoft account brings its mail and its calendar, so your events show in the Planner without another step. ### How do I remove a Microsoft account? Open Settings > Accounts, expand the account and click Sign out at the bottom. The account stays as it is at Microsoft. ## Related guides - [Connect Gmail, iCloud Mail or another IMAP mailbox](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-add-gmail-icloud-imap): Type your address and password, let PowerMail find the servers, test the connection and name the account. Gmail and iCloud need an app password, and the wizard links to it. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-add-microsoft-account (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30. --- # Set up AI with LM Studio, Foundry Local or a cloud service > Connect PowerMail's assistant to an AI runtime you run on your PC, such as LM Studio or Microsoft Foundry Local, or to a cloud service, and choose what AI helps with. ## Goal Get the assistant working in PowerMail with a model you choose, and decide which AI features are on. ## Before you start - For AI on your PC: LM Studio, Microsoft Foundry Local, Ollama or llama.cpp installed. The setup links to the Foundry Local installer if you don't have it yet. - For a cloud service: an API key from Anthropic, OpenAI or Google. - PowerMail open. Use AI in PowerMail is on unless you turned it off. ## Steps 1. **Open the AI settings** Open Settings > AI assistant. Until AI is set up, the Main AI card says No AI set up yet and the assistant panel stays hidden. Click Set up AI. The same setup opens from Set up in the assistant panel. 2. **Choose where AI runs** Click Get started, then pick On this PC (recommended), which runs on your PC and needs your AI service running, or Cloud service, which uses an online service with an API key. Click Continue. 3. **Choose your AI provider** On this PC lists LM Studio, Ollama, llama.cpp, Microsoft Foundry Local and Another service. Cloud service lists Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google (Gemini) and Another service. Another service takes any OpenAI-compatible server address. Pick one and click Continue. 4. **LM Studio: start the server and pick a model** In LM Studio, load a model and start its local server. Back in PowerMail, choose the model in the Model list; Refresh models reloads the list. Server address (optional) is only needed if you changed LM Studio's address. Ollama and llama.cpp work the same way: start the runtime with a model, then choose it. Under the model PowerMail notes Connects to this PC. Check that it runs a local model. 5. **Foundry Local: install and download a model** Click Install Microsoft Foundry Local if it isn't installed yet, then Check installation. Choose a model in the list (selecting one shows its download size and how well it fits this PC) and click Download selected model. You can also manage these downloads later under Models & services > Models on this PC. 6. **Cloud service: add your key** Paste your key into API key and click Save API key. Get an API key opens the provider's key page. Then choose a model. The form names where requests go: mail content you use with AI (senders, subjects and message text) is sent to that service for processing. 7. **Test the connection** Click Continue. PowerMail checks your AI with sample text, never your mail. If the model passes, Your AI is ready shows the model and provider. If it doesn't, choose another model or provider and test again. 8. **Start chatting** Click Start chatting (it reads Turn on and start chatting if AI was off). The assistant opens; show or hide it later with the Assistant button in the title bar or Ctrl+Shift+A. 9. **Choose what AI helps with** Back in Settings > AI assistant, open AI features to switch Chat assistant, Daily digest & priority, Reply drafts, Scam double-check, Writing help and Day briefing on or off, and to pick a model per feature. Models & services lists your connected AI services (Add connection adds another). Tools & permissions holds browsing, extra tool servers and the folders the assistant may read. ## Tips - Check what this PC can do (Check my PC, under AI features or Advanced) shows which AI features will work well on your hardware. - Turning off Use AI in PowerMail hides the assistant and every AI feature. Your choices are kept, and rule-based protections stay on. - Only turn on the AI diagnostic log (under Advanced) to diagnose an assistant problem: it records every AI prompt and reply to a file, and prompts contain your mail. Delete log removes the file. ## Result The assistant panel is available, the Main AI card names your model and provider, and the AI features you chose use it. ## If something goes wrong - **This model did not pass the assistant check.** -> The model couldn't handle what the assistant needs. Choose another model or provider in the setup, then test again. - **No models appear, or it couldn't reach the server in time.** -> Check that LM Studio's server (or Ollama, llama.cpp or Foundry Local) is running with a model loaded, then click Refresh models. - **The Assistant button isn't in the title bar.** -> Check that Use AI in PowerMail is on in Settings > AI assistant and that Chat assistant is on under AI features. - **AI is paused.** -> Pause all AI was switched on from the Assistant button's right-click menu, the tray or a notification. Switch it off there, or click Resume AI in Settings > Home or Settings > Apps & agents (MCP). - **A harmless mail was labelled a scam.