Filed under: E-mail, Productivity, Yahoo!, How-Tos
Top 11 Yahoo Mail Tips and Tricks
Yahoo's new version of web mail is, without a doubt, one of the coolest and most fluid Ajax applications we've seen to date. For the average user it offers every major feature that you can find in Outlook or Thunderbird, and it does it with style. But that isn't all, the Yahoo team also took the time to layer the app with embedded tricks, hacks, and shortcuts that makes the whole experience that much sweeter.With that in mind, here are the top 11 tricks that I use everyday with the new Yahoo Mail Beta:
1. Trick: Instant Address Book Add - Drag a message onto the Contacts link and you'll see the icon change to a plus sign which means you can add that contact to your address book in one easy step.2. Trick: Navigate your inbox the quick way - Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow or Down Arrow let you jump to messages in the same folder that have the same subject line. You can hit Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Up Arrow lets you choose another factor to filter on (such as flag) when using Ctrl + Shift to navigate.
3. Easter Egg: When composing a message just hit the Subject: button to cycle through a collection of random (often humorous) subject lines. A lot of real gems in here including:
- The brain has been polished professor.
- All your platypus are belong to us.
- I believe those were mouse droppings.
- The twins just turned 2 and 4 this month!
- How about never? Is never good for you?
- Care for a foam apple?
5. Tip: Select Multiple Messages - Hold shift after selecting a message to select multiple messages. Hold Ctrl to add specific messages to the list. Hit Crtl-A to select all messages in a folder or search results. This is a great way to select everything in your inbox and move it to an archive folder.
6. Tip: Read Messages Now - Go to Options link in the upper right hand corner and then select Mail Options. Find the item labeled mark messages as read and select immediately. This way when you scroll through messages you no longer have to pause one each one to have it marked as read.7. Tip: Hide/Show Viewing Pane - Just hit the letter V on your keyboard to have more space to organize your folder. Hit V again to reopen the message preview.
8. Tip: Quick Compose - Type the letter N to start a new message or R to reply to a selected message.
9. Trick: Find Text within your message - Hit Crtl + F after selecting a message to find text within a that message. Hitting the enter key lets your scroll through each instance of the word within the message.10. Trick: Scroll through folder without reading - Holding Crtl lets you scroll through a folder messages using the arrow keys without selecting each individual message.
11. Tip: Send Message Now - By using the Crtl + Enter Key you can send a message you are composing instantly. No more hunting for the send button.
That's it! There are quite a few more shortcuts document in the help section but these are the one's I've found most valuable. Leave a comment and share your Yahoo Mail tips.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
richardcvn said 6:31PM on 4-03-2008
When I click on inbox nothing happens, click on delete same thing, go to classic mail, same thing. What do I need to do?
Reply
richardcvn said 8:58AM on 4-03-2008
When I click on inbox nothing happens, click on delete same thing, go to classic mail, same thing. What do I need to do?
Reply
KatW said 2:45PM on 10-28-2008
If someone sends me a pic or something to download, the new yahoo and the old yahoo mail will not let me do it. When I click download, it just sits there and does nothing. When I go back into my temp files to see if the file was downloaded, it's not there either. I have a brand new computer that is only 6 months old..never had this prob before the new yahoo mail launched...anyone else having this prob, and if so, anyone know how to fix it?! I rely on downloading from my mail as it's a part of my job too...any help is appreciated!
Thanks!
Reply
Jerianne Hanks said 12:44PM on 1-08-2009
I am having trouble with Yahoo kicking people off my Address Book at random. Have you had trouble with this and who can I contact about it?
JH
Reply
sam said 6:55PM on 1-31-2009
Is there a way to reply to an email, WITHOUT including the original message?
Reply
hannatif said 7:37AM on 2-26-2009
I am unable to download mails from yahoo to my out look. The following error message shows:
"message no 1 could not be retrieved.Account 'local host', Server 'localhost', protocol POP3, server response ' ERR message could not be downloaded', port 110, Secure (SSL) no, Server error 0x800CC9, Error Number 0x800420CD.
