17. E-mail at a Glance: Managing Messages

Now that e-mail has become an indispensable communication tool, it becomes increasingly important to manage the flood of messages.

• Most e-mail programs let you create folders to file your messages.


• You can usually drag a message from the Inbox or Sent Mail box to another folder. Sometimes pop-up menus allow you to file messages.


• Some e-mail programs automatically file a message in a folder your specify or discard it when it's received. They use certain criteria, such as who it's from or a specified word in the subject line. These criteria are called e-mail filters if they discard, or actions if they file.


• When you delete a message, it is typically moved to your Trash or Deleted Mail folder. The message still exists, however. Delete all the files from the Trash periodically to clean up your computer.