** -> AI labels are advice, and the AI can be wrong. Nothing is moved without you. If it happens often, turn off Scam double-check under AI features; the rule-based scam screen stays on either way. ## Common questions ### Why can't I see the assistant panel? It stays hidden until AI is set up. Open Settings > AI assistant and click Set up AI. ### Which AI providers can I use? On your PC: LM Studio, Ollama, llama.cpp and Microsoft Foundry Local. In the cloud: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (ChatGPT) and Google (Gemini). Another service connects any OpenAI-compatible server address. ### Where do AI requests go? To the service you chose. On this PC means your runtime on this computer handles them. For a cloud service, the form says that mail content you use with AI (senders, subjects and message text) is sent to that service, and Models & services marks such a connection Leaves this PC. ### Can different features use different models? Yes. Under AI features, the menu beside Chat assistant, Daily digest & priority, Writing help and Day briefing picks the model for that feature. ### How do I change the AI later? Open Settings > AI assistant and click Change AI on the Main AI card. It runs the same setup. ## Related guides - [Brain and approvals: what the AI remembers and asks](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-brain-and-approvals): See what the assistant remembers and has learned in the Brain, remove what's wrong, and decide which actions it must ask you about first. - [Connect an AI app or agent to PowerMail over MCP](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-apps-and-agents): Pair Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Hermes Agent or any other MCP client with PowerMail, choose what it may do, and see what it did. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-ai-setup (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30. --- # Connect an AI app or agent to PowerMail over MCP > Pair Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Hermes Agent or any other MCP client with PowerMail, choose what it may do, and see what it did. ## Goal Let an AI app or agent on your PC work with your mail, calendar and todos within the permissions you choose. ## Before you start - An MCP client on the same PC as PowerMail, such as Claude, Cursor, VS Code or Hermes Agent. - PowerMail open with your accounts signed in. ## Steps 1. **Open Apps & agents** Open Settings > Apps & agents (MCP). MCP is the Model Context Protocol, the way other software and AI agents connect to PowerMail. Check that Allow connected apps is on: off refuses every agent and turns pairing off. 2. **Start pairing** Click Pair an app, then Get started. Under What are you connecting?, pick Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Hermes Agent, OpenClaw, Nemotron or Custom (for any other MCP client), and give it a name. 3. **Choose what it may do** Pick Read only (search and read your mail, calendar and todos), Read and organize (also plan and move todo blocks), Everything, with your OK (also send, file and delete mail and manage your calendar) or Custom to choose each permission. Changes ask you first unless you've allowed them under Approvals. Click Pair. 4. **Copy the setup into your app** Click Copy setup (Copy command for Hermes Agent). The setup carries this app's token and is shown only once, so paste it right away; then click Continue. The dialog then shows your app's own steps, for example for Claude: Settings > Developer > Edit Config, paste it in, then fully quit Claude and open it again. Setup configuration shows the full block, the raw token and the alternate command for Claude Code. 5. **Check the connection** Ask your app something about your mail. PowerMail waits for its first call and then shows that the app is connected. Keep PowerMail running: the agent works through it, and anything that needs your OK asks you there. 6. **Manage a paired app** Each paired app is listed with its level and pairing date. Its switch turns it on or off. Expand it to change single permissions, limit it to some accounts (All accounts includes accounts you add later), or Remove this agent, which stops its token from working; pair again to reconnect. 7. **Set the limits** Open Safety & approvals. Never let an agent skip approvals entirely keeps every ask in place, even for an app paired with Allow without asking me each time (unrestricted); it's recommended on. Keep the terminal read-only stops the pm command from changing mail or events or pairing agents. Notify me when an agent acts shows a notification with a Pause all AI button. Open Approvals sets what agents may do without asking. 8. **See what agents did** Open History for what paired agents did or tried on this PC. Filter by Missed, Changes, You ran it, Declined, Problems or Reads, or click Clear history. Requests nobody answered that are still open wait in the AI inbox under Drafts. ## Tips - Most agents learn how to use PowerMail when they connect. If yours doesn't, open Setup guide and click Copy note under Teach your agent about PowerMail, then add the note to its skills or memory. - To stop one agent, switch it off or remove it. To stop all of them, turn off Allow connected apps. ## Result Your app is paired and connected, works within the permissions you chose, and asks you before any change you haven't allowed. ## If something goes wrong - **The setup says no call from your app yet.** -> Check that the setup is in the app's MCP settings and that the app was restarted, that PowerMail's pm command can be found on this PC, and that you asked the app something about your mail. Back shows the setup again. - **Pairing stops with: Connected apps are turned off.** -> Turn on Allow connected apps in Settings > Apps & agents (MCP), then pair. - **You closed the dialog without copying the setup.** -> It can't be shown again. Pair the app again under the same name: that replaces its setup and permissions. - **An agent's actions are refused with AI is paused.