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How to Find All Correspondence with a Sender Quickly in Mac OS X Mail

By , About.com Guide

Do You Always Remember Who Said What and When?

With billions of people to email and so many words in so many languages to express a never-ending (though possibly oft-repeating) stream of thought, it can be hard to remember who said what, and when. But it is extremely helpful.

When you compose a reply in Mac OS X Mail and seem to know in merely vague terms what has been said in the conversation so far (or whether you have to take back a point you may not even have made), it's easy to find all related messages. With a swift stroke of an arm, you'll have all the messages exchanged with the person you are writing to.

Find All Correspondence with a Sender Quickly in Mac OS X Mail 2 and 3

To see all messages exchanged with a sender quickly in Mac OS X Mail 2/3:

  • Click on a message from the sender in Mac OS X Mail's message list.
  • Keeping the mouse button pressed, drag the message to the search field in the toolbar.
    • You'll see a plus sign appear beneath the pointer.
  • Release the mouse button.
    • To see all messages, make sure All Mailboxes and Entire Message are selected in the search bar.
  • To return to Mac OS X Mail's normal display, click the x in the toolbar search field.

Now you can sort the results according to your heart and mind's desires, of course — by date, for example.

Find All Correspondence with a Sender in Mac OS X Mail 4

To see emails sent to a from a person quickly in Mac OS X Mail:

  • Open a message from the desired sender.
  • Ctrl- or right-click on the name or address in the From: line.
  • Select Spotlight: from the menu that comes up.
  • To search in Mail directly:
    • Select Copy Address from the context menu.
    • Click in Mac OS X Mail's Search field.
    • Press Command-V.
    • Select All Mailboxes and Entire Messages in the search bar.
    • If necessary, edit the text in the Search field to include only the email address, for example, or just the name.

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