WebMail
Getting Started
Registering for Your eID
Before using K-State e-mail, you will need to register for your K-State eID. Your eID is part of your e-mail
address.
Obtaining an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
If you want to access e-mail from home, you will first need to obtain an Internet Service Provider such as K-State's Telecommunications.
There are also various other providers in the Manhattan area which provide dial-up, DSL and cable access.
Note: If you live in a campus residence hall and you need assistance setting up your internet connection, you should contact Residential
Networking.
Signing In
- In the address bar of your browser, type webmail.ksu.edu.
- In the K-State eID box, type your eID.
- In the Password box, type your password.
- Click Sign in.
Managing Your Passwords
Changing Your eID Password
A good password changed at regular intervals provides the best
protection for your computing identity, files, and K-State resources. Students,
faculty, and staff must change passwords for their eIDs twice
a year on the eProfile page. These passwords must be changed each
fall and spring semester, during an approximate six-week timeframe. eID passwords
not changed by the end of a timeframe are reset the following day. See
the eID
Password FAQs for additional
information. Follow the instructions below for changing your eID password:
Do It Yourself
- Go to the eid.k-state.edu site.
- Type in your eID and current password and then click the Sign in button.
- On the eID profile page, click the password Change link.
- Type your new password in the boxes (twice, to verify it), and then click
the Update button.
You'll receive a message within seconds that your new password is ready
to use.
Contact the IT Help Desk
- Telephone: Call (785) 532-7722 and provide
information to authenticate your identity
- Walk-in: Take your photo ID and visit
the help desk at 313 Hale Library.
Exploring the Mail Interface
Options
WebMail has a variety of options that you can change to suite your preferences. For example, if you want to change how messages are displayed or what options are turned on, click Options and
go through the variety of settings that are available in WebMail. The following are the primary categories of options included in WebMail:
- Your Information includes options for the following:
- Personal Information allows you to create signature file(s) and designate where your sent mail is saved based upon your signature file.
- Language allows you to select a default language.
- Time Zone allows you to specify a time zone.
- Mail Management includes options for the following:
- New Mail allows you to set how often to check for new e-mail and if you want a notification each time a new message is received.
- Filters allows you to creating filters which helps you in managing your e-mail.
- Deleting and Moving Messages allows you to define what happens when you delete or move messages.
- Sign In Tasks allows you to set tasks to run when you sign-in.
- Maintenance Operations allows you to designate which maintenance operations you would like to run at sign in such as renaming your sent mail folder
and the beginning of each month, designating how often to purge your trash, etc.
- Mail Options includes options for the following:
- Display Options allows you to set display options such as how many messages are displayed on a page,how they are sorted (ascending or descending), etc.
- Message Composition allows you to define how you send e-mail and where draft messages are saved.
- Address Books allows you to select which address book to use when adding or searching for addresses.
Reading Messages
Reading a Message
- If needed, click the Inbox
button.
- Click the From or the Subject link of the message you want to read.
Handling Attachments Securely
- Only open attachments when you know what they are. Never open an attachment you are not expecting or from someone that you do not know.
- Delete any e-mail with an attachment you are not expecting.
- Contact the sender to verify that they sent it, before opening ANY attachment.
- Empty your trash folder after deleting any suspicious e-mail.
Opening an Attachment
- Click the Download
button next to the attachment you want to open.
- Click Open.
Note: The options given for opening the attachment may vary depending on your browser.
- Browse to the saving location and then click Save.
- Click Open.
Saving an Attachment
- Click the Download button.
- Click Save.
- Browse to the saving location and then click Save.
- Click Close when the download is complete.
Displaying Full Header (Sender) Information
Most SPAM has a forged "From" address. This means you will not be able to reply
to it. Doing so will simply have it returned to your inbox as undeliverable. Viewing the full header information of a message shows the mail server relay
path the mail has taken to reach your mailbox which helps in identifying e-mail problems and sources of SPAM.
Displaying Full Header Information for Individual Messages
- Click the message you want to view the headers for.
- Click Message Source.
- Close the message source window after viewing the header information.
Composing Messages
Composing a Message
- Click the Compose
button.
- In the To, Cc, or Bcc box, type the recipient's e-mail address. Also see Using the Address Book.
Notes:
- If you have multiple recipients, separate each e-mail address with a comma.
- Carbon copy is used for e-mailing secondary recipients.
- Blind carbon copy (Bcc) is used for sending e-mail to a recipient without others knowing they received a copy of the message.
- In the Subject box, type a subject.
- In the Message box, type your message.
- If you want to add an attachment, signature file, or spell check your message, see Attaching a File, Spell Checking a Message, and Adding a Signature File.
- Click Send Message.
Attaching a File
- Click the Attachments
button. This will take you to the attachments
section at the bottom of the page.
- Click Browse.
- Browse to the file location, select the file and then click Open.
Note: If the files you are going to attach are stored in the same location, you can simultaneously attach multiple files by using one of the following methods:
To select all files in a folder, do the following:
- Click the first file in the list.
- Press and hold down the CTRL key and then press A.
To select a group of consecutive files, do the following:
- Click the first file in the list.
