Change Windows Mail advanced settings

You can use the Advanced tab in the Windows Mail Options dialog box to change settings related to managing contacts, deleting messages, watching threads, and handling replies and forwarded messages. To access the Advanced tab:

1.     Open Windows Mail.

2.     Click the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Advanced tab.

Convert attachments received in Windows Contacts format to the vCard format

When you receive a file attachment in the Contacts format, you can choose to save the file in the vCard format instead, which is compatible with Windows XP, and with Outlook Express and many other programs, or you can leave it in the Contacts format, which is compatible with Windows Contacts and Windows Mail in new versions of Windows.

Under Contact Attachment Conversion, you can choose one of the following options:

• Click Always convert Windows Contacts attachments to vCards if you want to automatically convert Windows Contacts attachments to vCards when you save them.
• Click Ask me each time if you want to decide which format to use each time you receive a Windows Contacts attachment.
• Click Leave contact attachments in Contacts format to always save the attachment in Windows Contacts format.

Move deleted IMAP messages

When you delete a message from an IMAP folder, Windows Mail marks the message as deleted, but leaves it in your message list until it has been deleted from your IMAP server. If you want to remove messages from the message list at the time that you delete them, select the Move deleted IMAP e‑mail to Deleted Items folder check box.

Automatically watch discussions that you start

Select the Mark message threads I start as "watched" check box to automatically watch any conversation that you start. For more information, see Watch an e‑mail or newsgroup conversation.

Change settings for replies and forwards

Under Reply/Forward, you can choose any of the following options:

• Select the Insert signature at the bottom of a reply check box to automatically insert your signature when you reply to a message. By default, Windows Mail only automatically inserts the signature when you create a new message.
• Select the Reply at the bottom of a message check box to add your reply text at the bottom of the message you're replying to, instead of above it.

Change advanced maintenance and troubleshooting options

Click Maintenance to change advanced maintenance and troubleshooting settings. You can adjust where and for how long Windows Mail stores messages, and select troubleshooting features that support personnel can use to help them diagnose connection problems.

See also

• Can I send and receive vCard contacts?