Forward an Email
Revision as of 23:52, 11 January 2016 by Kipkis (Kipkis | contribs) (importing article from wikihow)
You want to forward an email! The exact process is slightly different for every email client, but you should be able to fairly easily find an option to "Forward" a message if you have it open. Read on to learn about the basics and potential dangers of forwarding an email!
Contents
Steps
Forwarding an Email in Microsoft Outlook
- Open the email that you want to forward. Make sure that it's the right email, and there is no sensitive content that you need to delete before you pass it along. When you forward an email, you automatically include the entire thread of emails that led to the current email.
- Click "Forward." If you are using Outlook 2010, open the Home or Message tab, and find the Respond group. If the message is selected in the message list on the main inbox screen, then you'll navigate through the Home tab. If the email is open in its own window, then you'll navigate through the Message tab.
- On Outlook.com, try opening the email and selecting the Reply tab from the blue banner along the top of the screen. The drop-down menu should show options to "Reply," "Reply All," and "Forward." Select "Forward."
- Enter the recipients. These people will receive the forwarded email. Make sure that you type the addresses right, and that you want these people to see everything in the message!
- In the To box, write the email addresses of the primary person or people that you want to see the message.
- In the Cc box, write the names of people that you want to receive a "carbon copy" of the forwarded message. All of the To and Cc recipients will be able to see who else was copied on the email.
- In the Bcc box, write the names of people to whom you want to discreetly forward a "blind carbon copy" of the message. The person who receives the "Bcc" won't be able to tell who else received the email, and the other recipients won't see the address of the "Bcc" person.
- Remove attachments, if needed. Any photo, text, or other file attachments will be automatically forwarded along to the new recipients unless you manually delete them from the forwarded message draft.
- Write a message. You can type text above the "forwarded" text to elaborate or explain why you passed it along. You don't need to type anything if you don't think that it'll serve any purpose. Use your best judgment.
- Click "Send." Once you're ready to forward the message, click "Send" to forward it to all of the people that you have listed in the To, Cc, and Bcc boxes. Check your "Sent" messages box to make sure that the email went out without error.
Forwarding an Email in Gmail
- Open the email that you want to forward. Make sure that everything is in order. Be aware of how far back the email thread goes.
- Click "Forward." If you want to forward the most recent email (and all of its predecessors) in a thread of messages, simply click "Forward" in the text box below the message. If you can't find this option: click the down arrow at the top-right of the message, next to the Reply button, to open a drop-down menu. Choose the second option, "Forward."
- Add new recipients. Choose whether each recipient falls into the To, Cc, or Bcc category. Make sure that you get the names right, and that you don't forward to the wrong person!
- Remove attachments, if necessary. Gmail will automatically forward any text, photo, or other files that are attached to the message thread. If you don't want to forward an attached file, scroll down to the bottom of the message and click the x next to each unwanted attachment. You can use ← Backspace (or select-and-delete) to remove an embedded image.
- Click "Send." Forward the email, when you are ready. Remember: once it's sent, you can't take it back!
Email-Forwarding Etiquette
- Consider deleting the prior email addresses. The recipient of the forwarded message will be able to see the names and email addresses of anyone else who was involved in the original email thread – and depending on the situation, it might be most respectful to those people if you remove their emails from the forward.
- Clean up the forwarded email. You don't need to change anything, depending on the context, but you might consider lightly editing the text or structure of the message that you're passing along. Take this opportunity to delete any parts of the forwarded message that you don't want your recipients to see. Once the email has been sent, you can't take it back! Look for the following things:
- Carats (the bulky <<<>>> chains that can build up in a much-forwarded e-mail)
- Mechanical errors: unnecessary extra lines/spaces; grammatical and spelling errors.
- Attachments that are copies of the e-mail that you are forwarding. This is a waste of bandwidth and a golden opportunity for spammers/virus spreaders.
- Banners that companies place at the bottom of your e-mails. These might read something like, "Free emoticons for your email!" or "make free pc to phone calls with ----"
- Be aware of the consequences. In a long email thread, there is information left over from the people who got the message before you: specifically, their names and email addresses. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses grows and grows. All it takes is for some poor friend to get a virus, and his/her computer can send that virus to every email address that has come across his computer. Someone might even take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail – or even try to apply for a credit card in your name!
Video
Template:Video:Forward an Email
Tips
- You can say "Thank You: Name of the Friend" at the end of the message to show appreciation for the forward.
- Scan it with the outgoing email antivirus to make it virus free.
- Clean up the Subject box of unwanted Fw:, Re, [ ] , etc.
- Consider creating an alternative email account just for forwarding purposes.
Warnings
- Most firewall email software blocks general keywords in the subject line and pushes your forward into the junk mail.
- Check that the email you are forwarding is not outdated.
- Be very careful when forwarding a virus warning. Many times, it's a hoax – and it might even carry a virus!
Related Articles
- Use BCC in an Email
- Forward Emails That Are Bundled One, Two or More Times