- Press and hold down the SHIFT key and then click the last file in the list.
To select a group of files anywhere within the folder, do the following:
- Press and hold down the CTRL key.
- Click each file you want to select.
- Click the Attach
button.
Spell Checking a Message
- Click the Spell Check
button.
- Make the appropriate changes.
- Click Done when spell check is complete.
Adding Signatures
When you send out e-mail you might want to utilize a different signature for subgoups of people. For example, you might want one signature for replies to co-workers, one for business replies, and one
for personal replies. Different e-mail clients may use different terminology for this such as roles, profiles, signature sets, identities, etc. Mozilla uses Profiles. Each profile can have a completely
different look--separate bookmarks, starting page, e-mail server, etc.
Creating Your Default Signature
- Click the Options
button.
- In the Your Information section, click Personal Information.
- Click Create and edit your signatures.
- Fill out the appropriate information and then click Create.
Notes:
- By default, everyone will have a blank default signature already created for them. If you want to use the default signature, do the following:
- In the Your signatures list, select Default Signature.
- Type your signature information into the appropriate boxes, select any other options you would like and and then click the Change button.
Creating Additional Signatures/Profiles
WebMail allows you to have multiple signatures and to select a sent mail folder for each signature. When you send out e-mail, you might want to utilize a different signature
for subgoups of people. For example, you might want one signature for replies to co-workers, one for business replies, and a different one entirely for family e-mail. To use the different signatures
you have created, do the following:
Using Specific Signatures/Profiles
- In the Composition window, select the the signature you want to use from the Signature list.
Replying to a Message
- Click the From or Subject link of the message you want to reply to and
then choose one of the following:
- Click Reply to reply to the sender only.
- Click Reply to All
to reply to everyone who received the message.
- In the Message box, type your reply message.
- Click Send Message.
Forwarding a Message
- Click the From or Subject link
of the message you want to forward and then click Forward.
- In the To box, type the e-mail address
of the recipient. Also see Addressing Messages and Using
the Address Book.
- In the Message box, type a message if needed.
- Click Send Message.
Saving a Draft Message
- In the Compose window, click Save Draft.
Note: Your message will be saved in the Drafts folder.
If you don't already have a Drafts folder,
one will be created for you.
Sending a Draft Message
- In the Open Folder list, select Drafts.
- Click the Subject link
of the message you want to complete.
Note: If you click the From link, you will have to click Resume before you can finish composing your message.
- Finish composing your message and then click Send
Message.
Note: WebMail doesn't delete draft messages from the draft folder once
the message is sent. Therefore, after you send your draft message, you
will need to delete the message from your draft folder.
Using the Address Book
Addressing Messages Using the Address Book
- In the Compose window, click the Address
Book
button.
- Select the recipient and then click the To, Cc, or Bcc button to add them to the appropriate address list.
Note: You can simultaneously select multiple recipients by doing one of the following:
To select a group of consecutive contacts,
do the following:
- Click the first contact in the list.
- Press and hold down the SHIFT key and then click the last contact in the list.
To select contacts anywhere within the list,
do the following:
- Press and hold down the CTRL key.
- Click each contact you want to select.
- Click OK.
Adding Entries
Adding Individual Addresses
- Click the Address Book
button.
- Click the Add
button.
- Type the contact information into the appropriate boxes.
- Click Save.
- Continue adding any additional contacts.
- After you finish adding all your contacts, click the Browse button
to display the contents of your address book.
Adding Group Addresses (Mailing List)
- Click the Address Book button.
- Click the check box next to the addresses you want to add to the mailing
list.
- On the Add to list, select New
List.
- Click the Add to
button.
- Type the name of your list and then click OK.
Importing an Address Book
Importing from an E-mail Client
- Click the Address Book button.
- Click the Import/Export
button.
- In the Select the format to import from list, select the e-mail client you want to import from.
- Next to the Select the file to import box, click Browse
- Browse to the file location, select the file and then click Open.
- Click Import.
Note: If needed, map the imported fields to the available fields within WebMail.
- Click Import.
Importing from a Text File
- Click the Address Book button.
- Click the Import/Export button.
- On the Select the format to import from list, select the type of file you want to import.
Note: Comma separated values and Tab
separated values are text files that are the most commonly used by most e-mail clients. Check which file types are supported by the programs you will be importing to.
- Next to the Select the file to import box, click Browse .
- Browse to the file location, select the file and then click Open.
- Click Import.
Note: If needed, map the imported fields to the available fields within WebMail.
- Click Import.
Exporting an Address Book
- Click the Address Book button.
- Click the Import/Export button.
- On the Select the export format list, select the format you want to export to.
Note: Comma separated values and Tab separated values are text files that are the most commonly used by most
e-mail clients. Check which file types are supported by the programs you will be importing to.
- Click Export.
- Click Save.
- Browse to the saving location, keep the default filename or enter a new one, and then click Save.
- Close the download window.
Deleting Messages
Deleting a Message
- Click the check box next to the message you want to delete.
- Click Delete.
Deleting Multiple Messages
- Click the check box next to each message you want to delete.
