How to Save and Use Messages as Templates in Apple Mail

A handy email template trick for Mac users

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
  • University of Vienna
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Updated on May 30, 2022
Reviewed by
Jerrick Leger
Jerrick Leger headshot
Reviewed by Jerrick Leger
Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

What to Know

  • In Mail, select Mailbox > New Mailbox. Choose a location > in the Name field, type Template.
  • Create a new Mail message and include anything you want in the template. Save.
  • Open Draft mailbox. Drag template to Template folder. To use, select the template > Send Again and edit.

This article explains how to save an email template in Apple Mail and use it for new messages on Mac OS X Lion (10.7) and later.

How to Save Emails as Templates in Apple Mail

You don't need to reinvent a standard email every time you send one out. Although Apple Mail does not have a dedicated feature for message templates, you can use drafts and repurposing of other commands to keep your email at its most efficient. Here's how.

  1. Open the Mail application on your Mac.

  2. Click Mailbox in the menu bar and select New Mailbox from the menu that appears. 

    new mailbox

  3. Select a Location for the mailbox and type "Template" into the Name field. Click OK to create the mailbox.

    You can name the new inbox whatever you want.

    name the new mailbox

  4. Create a new message by clicking the New Message button, selecting New Message from the File menu, or pressing Command+N on your keyboard.

  5. Edit the message to contain anything you want in the template. You can edit and save the subject and the message contents, along with the recipients and the message priority. As you work, Apple Mail saves your message in the Drafts mailbox.

  6. Close the message window and select Save if you receive a prompt.

    save message draft

  7. Open the Drafts mailbox.

    drafts folder

  8. Move the message you just saved from the Drafts mailbox to the Template mailbox by clicking on it and dragging to the destination. The Template folder may appear under the On My Mac folder group.

    Template mailbox

You can also use any message you previously sent as a template by copying it to your Template mailbox. To edit a template, create a new message using it, make the desired changes, and then save the edited message as a template while deleting the old template.

How to Use an Email Template in Apple Mail

To use a message template in Apple Mail to create a new message:

  1. Open the Template mailbox containing the desired message template.

    template folder

  2. Highlight the template you want to use for the new message.

  3. Select Send Again from the Message menu to open the template in a new window.

    The keyboard shortcut is Command+Shift+D.

    send again

  4. Edit and send the message.

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