** -> Pause all AI is on. Click Resume AI in Settings > Apps & agents (MCP), or switch Pause all AI off from the Assistant button's right-click menu or the tray. ## Common questions ### Which apps can I connect? Any MCP client. PowerMail has ready setups for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Hermes Agent, OpenClaw and Nemotron; for any other, choose Custom. Every setup runs PowerMail's pm command with mcp serve and the app's token. ### What can a connected app do while PowerMail is closed? What you allowed it to do without asking, without notifications. Anything that needs your OK goes unanswered until you open PowerMail and deal with it in the AI inbox under Drafts. ### Can I manage agents from the terminal? Yes. pm help agents lists the commands: pm mcp list shows the paired clients, pm mcp revoke revokes one, and pm audit shows the audit trail. While Keep the terminal read-only is on, pm can read but not change your mail or events or pair agents. ### How is this different from the AI assistant? Settings > AI assistant is PowerMail's own assistant. Apps & agents is for other software that calls into PowerMail. Approvals covers both, set separately. ## Related guides - [Brain and approvals: what the AI remembers and asks](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-brain-and-approvals): See what the assistant remembers and has learned in the Brain, remove what's wrong, and decide which actions it must ask you about first. - [Set up AI with LM Studio, Foundry Local or a cloud service](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-ai-setup): Connect PowerMail's assistant to an AI runtime you run on your PC, such as LM Studio or Microsoft Foundry Local, or to a cloud service, and choose what AI helps with. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-apps-and-agents (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30. --- # Brain and approvals: what the AI remembers and asks > See what the assistant remembers and has learned in the Brain, remove what's wrong, and decide which actions it must ask you about first. ## Goal Review and edit the assistant's memory, and approve or decline what the assistant and connected apps want to do. ## Before you start - AI set up in PowerMail (see the AI setup guide). The Brain and Approvals are in Settings either way. ## Steps 1. **Open the Brain** Open Settings > Brain. It holds the instructions you wrote, the memories you saved and the habits the assistant learned. Switch between Map, one connected picture, and List, the same entries as lists you can edit. 2. **Read the Map by category** The Map groups entries around You into categories: Assistant tuning, Calendar, Cleanup habits, General, Mail, Priorities and Trusted senders. A filled dot is something you told it, a ringed dot something it learned, and a hollow ring a learned habit that is fading because it hasn't been seen lately. Click a category for Show these in the list. Click an entry to Edit or Forget it, or Make this my rule for a learned one. 3. **Read the lists** In List, Remembered holds facts you've told the assistant; it uses them in chat, the digest and AI Priority. Learned holds what PowerMail worked out from how you handle your mail. Observations is the raw feed it notices as you work. Your name and instructions sit at the top: Instructions is standing guidance for everything the assistant does. 4. **Add a memory** Say "remember this" in a chat, or fill in Add memory at the bottom of Remembered: type What to remember, pick Applies to (General, Mail or Calendar), optionally limit it to a mailbox, tag, sender or topics, and click Add. By default, when the assistant wants to save a memory from a chat, it asks you first (the Remember things about you row in Approvals). 5. **Remove or correct what's wrong** In Remembered, expand a memory to edit its text or click Remove. In Learned, click Forget this habit (the bin) so it isn't learned again, or Make this my rule to keep it as a Remembered rule. In Observations, remove a single line, or click Clear all. 6. **Open Approvals** Open Settings > Approvals. Choose PowerMail's assistant or Apps & agents (MCP) at the top; each has its own settings. The card names the profile in use: Read only, Recommended, Tidy up on its own, Allow everything, or Custom when you've changed single rows. Change profile switches between them. 7. **Set what needs asking** Three groups set the rules: Read your mail, calendar, and todos; Organize mail, todos and calendar; and Send, delete or reach outside. Each group's menu, or each row inside it, offers Allow, Ask me first or Never allow; some rows also offer Allow, then let me undo, and apps and agents can be set to Ask me with Windows Hello. Choosing to stop asking for sensitive actions asks you to confirm with Allow without asking or Keep asking. 8. **Approve or decline in the assistant** When the assistant wants to act, it shows a card in the chat, such as One change, ready when you are. Untick any row you want to leave out, then click Apply 1 change (or Create 1 todo for new items), or Dismiss. A read outside your mailbox asks with Allow this read or Don't allow. A drafted mail shows I've drafted this - shall I send it?: open the message body to enable Send, or click Open to edit. A dismissed card offers Bring it back. 9. **Approve or decline a connected app** When a paired app or agent asks, the dialog An agent asks for your approval names it, says what it wants to do and shows the details. Click Allow once, Decline or Later. Add a note for the agent (optional) is sent to the agent only if you decline. Requests nobody answered, for example while PowerMail was closed, wait in the AI inbox tab under Drafts, with Do it and Discard. ## Tips - By default the assistant reads on its own and asks before every change. Apps and agents read and manage your planner on their own by default. - Learned habits are only patterns. Removing a wrong observation stops it from shaping one. - Optimize memory (Run now) rebuilds the learned summary from your recent behavior. ## Result The Brain shows only what you want the assistant to know, and every action is allowed, asked about or refused the way you set it. ## If something goes wrong - **The assistant keeps acting on something you never told it.** -> Look in Settings > Brain under Learned and Observations. Forget the habit or remove the observation so it can't shape a pattern. - **The assistant does something without asking.** -> Check its profile in Settings > Approvals > PowerMail's assistant. A few organize actions apply at once even at Ask me first, such as ticking a todo done. - **The Send button on a drafted mail is greyed out.