- Click Delete.
Undeleting Messages
- On the Open Folder list, select Trash.
- Click the check box next to the message you want to undelete.
- On the Messages to list, select the
folder you want to move the selected messages to.
- Click Move.
Using Folders
Creating Folders
- Click the Folders
button.
- On the Choose Action list, select Create
Folder.
- Type a name for your folder and then click OK.
Deleting Folders
- Click the Folders button.
- Click the check box next to the folder you want to delete.
- On the Choose Action list, select Delete
Folder(s).
- Click Yes to confirm the deletion and then
click OK.
Renaming Folders
- Click the Folders button.
- Click the check box next to the folder you want to rename.
- On the Choose Action list, select Rename
Folder.
- Type the new name of the folder and then click OK.
Subscribing to Folders
If you have configured your e-mail client to use IMAP, folders are created and stored on the IMAP server. You can also create folders on your local machine if your client supports that feature.
If you switch e-mail clients, your IMAP folders will still exist on the IMAP server, but you may not be able to view them. In order to access those folders in your new e-mail client, you
must subscribe to those folder(s). For example, switching from the old WebMail to the new WebMail may require subscribing to your folders before you can view them. To
subscribe to your folders, do the following:
- Click the Folders button.
- Click Show Unsubscribed.
Note: Any folders that are highlighted and in italics are folders that you aren't subscribed to.
- Click the check box in front of the folder(s) you want to subscribe to.
- In the Choose Action list, select Subscribe to Folder(s). You should now be able to view the folder(s) and their contents.
Filtering
Creating message filters enables you to automatically organize your messages
as they are received. Creating filters allow you to specify criteria and then
perform an action based upon that criteria. This is very useful for tasks such
as filtering out messages from a particular listserv or person, filtering spam,
setting up automatic responses, and many other uses. For example, you can create
a message filter that automatically moves incoming messages with a specific
subject to a particular folder.
Creating and Managing Filters
Creating Filters Within Your Inbox
- Click the Options button.
- In the Mail Management section, click Filters.
- Click Create and edit your filter rules.
- In the Rule Definition section, click the check box(s) next to the fields
you want to filter on.
- In the Text box, type the information you want to filter on.
- Select the actions to be performed by the filter.
- Click the Create.
Enabling a Filter
- Click the Options button.
- In the Mail Management section, click Filters.
- Click the check box next to the filter option you want to enable.
Disabling a Filter
- Click the Options button.
- In the Mail Management section, click Filters.
- Click the check box next to the filter option you want to disable.
Editing a Filter
- Click the Options button.
- In the Mail Management section, click Filters.
- Click Create and edit your filter rules.
- In the Filter Rules section, select the filter you want to edit.
- In the Rule Definition section, make the
desired changes.
- Click Update
when you are finished editing your filter.
Changing the Order of Applied Filters
Filters are applied in the listed order to each incoming message. Therefore, you may want to change the order of your filters in order to achieve the
needed result.
- Click the Options button.
- In the Mail Management section, click Filters.
- Click Create and edit your filter rules.
- Select the filter you want to move.
- Click Move Up or Move
Down
to change the order of the filter.
Deleting a Filter
- Click the Options button.
- In the Mail Management section, click Filters.
- Click Create and edit your filter rules.
- Select the filter you want to delete.
- Click Delete.
Enabling the K-State Spam Filter
K-State has implemented its own spam filter to help alleviate the amount of unsolicited bulk/commercial e-mail that everyone receives. See the
Spam Filtering documentation to
learn how to use this service. In addition, the K-State central e-mail servers have started using RBLs to cut down on spam coming to K-Staters. An RBL is a "Realtime Block List", or a list of e-mail providers
known to send a lot of spam. E-mail arriving at the K-State e-mail servers will be checked against the block lists. Any mail coming from a provider
on the list will be rejected, with a message to contact the RBL for additional information. See the RBL
FAQ's to learn more about Realtime Block Lists at K-State.
Performing Routine Maintenance Tasks
Emptying Trash
- Click the Empty Trash
button.
WebMail Maintenance Operations
There are several maintenance operations that can be configured to start when you login to WebMail such as:
- Renaming your sent folder at the beginning of each month.
- Deleting your old sent mail folder
at the beginning of each month.
- Designating the number of old sent mail folders to keep, if deleting
monthly.
- Purging old messages in the Trash folder.
- Designating how often to purge the Trash folder.
To configure your Maintenance Operations, do the following:
- Click the Options button.
- In the Mail Management section, click Maintenance Operations.
- Select the desired maintenance options and then click Save Options.
Adding Security
Keeping the E-mail Client Updated for Security Reasons
- Keeping your web browser up-to-date with security releases will ensure
that WebMail is secure.
Your E-mail Client and Virus Protection
K-State now passes all incoming and outgoing e-mail messages through a
multi-server virus-filtering system. Any e-mails which test positive
for viruses are discarded in this process. This is done at the server level
and requires no interaction from users.
This filtering is in addition to the virus checking software that should
be kept up-to-date on your computer. See K-State's Antivirus website for virus protection tools as well as information on the latest breaking virus alerts.
