How to reply to, forward, and resend an email

Front has several different options for how you can reply, forward, or resend an email based on your needs. You can also set a default option reply button for mobile. Read about each of the options in this article and how they differ.

The blue Reply button appears at the bottom of the most recent message in the thread, as well as in the three-dot menu on the top right of every message. This option will reply only to the From sender in the message that you reply from, not any other recipients on the message.

If there are multiple recipients in the most recent message, you will see a blue Reply all button at the bottom of the message; as well as in the three-dot menu on the top right of any message. This option will send the reply to all recipients in this message that you Reply all from.

While commenting and assigning can take the place of forwarding emails internally, sometimes it's necessary to resend or forward to external parties. Front allows you to forward within the same thread or a new thread.

When you use the Forward option, the forwarded message will thread into the existing conversation. The forward will include existing content prior to that conversation thread. This allows you to keep the context of the forward within the thread and replies will also thread into the existing conversation if your threading is turned on. Otherwise, you'll want to use the Forward as a new conversation option instead. 

You can see the forwarded content by clicking the three-dot menu at the bottom to expand the history.

The Forward as a new conversation option will create a brand new thread for the forwarded message. This option is helpful if you want to start a completely separate discussion that is not related to the original at all. Replies will thread into this new conversation if you have threading turned on. You can see the forwarded content by clicking the three-dot menu at the bottom to expand the history.

Sometimes there are messages we need to re-use and send again, like an order quote or proposal. Now, you can do that right from your chosen message in Front — no need to copy and paste into a new message or disrupt the formatting by forwarding. Currently, this feature is available on email channels. To see the Resend options, click the three-dot menu at the top right of any inbound or outbound message. 

When you choose the Resend option, a new duplicate message will be created within the same thread. You can send this to any recipient you'd like to keep the context within the same thread for your team to see. Replies will thread into this original conversation if you have threading turned on.

When you use Resend as a new conversation, Front will create a brand new thread replicating the message that you are resending. This option is helpful if you want to reuse the information with a completely different client that is not related to the original at all. Replies will thread into this new conversation if you have threading turned on.

When composing a reply to an email, you can change the From address. In other words, you can receive a message to one email address and reply to it with a different email address. When composing a reply to an email, you can click the From address in the composer to choose any other reply channel you have access to.

While you can change the reply channel in email conversations, other channel types, such as SMS and chat, do not allow you to change the From address.

If you're replying to a shared conversation and you adjust the From channel to your individual channel, your message will still be visible in the shared inbox.

If the email originally lived in your individual inbox and you adjust the From channel to a shared channel, then the whole thread will also become visible in the shared inbox after you send the message. If your team settings also have the Auto-assign conversations on first reply feature turned on, then the conversation will also be assigned to you.

This option is only available on mobile 📲 because Front will always automatically show reply and reply all buttons on desktop and web for messages with multiple recipients.

Step 1

Click the gear icon on the top right of Front and into the Personal settings tab, then select Preferences.

Step 2

Navigate to the Reply button (mobile-only) setting and select Reply or Reply all in the dropdown.

Step 3 (optional)

If you always want to reply or forward in a new conversation, turn the toggle on for the Send in new conversation setting. When this is enabled, your default reply and forward actions will always create new conversations instead of threading messages to the original conversation.

Yes, check out this article to learn which shortcuts to use.

Anyone who has access to the existing conversation in Front will have access to the conversation if you selected Forward or Resend.

The email address you send from in the new conversation will determine who has access to the conversation in Front. For example, if you Resend or Forward as a new conversation from your individual inbox, then only you will have access to this conversation. In addition, anyone else who is included as a participant in the new conversation will also have access.