** -> Open the message body on the card first. Send stays off until you've seen exactly what will be sent. - **Approvals says the assistant can't act right now.** -> AI is off. Click Turn on AI on the card, or switch on Use AI in PowerMail in Settings > AI assistant. ## Common questions ### What does the assistant remember? Your name and instructions, the memories you add or approve, and the habits it learns as you archive, file and reply. All of it is listed in Settings > Brain, where you can edit or remove it. ### What's the difference between Remove and Forget? Remove deletes a memory you saved. Forget on a learned habit removes it and keeps PowerMail from learning it again. ### Does Ask me first apply to connected apps too? Approvals covers both, set separately: PowerMail's assistant and Apps & agents (MCP) each start from their own defaults. ### What happens if I click Later on an agent's request? Nothing runs and no answer is sent. The request is recorded, and you can still deal with it from the AI inbox under Drafts. ## Related guides - [Set up AI with LM Studio, Foundry Local or a cloud service](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-ai-setup): Connect PowerMail's assistant to an AI runtime you run on your PC, such as LM Studio or Microsoft Foundry Local, or to a cloud service, and choose what AI helps with. - [Connect an AI app or agent to PowerMail over MCP](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-apps-and-agents): Pair Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Hermes Agent or any other MCP client with PowerMail, choose what it may do, and see what it did. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-brain-and-approvals (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30. --- # Write, reply, forward and pick up your drafts > Start a mail with Ctrl+N, reply and forward with one key, add files, send now or later, and take back a send in the first seconds. Unfinished mail waits under Drafts. ## Goal Write and send mail from any account, and never lose a half-written one. ## Before you start - PowerMail installed, with at least one mail account connected. - For AI help while you write: AI set up in PowerMail (see the AI setup guide). ## Steps 1. **Start a new mail** Select Write a new message, the button beside the search box in the title bar, or press Ctrl+N anywhere except the planner. The New message composer opens. To write in its own window, select Pop out into its own window. 2. **Choose the account and recipients** Pick the sending account under From. Type names or addresses in To; each becomes a chip. Select Cc or Bcc to add those lines. Right-click a chip to Move to To, Move to Cc, Move to Bcc or Remove it. Then add a subject. 3. **Write the message** Type in the body. Message format switches between Rich text, written with the formatting toolbar, and Markdown, where the toolbar writes the syntax for you. The toolbar also has Emoji and Signature. Ctrl+K adds a link, and Ctrl+Shift+V pastes as plain text. 4. **Add attachments and pictures** Select Attach files, or drag files onto the composer. A folder you drop is offered as a ZIP. For large images, PowerMail offers Compress, which makes the copy in the mail smaller and leaves your files on disk unchanged, or Keep originals. Insert picture puts a picture inside the text instead. 5. **Send now or later** Select Send or press Ctrl+Enter. A 'Message sending…' message appears with Undo: select it within the Undo Send window (8 seconds unless you change it in Settings > Mail > Sending & attachments) and nothing is sent. To send later, open the arrow on Send and pick Later today, Tomorrow morning, Monday morning or Pick a date and time…, then press Send to schedule it. Clear send time takes the time off again. 6. **Reply or forward** Open a mail and select Reply, or press Ctrl+R. The arrow on Reply holds Reply all (Ctrl+Shift+R) and Forward (Ctrl+Shift+F). The reply opens with the mail in the reading pane, and Pop out into its own window moves it to a window of its own. It works like a new mail: chips, attachments, Send and Undo. 7. **Save, close or discard** Save draft saves the mail to the sending account's Drafts folder and closes the composer. Close, or Esc, closes it and keeps your draft on this PC. The trash button, Discard draft, asks first; select Keep editing to stay. 8. **Pick up a draft** Once you have a draft, Drafts appears near the bottom of the left pane. Its Your drafts tab lists two groups: Only on this PC (not saved to an account, kept 14 days after the last change) and Saved (in your accounts' Drafts folders, on every device). Click a draft to keep writing. Discard removes one from this PC, Delete moves a saved one to Deleted Items, and both offer Undo. A saved draft you find in an account's Drafts folder opens with Edit draft. 9. **Get AI help (after AI setup)** The AI button at the bottom left of the composer offers New AI proposal, Polish with AI (fixes grammar and clarity, keeping your wording and meaning) and Discuss with AI…. It needs AI set up first: see the AI setup guide. After a change, select Keep, select Discard (Undo after a polish) to go back to your text, or select Refine… and tell the AI what to change. ## Tips - Ctrl+Enter sends from anywhere in the composer, and Esc closes it without losing anything. - Pop out a reply or a new mail into its own window to keep reading other mail while you write. - A draft saved with Save draft is in your account's Drafts folder, so you can finish it on another device. ## Result Your mail is sent, scheduled or safely parked as a draft you can pick up later, on this PC or from any device. ## If something goes wrong - **Send says 'Pick an account to send from.'** -> Choose an account under From, then select Send again. - **I sent a mail too soon.** -> Select Undo in the 'Message sending…' message while it shows. The mail goes back to Your drafts. To get more time, raise the Undo Send window in Settings > Mail > Sending & attachments. - **A scheduled mail didn't go out on time.