Customize your Mac Mail toolbar for a more efficient and personalized email experience. Our guide covers basic to advanced customization
Alex Simmons | Dec 31, 2023 | 6 mins read
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If you’re an Apple user, chances are that you rely on Apple Mail for all your email needs. Whether you’re using it for personal or professional communication, you’re likely trying to find a way to optimize your experience with Apple Mail and avoid drowning in email chaos.
One of the things you can do to optimize your email management workflow in Mac Mail is to customize its toolbar. In this article, we’ll show you how to customize Apple Mail’s toolbar and share some tips to do it effectively.
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The toolbar in Apple Mail is that row of icons you see at the top of the window of your Mail app. Its job is to give you quick access to commonly used features like composing new emails, replying and forwarding emails, moving emails to folders, or flagging them.
Think of the Apple Mail toolbar as a shortcut menu for your main email tasks. This menu makes it easier and faster to manage your inbox and organize your emails.
The good news is that whether you’re drafting a new email, responding to an email thread, or flagging messaging, the toolbar is your go-to hub for efficient email management. The even better news is that Apple Mail allows you to customize the toolbar to suit your inbox habits and personal preferences better.
Although Apple Mail’s toolbar customization options are limited, you can still adjust it to match your preferences and inbox habits. Here’s why customizing Apple Mail’s toolbar may be convenient for you:
Customizing the toolbar in Mac Mail may not offer endless possibilities, but even minor adjustments can make a big difference in how you interact with your inbox. There are a few things you can do to customize the toolbar on Apple Mail. Here they are.
Depending on your workflow, the toolbar in Mac Mail can be either useful or distracting. If you find it distracting or annoying, you can easily hide it from view.
To do that, go to the “View” option in the menu at the top and select “Hide Toolbar” to remove it. If you want to bring your toolbar back to view, you can unhide it in the same way. Just go to the “View” option in the menu and select the “Show Toolbar” option.
Alternatively, you can use the Option-Command-T keyboard shortcut to hide or unhide the toolbar from view.
Apple Mail allows you to add and remove actions from the toolbar based on your preferences. This is a great option to help you create a toolbar with the actions you use the most.
To customize the actions, go to the “View” option and select the “Customize Toolbar” option from the drop-down menu. A toolbar customization window will appear, displaying a variety of icons that you can drag and drop onto your toolbar. To remove an icon, simply drag it off the toolbar, and it will disappear.
After choosing which icons you want to display in your toolbar and which you wish to remove, you can rearrange them in the order you want. To do that, simply click and drag the icons (or icon clusters) in your preferred order. This flexibility allows you to create a toolbar layout according to your email workflow.
Mac Mail offers three toolbar modes you can switch between: Icon Only, Text Only, or Icon and Text. Whether you prefer an icon-only setup or one that includes text descriptions, these modes offer added flexibility in how you interact with your Mail app.
To choose your preferred mode, go to the “View” menu and select the “Customize Toolbar” option. In the toolbar customization window, you’ll see a drop-down option named “Show.” There, you can choose your preferred mode: Icon Only, Text Only, or Icon and Text.
If you ever feel like you’ve over-customized your toolbar and want to return to the default settings, Mac Mail allows you to do that.
Go to the “View” option and select “Customize Toolbar” from the drop-down menu. In the customization window, you’ll see an option that says “…or drag the default set into the toolbar.” Just drag the default set onto your toolbar and voilá!
Although customizing Apple Mail’s toolbar is simple and intuitive, there are some things you should keep in mind. Here are some practical tips and tricks to effectively customize it to match your preferences and workflows.
To get the most out of your toolbar, consider placing the actions you use the most frequently towards the beginning of the toolbar. This will make it easier for you to perform the actions you rely on the most and minimize the time you spend searching for them around the Mail app.
Another way to optimize your toolbar is to declutter it by removing the icons for functions you rarely or never use. This will help you remove visual distractions and chaos, making it easier to focus on the actions that matter to you the most in your email workflows.
If you want to hide or unhide the toolbar from view quickly, you can use Apple Mail’s default keyboard shortcut: Option-Command-T. This will speed up this action and help you avoid clicking through to the menu to show or hide the toolbar.
As your inbox habits and needs change, you may need to switch the initial layout of your toolbar. Whenever you feel like the existing arrangement of your toolbar isn’t as convenient as it used to be, rearrange it to match your current workflow.
Although customizing Apple Mail’s toolbar may seem unnecessary or insignificant, it can actually help you optimize your email management workflows and speed things up. By adjusting the toolbar to match your inbox habits and preferences, you can put the actions you perform most frequently first and easily accessible.
So, spend a few minutes personalizing Apple Mail’s toolbar and enjoy a smooth, convenient email experience.
❓How do I customize the toolbar on Apple Mail?
Customizing the toolbar in Apple Mail is simple. Just go to the “View” option in the main menu and choose the “Customize Toolbar” option from the drop-down menu. A window will appear, showing the different options to customize your Mail app’s toolbar.
❓How do I make the toolbar bigger in Apple Mail?
Unfortunately, you can’t make the toolbar bigger in Apple Mail. However, you can customize it by rearranging the icons and adding or removing the actions you want. This allows you to optimize the toolbar space as best as possible.
❓Where is the toolbar in Apple Mail?
The toolbar in Apple Mail is located at the top of the Mail app window on your Mac computer or iPad. It’s the part on top of the window that contains a row of icons. There is no toolbar in the Mail app on iPhone.
I have always been fascinated by the world of SaaS and technology. From a young age, I found myself drawn to the endless possibilities that email technology offers. The ability to connect with people across the globe and streamline communication processes is something that truly excites me. As a passionate individual, I am constantly seeking new ways to leverage SaaS and email technology to enhance productivity and drive innovation.
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