FanDesk Mail integrates deeply with Gmail and supports IMAP accounts (Zoho, Outlook, and any custom mail server), bringing all your email into the unified workplace. Everything you can do in Gmail, you can do in FanDesk Mail — plus AI classification, action tagging, smart inbox, email rules automation, and one-click conversion to tasks or calendar events.
Connecting Gmail
- Go to Settings > Integrations
- Click Connect Google Account
- Authorize Gmail access in the Google OAuth flow
- Your inbox syncs automatically — new emails appear within 60 seconds
Connect multiple Gmail accounts by repeating the process. Switch between accounts with the account dropdown in the Mail panel.
For non-Gmail accounts (Zoho, Outlook, Yahoo, custom IMAP), see IMAP Accounts.
The Inbox
Email List
Your inbox shows each email with:
- Sender name and avatar (or initials)
- Subject line
- Preview snippet of the first line
- Time received (relative: "2 hours ago", "Yesterday", or date for older)
- Bold for unread messages
- Star indicator if starred
- AI action tag (NEEDS_ACTION, ACTION_LATER, etc.)
- Category label (Important, Team, Updates, etc.)
Thread View
Click any email to see the full thread:
- All messages in the conversation in chronological order
- Attachments listed with one-click download
- Inline reply at the bottom of the thread
- AI-generated action tag and suggested reply button
Multi-Account Support
With multiple connected accounts:
- Account switcher dropdown shows all accounts
- Each email shows which account it belongs to
- Send from the correct account by selecting it in the compose From field
- Unified inbox option to see all accounts together, or switch to see a single account
Composing Email
Click Compose or press C to open the floating compose panel.
Floating Compose Panel
The compose panel appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen (Gmail-style):
- Continue browsing your inbox or navigate to other FanDesk modules while composing
- Navigate anywhere — go to Calendar, Chat, or Drive without losing your draft
- Minimize the panel to a compact bar and restore with one click
- Close with save — FanDesk saves your draft automatically if you close without sending
Writing an Email
- Select the From account in the dropdown (if you have multiple)
- Enter recipients in To — autocomplete pulls from your FanDesk contacts and Google Contacts
- Click Cc or Bcc to add additional recipients
- Write the Subject line
- Compose your message using the rich text editor (bold, italic, lists, links, code)
- Add attachments by dragging files or clicking the attachment icon
- Optionally add your Signature from the dropdown
- Click Send
Reply Options
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Reply | Reply to sender only |
| Reply All | Reply to all recipients in the thread |
| Forward | Send the email to a new recipient |
Booking Links
Insert a meeting scheduling link directly into an email:
- In the compose panel, click the calendar link icon
- Select one of your active booking links
- A formatted link is inserted into the email body
- Recipients click to book a time on your calendar without any back-and-forth
Drafts
Drafts are saved automatically as you type. Access all drafts:
- Drafts folder in the sidebar
- Resume editing by clicking any draft
- Drafts sync across devices and accounts
AI Compose Features
Every compose window includes AI writing tools:
| Feature | How to Use |
|---|---|
| AI Compose | Click the sparkle icon and describe what you want to write — AI generates the full email |
| Improve with AI | Write your draft, then click Improve to enhance grammar, clarity, and flow |
| Shorten | Makes your email more concise |
| Expand | Adds more context and detail to your draft |
| Formalize | Adjusts tone to be more professional |
| Make Casual | Lightens the tone for friendly emails |
| Suggest Subject | Generates 3-5 subject line options from your email body |
Converting Emails to Tasks and Events
Create Task from Email
Turn any email into a trackable task:
- Open an email thread
- Click Create Task in the toolbar (keyboard shortcut: T)
- The task title pre-fills with the email subject
- Select project, set priority, due date, and assignee
- Click Create
The task links back to the original email for full context.
Schedule Meeting from Email
Create a calendar event directly from an email:
- Open an email thread
- Click Schedule Meeting in the toolbar (keyboard shortcut: M)
- The event title pre-fills as "Meeting: [email subject]"
- The sender is automatically added as an attendee
- Set date, time, and description
- Click Create Event
The event is created in Google Calendar (or FanDesk native calendar) and the sender receives an invite.
Labels and Folders
Standard Folders
- Inbox — All incoming mail
- Sent — Messages you've sent
- Drafts — Unsent drafts
- Trash — Deleted messages
- Archive — Archived messages (out of inbox, still searchable)
Gmail Labels
All your Gmail labels sync automatically to FanDesk. Apply and remove labels from any email in FanDesk — changes reflect in Gmail immediately.
Search
Search across all your email:
- Click the search box in the Mail panel
- Type keywords, a sender name, or a subject
- Results appear in real-time as you type
Gmail search operators work in FanDesk:
from:john@example.com— Emails from a specific sendersubject:meeting— Emails with "meeting" in the subjecthas:attachment— Emails with attachmentsis:unread— Unread emailsafter:2024-01-01— Emails after a date
Quick Actions
Hover over any email in the list for quick actions:
- Archive — Move out of inbox (not deleted)
- Delete — Move to trash
- Star — Mark as important
- Mark read/unread — Toggle read status
- Categorize — Change the split inbox category
Bulk Operations
Select multiple emails at once:
- Check the boxes next to emails (or click the select-all checkbox)
- Use the bulk action toolbar:
- Archive all selected
- Delete all selected
- Mark all as read or unread
- Apply or remove labels
- Change category for all selected
Next: Learn about intelligent email tagging in Action Tagging.
Need help? Contact us at hello@fandesk.ai