** -> PowerMail sends scheduled mail itself, so it leaves the next time PowerMail runs at or after the chosen time. Keep PowerMail running, even in the tray, when a send is due. - **Reply shows warnings instead of opening.** -> PowerMail thinks this mail looks like a scam. Read the reasons; Reply anyway is below them. The mark can be wrong: to clear it, select Message security in the reading pane's toolbar and choose Not a scam. - **The AI button does nothing useful, or says something is off.** -> AI help needs AI set up first. Follow the AI setup guide, then try again. - **I can't find Drafts in the left pane.** -> It only shows while you have a draft. Close a composer, or save a draft, and it appears. ## Common questions ### Where do my unfinished mails go? To Drafts > Your drafts. Mail you closed stays under Only on this PC for 14 days after the last change; mail you saved with Save draft is under Saved, in the account's Drafts folder. ### Can I change how long Undo stays? Yes. Settings > Mail > Sending & attachments > Undo Send window sets how long a sent mail is held so you can take it back. ### Do I need AI to write mail? No. Writing, replying, forwarding, attachments and drafts all work without it. The AI button is extra help once AI is set up. ## Related guides - [Work through every inbox in one list](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-inbox-and-triage): Read all your accounts in one list, then archive, delete, move, pin, flag and tag mail with a click or a key. Turn on AI Priority and the beta triage page when you want more help. - [Find any mail with search, and catch up with the daily digest](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-search-and-digest): Search mail, events, todos and settings from one box with Ctrl+F, narrow the results and act on them. Show the daily digest when you want one view of what needs doing and what can go. - [Set up AI with LM Studio, Foundry Local or a cloud service](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-ai-setup): Connect PowerMail's assistant to an AI runtime you run on your PC, such as LM Studio or Microsoft Foundry Local, or to a cloud service, and choose what AI helps with. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-compose-and-drafts (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30. --- # Work through every inbox in one list > Read all your accounts in one list, then archive, delete, move, pin, flag and tag mail with a click or a key. Turn on AI Priority and the beta triage page when you want more help. ## Goal Get through new mail from every account quickly, and keep what matters at the top. ## Before you start - PowerMail installed, with at least one mail account connected. - For AI Priority: AI set up in PowerMail (see the AI setup guide). ## Steps 1. **Open All inboxes** In the left pane, under Mailboxes, select All inboxes. You see new mail from every connected account in one list, newest first. Select an account instead to see only its inbox, with its folders below it. When the list mixes accounts, the dot on an unread mail takes that account's colour. 2. **Read and act on a mail** Click a mail to open it in the reading pane. The toolbar above it has Reply (its arrow holds Reply all and Forward), Tag, Mark as read or Mark as unread, Archive, Spam and Delete. Close (the X on the right) closes the reading pane. Right-click a mail in the list for more: Open in new window, Pin to side, Flag for follow-up, Tag, Pin, Add note…, Archive, Move to, Move to Junk, Delete and Related settings. 3. **Clear mail from the keyboard** With a mail selected in the list, press Delete to delete it or Backspace to archive it. The next mail opens right away, so you can keep going. Each move shows a message with Undo. Ctrl+Shift+P pins or unpins the selected mail. With a mail open, Ctrl+R replies, Ctrl+Shift+R replies to all and Ctrl+Shift+F forwards. 4. **Move, pin, flag and note** Move to lists the folders you used last first, then the account's folders, and Choose folder… when there are more. You can also drag a mail onto a folder in the left pane. Pin keeps a conversation in the Pinned card at the top of the list until you unpin it. Pin to side keeps a mail open at the side of the window. Flag for follow-up marks a mail to come back to, and Remove flag clears it. Add note… puts your own note on a mail. 5. **Tag a sender or one mail** Right-click a mail and open Tag, or select Tag in the reading pane. A tag you pick here applies to the sender, so their next mail gets it too. Built-in tags are Reply, Newsletter, Receipt, Security, FYI and Suspicious, plus any you make with New tag…. To tag just this one mail, open Only this message. No tag removes the sender's tag. 6. **Act on several mails at once** Hold Ctrl or Shift and click mails to select them, or point at the list header and select Select messages. An action bar appears with the count and the same actions. Press Esc to clear the selection. Deleting more than 25 mails at once asks first, and Move to Junk always asks first, because it also teaches your mail provider's spam filter, on every device. 