Please advise.
Reply
Kevin Trotter said 4:35PM on 3-16-2007
To number 8 you can also add: press A to Reply All.
Also, here is a list of search shortcuts that come in really handy: http://updates.mail.yahoo.com/blog/search-shortcuts/
Reply
Jeff said 5:19PM on 3-16-2007
Finally - someone highlights the power of Yahoo Mail! Thank you! I know Google is great... but I think the average to rookie user will be more comfortable with Yahoo and it's linking to all it's other services.
And this article shows that the above average user will enjoy Yahoo's capability as well!
Reply
Ian D. Miller said 8:04PM on 3-16-2007
Actually, the Ctrl+Enter (and a couple other keyboard shortcuts) are why I prefer the Yahoo Mail app to Gmail. The interface in general is a lot more usable and easy on the eyes. I'm very often fooled into thinking I'm using Thunderbird or some other application and I Alt+Tab "back to my browser" from mail which messes me up pretty badly =^) Yahoo Mail is the most robust and un-webpage like application I've ever used. I really wish they'd intercept the ctrl+r event though, because I often use that thinking I'm replying in Thunderbird and it just reloads the whole page =^(
Reply
John said 7:24PM on 3-16-2007
I wonder how this will compete with Gmail???
http://www.DCguide.com
Reply
marc said 10:47PM on 3-16-2007
anyone else having trouble with the Beta version in Firefox?
Reply
Aneesh Aravind said 8:57AM on 3-17-2007
The Subject: button is not clickable for me! I tried in both IE and Firefox. I am logged into yahoo mail Beta in the US.
Reply
Betty L said 3:09AM on 3-17-2007
Also unable to run the beta in Firefox. Tabs are covered with a "curtain" and selections above them don't exist. Runs fine in IE 7. It's extremely nice and IMHO more useful than gmail. But not possible in Firefox, so run the old version of Yahoo Mail.
Reply
netster007x said 3:35AM on 3-17-2007
1)I use it in Firefox, it is officially compatible in Fx, it works well (although not quite as fast as in IE) in Fx. If you have trouble with this, try updating, clearing your cache, and running in safe mode. Extensions and old extension pieces can be problematic.
2)For an odd reason, Plus users as well as ISP users (me) do NOT have the click-able random "subject" button.
***One BIG shortcut that's hard to discover on your own is the ability to drag a message's tab straight to a folder when the message is open in a new tab. I believe this is the most useful, most easy to miss trick Yahoo! mail beta offers!
Reply
Ryan said 3:52AM on 3-17-2007
Thanks Ian! This is a great writeup.
Ryan Kennedy
Yahoo! Mail
Reply
Brett said 8:13PM on 3-17-2007
I wish there was a folder that only showed Unread mail just like Outlook does. If I had that, I'd be a really happy camper. I have paid for Yahoo! mail premium for years and have never had a problem with it.
Reply
Betty L said 9:35PM on 3-17-2007
Thank you nester. Clearing the cache worked and I can use the beta Yahoo Mail. Did not have to start in safe mode.More interesting is the support call I made to ATT Yahoo!: I was told, after the CSR checked with her supervisor, that Yahoo did not support Firefox.
Reply
JCP said 2:12AM on 3-19-2007
One thing about Yahoo beta...composing to multiple adresses is so annoying! I liked the older version of the addresses folder where you could select multiple addresses and then compose to all selected.
Maybe you can with the new version too - although I haven't seen it there.
Reply
netster007x said 2:36AM on 3-20-2007
Betty) Wow, that's pretty amazing someone told you Y! did not support Firefox. Those people at support are not always as knowledgeable as they should be.
JCP) You CAN select multiple addresses, just use [ctrl] to select individuals, and [shift] to select chunks (and combine the two). If this sounds confusing check out the Y! mail beta overview and click "selecting messages".
http://overview.mail.yahoo.com
Reply
osmanovic said 9:54AM on 3-21-2007
masma
Reply