7. **Filter and sort the list** Point at the list header and select Filter and sort. Under Show only, tick Unread, Flagged or With attachments, or pick tags. Sort by offers Newest first, Oldest first, Unread first, Sender (A-Z) and Subject (A-Z). Show everything clears the filters. The Refresh options button in the same header refreshes mail and has Mark all as read. 8. **Optional: turn on AI Priority** Open Settings > Mail and turn on AI Priority list. It's off by default and needs AI set up first. A card called AI Priority then sits at the top of your list with the mail the assistant thinks matters most. Click a row to open it, click the card's header to fold it, or select Rescan with AI. Right-click a row for the usual mail actions plus Good call, Not a priority for me, Remove from this list and Clear the whole list. 9. **Optional: try the triage page (Labs)** Open Settings > Labs and turn on Magazine layout, then hide the daily digest. Like every Labs feature, it stays off until you turn it on. In a large enough window, your mail gets a triage band on top: TODAY counts today's mail, what's unread and what needs you. NEEDS YOU shows one card at a time: Reply or Open, Skip to see the next, Plan to add it to your todos, or Done to archive it. Tag chips filter the list, a switch shows it as a List or a Grid, and the sweep button runs Inbox Zero, Clean up, Delete newsletters or Mark read. In the column on the right, BUNDLES groups cleanup by destination, with a Move button and Review to see and untick mails first, and NEXT UP shows your next calendar event. ## Tips - Delete and Backspace move on to the next mail, so you can triage a whole inbox without the mouse. - Related settings in the right-click menu jumps straight to the Notifications, Mail or Tags & rules settings for that kind of mail. - NEEDS YOU never deletes: Done archives the mail, and the message after it has Undo. ## Result Mail from every account is in one list, the mail you've dealt with is archived, moved or deleted, and what still matters is pinned, flagged or tagged. ## If something goes wrong - **A harmless mail is marked 'Looks like a scam'.** -> The mark is advice only and can be wrong, especially from the AI. Nothing is moved without you. Open the mail, select Message security in the reading pane's toolbar and choose Not a scam. That clears the flag and turns its links back on. Until then, Reply first shows why it was flagged, with Reply anyway below the reasons. - **The list looks empty, or mail seems to be missing.** -> A filter may be on. Point at the list header, select Filter and sort, then Show everything. - **I archived or deleted the wrong mail.** -> Select Undo in the message that appears after the move. Later on, deleted mail is in the account's Deleted Items folder and archived mail in its Archive folder. - **Move to says 'Can't move between accounts'.** -> Your selection holds mail from more than one account. Move each account's mail separately, from that account's inbox or from All inboxes. - **The AI Priority list switch is greyed out.** -> AI is off for it. Select the 'AI is off for this' chip under the switch to jump to the setting that turned it off, in Settings > AI assistant. AI also has to be set up first. - **I turned on Magazine layout but don't see NEEDS YOU or BUNDLES.** -> The triage band shows only while the daily digest is hidden and the window is big enough. Hide the digest, make the window larger, or unpin the digest if you pinned it to the side. ## Common questions ### Does archiving delete my mail? No. Archive moves the mail to the account's Archive folder. Delete moves it to Deleted Items, where you can get it back. ### What's the difference between Pin and Pin to side? Pin keeps a conversation in the Pinned card at the top of your list. Pin to side keeps a mail open in a panel at the side of the window while you work. ### Can I set a priority on a mail myself? Use Flag for follow-up or Pin for that. The AI Priority list is the assistant's own ranking, and you can tell it Good call or Not a priority for me. ### Does a tag change anything in my mail account? Tags live in PowerMail. A tag you pick for a sender is a rule for their future mail; use Only this message to tag a single mail. ## Related guides - [Find any mail with search, and catch up with the daily digest](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-search-and-digest): Search mail, events, todos and settings from one box with Ctrl+F, narrow the results and act on them. Show the daily digest when you want one view of what needs doing and what can go. - [Write, reply, forward and pick up your drafts](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-compose-and-drafts): Start a mail with Ctrl+N, reply and forward with one key, add files, send now or later, and take back a send in the first seconds. Unfinished mail waits under Drafts. - [Set up AI with LM Studio, Foundry Local or a cloud service](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-ai-setup): Connect PowerMail's assistant to an AI runtime you run on your PC, such as LM Studio or Microsoft Foundry Local, or to a cloud service, and choose what AI helps with. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-inbox-and-triage (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30. --- # Plan your day: calendar, todos and the focus timer > See your calendar and todos side by side in the Planner, drag todos onto free time, and track the time you spend with the focus timer. ## Goal Plan events and todos in the Planner and focus on one task at a time with the timer. ## Before you start - A Microsoft account, or a Gmail account with Google Calendar connected. IMAP accounts (iCloud and other providers) bring mail only, no calendar. - PowerMail open with at least one of those accounts signed in. ## Steps 1. **Check which calendars you'll see** Microsoft accounts bring their calendars with them. For a Gmail account, connect Google Calendar first (see the Google Calendar guide). Shared and secondary calendars, and calendars you subscribe to by link (iCal or webcal), are added under Settings > Calendars. Those extra calendars are view-only: their busy times count when free time is worked out, but PowerMail never changes them. Your events are written to each account's own default calendar. 2. **Open the Planner** Click Planner in the left pane. Switch between Day, Week, Month and Agenda at the top (Agenda is your schedule as a list, with no calendar grid). The date button opens a date picker, Ctrl+T jumps to today, and the arrows beside it go to earlier or later days. 3. **Collect todos in the list** The list beside the calendar has three sections: Today, Open todos and Backlog. The Backlog holds things you want to do but haven't scheduled yet; type into Add a todo… and click Add. Open todos are scheduled todos that are still open. 4. **Create a block on the calendar** In the Day or Week view, drag across empty time (on a touch screen, press and hold first). The details panel opens with a new block: give it a title in What is this block for?, then check When (Starts and For), and add Repeats, Notes, a Tag, a Due date, High importance or steps if you need them. A new block starts as a todo; switch off Is To-do for a plain event. Click Save to put it on your calendar, or Discard to drop the draft. 5. **Drag todos where they fit** Drag a todo from Backlog or Open todos onto the calendar to schedule it, or drop it on Today. Drag a scheduled block down onto Open todos to unschedule it. In the Week view you can drag a todo block to move it and drag its edge to change its length. Only todo blocks move by dragging; for a meeting, open it and change it in the details panel. 6. **Use the right-click menu** Right-click an item (or press and hold on touch) for the choices that fit it: Open in panel, Open in new window, Start pop-out timer, Mark done, Move to today, Move to backlog, Tag and Delete. A repeating item offers Delete this occurrence, Delete from here on… and Delete series…; a meeting you organize offers Cancel meeting…. After you delete a todo, the notice offers Undo. 7. **Start the focus timer** Open a todo and click the Track time button in its details. Choose Countdown to my goal (25 minutes unless you changed it), Just track (stopwatch), or Add time by hand…. Open timer window opens a compact always-on-top timer. Right-click a todo and choose Start pop-out timer, or use Start focus timer from PowerMail's taskbar jump list or tray menu. 8. **Work with the timer** The goal is a marker, not a stop: when you reach it the timer keeps counting as overtime past your goal. Break logs this focus run and suggests a short rest, Focus ends the break and starts a fresh block, and Stop & log ends the session and logs the time. Right-click the timer for Pause, Resume, the face options and Window size. 9. **Tune the timer** Open Settings > Calendars > Focus timer. Set Goal for a new session (in minutes), Start with a countdown, Notify me under Reaching your goal, Pause when I step away with Count as away after, and the Timer face options Show the clock, Show the ring and Show time logged. ## Tips - Which account new blocks go to is set in New blocks go to, under the Planner's Filter button. - Todos only in the Planner's Filter hides everything except your todos. - Find a slot in a todo's details lets the assistant pick a free gap once AI is set up. - The Planner list can pop out into its own small window from the button in the list header. ## Result Your events and todos sit together in the Planner, todos land in free time by drag and drop, and the time you focus is logged against the task. ## If something goes wrong - **The Planner shows no events for an account.** -> IMAP accounts have no calendar in PowerMail. Add a Microsoft account, or for Gmail connect Google Calendar under Settings > Accounts. - **A meeting won't move when you drag it.** -> Dragging moves and resizes todo blocks only. Open the meeting and change its time in the details panel instead. - **You can't change events from a shared or subscribed calendar.** -> Calendars added under Settings > Calendars are view-only. Change those events where the calendar comes from. - **A notice says some calendars could not be read and free time is unconfirmed.** -> Events from that account are missing for now, so empty slots may not really be free. Check the account under Settings > Accounts and wait for the next sync. - **Faint dashed outlines appear in the week view.** -> Those are tracking ghosts: the time the timer really ran on a todo. Click one to open its todo. Turn them off with Tracking ghosts under the Planner's Filter or in Settings > Calendars. To correct one, switch on Editable ghosts first. ## Common questions ### Which calendar do my new events go to? Each account's own default calendar. Pick the account in New blocks go to under the Planner's Filter, or change Account in a block's details. ### What's the difference between Backlog and Open todos? Backlog items have no time yet. Open todos are scheduled on the calendar and not done. Drag between them to schedule or unschedule a todo. ### Does the focus timer stop me at the goal? No. The goal is a marker. The timer keeps counting past it until you take a break or stop and log. ### What happens if I step away from the PC? With Pause when I step away on, the idle gap is taken off the session after the minutes set in Count as away after. The notification lets you put it back. ## Related guides - [Connect a Microsoft account (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live or Microsoft 365)](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-add-microsoft-account): Choose Microsoft account, sign in in your browser, and the mailbox joins your inbox with its calendar. - [Set up AI with LM Studio, Foundry Local or a cloud service](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-ai-setup): Connect PowerMail's assistant to an AI runtime you run on your PC, such as LM Studio or Microsoft Foundry Local, or to a cloud service, and choose what AI helps with. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-planner-calendar-todos (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30. --- # Find any mail with search, and catch up with the daily digest > Search mail, events, todos and settings from one box with Ctrl+F, narrow the results and act on them. Show the daily digest when you want one view of what needs doing and what can go. ## Goal Find a mail in seconds, and see at a glance what to answer, what to plan and what to clean up. ## Before you start - PowerMail installed, with at least one mail account connected. - For the digest's written summary and reply proposals: AI set up in PowerMail (see the AI setup guide). ## Steps 1. **Open search** Press Ctrl+F, or click Search mail, events, todos in the title bar. Type a name, an address or a few words. Suggestions appear as you type, from the mail already on your PC. Use ↑ and ↓ to move, Enter to open and Esc to close. With an empty box, you see your Recent searches and Clear recent searches. 2. **Pick a scope** The chips under the box narrow what you search: All, Mails, Calendar, Todos or Settings. The Calendar chip's arrow offers All calendar entries, Events only or Todos only. While search is open, Ctrl+1 to 5 picks the chips in that order. 3. **Open all results** Press Enter, or select See all results at the bottom of the suggestions. The results page also asks your mail servers, so older mail can show up too. If nothing turned up on your PC, select Search everywhere for your words instead. 4. **Narrow the results** On the results page, filter by account, by folder (type in Filter folders to find one), by date (Any time, Today, Past 7 days, Past 30 days, This year, Last year or Custom range), by tag and with Has attachment. Sort by Relevance, Newest first or Oldest first. Load more brings in the next batch. Back returns to where you were. 5. **Act on what you found** Click a mail to open it beside the results. A result works like a mail in your inbox: right-click it for Archive, Move to, Move to Junk, Delete and the other mail actions, or press Delete or Backspace, and the next result opens. To clear many at once, Ctrl-click or Shift-click results, or use Select all results, then pick an action in the bar that appears. 6. **Show or hide the daily digest** Point at the list header and select the digest button: Show daily digest brings it back beside your mail, Hide daily digest gives the list the room. In a narrow window, select Daily digest instead. Drag the same button to the side of the window to pin the digest there, or onto the page to open it in its own window. 7. **Read the digest** The digest gathers your mail into sections: Catch up (unfinished from earlier this week), To do, Cleanup, Needs your attention and Earlier digests. Point at the digest and select Daily digest sections to choose which ones show. The top card's menu, Choose what this card shows, switches its Message, Day progress chart and Background glow on or off. When nothing is waiting, it says Nothing needs you right now. 8. **Act on a To do card** A card can propose a reply, a calendar block or an invoice filing. Read what it proposes: nothing runs until you click its button, Send reply or Do it. Remove the reply or the block if you don't want it, or select Open message to handle it yourself. Good suggestion and Bad suggestion tell the assistant how it did. In Catch up, Move to today brings an item into today, and Act on all applies an action to every item. 9. **Clean up in one go** Cleanup groups mail by sender, with the folder each group would move to. Untick anything you want to keep, change a group's destination with its menu, or select Unsubscribe beside a sender. Turn on Inbox Zero to propose more: it also archives FYIs, receipts and opened alerts. Then select the button below, for example Clean up 21 messages. All moves are recoverable. ## Tips - Search also finds settings: pick the Settings chip, type a word like notifications and open the result to jump straight to that setting. - A question typed as a whole sentence offers Ask the assistant, which hands it to the AI when AI is on. - The Cleanup button names exactly how many mails it moves, so you know before you click. ## Result You found the mail you were after and dealt with it from the results, and the digest showed you what to answer, plan and clean up. ## If something goes wrong - **Search finds nothing, but I know the mail exists.** -> Select Search everywhere for your words, so PowerMail asks your mail servers too. On the results page, check the account, folder, date and tag filters, and try fewer words. - **The results page says 'Couldn't search' a part right now.** -> That part didn't answer in time, so results may be incomplete. Check your connection and search again. - **I can't find the digest.** -> It's hidden. Point at the list header and select Show daily digest, or in a narrow window select Daily digest. - **To do cards have no reply proposals, or the digest has no written summary.** -> Those parts come from the AI. Set up AI first (see the AI setup guide), and check that Settings > AI assistant is on. - **A digest entry says 'Looks like a scam' about a harmless mail.** -> The mark is advice and can be wrong. Nothing is moved without you. Select Not a scam where the digest offers it, or open the mail, select Message security in the reading pane's toolbar and choose Not a scam. ## Common questions ### Does search look in all my accounts? Yes, unless you pick one account with the account filter on the results page. ### Does the digest move or answer mail on its own? No. It proposes. Replies, calendar blocks, filings and cleanups run only when you click their button, and cleanup moves can be undone. ### Can I keep the digest open while I read mail? Yes. Drag the digest button in the list header to the side of the window to pin it there, or onto the page to open it in its own window. ## Related guides - [Work through every inbox in one list](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-inbox-and-triage): Read all your accounts in one list, then archive, delete, move, pin, flag and tag mail with a click or a key. Turn on AI Priority and the beta triage page when you want more help. - [Write, reply, forward and pick up your drafts](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-compose-and-drafts): Start a mail with Ctrl+N, reply and forward with one key, add files, send now or later, and take back a send in the first seconds. Unfinished mail waits under Drafts. - [Set up AI with LM Studio, Foundry Local or a cloud service](https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-ai-setup): Connect PowerMail's assistant to an AI runtime you run on your PC, such as LM Studio or Microsoft Foundry Local, or to a cloud service, and choose what AI helps with. --- Source: https://raiken.io/kb/powermail/powermail-search-and-digest (PowerMail help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30.