Using NYUHome Web Mail (Messenger Express)

Messenger Express is the mail program built into NYUHome. It is a web-based email client which supports basic features such as read, compose, send, receive, forward, and delete. Because mail is stored on a central NYU server (and not your own computer), you access your mail using a web browser which connects you to the central server. Use the menu at the right to browse the instructions on using the NYUHome email client.

Messenger Express does not, at this time, support automated message filtering (except for mail that exhibits characteristics of spam. See our section on Spam Filtering for NYUHome Mail for more information). For more advanced mail management, we recommend the use of a desktop mail program such as Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or Outlook.

Checking Mail

1. Click Get Mail, from within the Inbox window. If new mail is waiting for you, it will appear in your Inbox.
2. To read your message, click on the underlined text in the Subject column.
3. To read the next message, click on the Next arrow. To go to the previous message, click on the Prev arrow.
4. To see an expanded view of the header fields, click on the arrow in the From: line of the message.
5. To reply to the message, click on the Reply button. A Compose Message window will open. By default, a copy of the original message appears in the window. If you do not want to have the original message appear in your replies:
   • Select the Options tab.
   • Select the Settings option from the left-hand menu.
   • Under Reply Quoting, uncheck the box next to Automatically quote original message when replying.
   • Click the Save Changes button to activate.
6. To delete the message from your Inbox, click on the Delete button while still in the active message window.

Adjusting the Font & Font Size

1. Click Options in the menu bar at the top of the NYUHome Mail window.
2. Click Appearance in the lefthand navigation bar.
3. Locate the Display Font options at the bottom of the Appearance screen, and select the font face, size, and spacing from the pulldown menus.
4. Click Save Changes when done, to save your new display font settings.

Composing & Sending Mail

1. Click the Compose icon from any of the tabs in the menu bar: Folders, Inbox, Sent, Trash, Drafts, or Addresses. The Compose Message window appears.
2. In the Recipients window, type an email address in the appropriate window:
   • To: Use this field to address a message to recipients. Separate addresses with a comma.
   • Cc: Use this field to send a copy. Separate addresses with a comma.
   • Bcc: Use this field to send a blind copy. Other recipients cannot see that you have sent a copy of the message to this recipient. Separate addresses with a comma.

Note: There is a limit of 200 addresses total per email.

If you are a faculty member, staff member or student club leader who sends out multiple mailings to a specific group of individuals, it may be beneficial for you to apply for an NYU List. Read more about NYU Lists at www.nyu.edu/its/lists.

3. Click inside the Subject field and type a description of the subject of your message.
4. Click inside the message text box, and enter the text of your message.
5. If you wish to check the spelling in your message, click on the Spell Check icon in the menu bar. If you have misspelled words, a window will open showing you the errors. You can go back to editing your message once you've corrected your errors. You can also put a check mark in the box next to the Check spelling before message is sent option. This will perform a spell-check before you send your message. Note: This option does not allow you to go back and edit your message once you've performed the spell-check.
6. From the Priority drop-down list, select the priority of your message (Normal, Urgent or Non-Urgent).
7. From the Request receipt drop-down list, select the option you want (None, When delivered, When viewed, Both).
8. At the top of the Compose Message window, click on the Send icon to send your message.

You are returned to the screen for the tab from which you chose to compose your message.

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Copying & Pasting Documents into Email

If you have a text document that you've written and you wish to include it in your email, you can select the text and copy the contents of the document by pasting it into your message text.

Copying and pasting text from a text program into Messenger Express' Compose window is best handled through keyboard combinations.

• For PC: Use the Ctrl+C key combination to Copy text and the Ctrl+V key combination to Paste text.
• For Macintosh: Use the Command+C (the Apple key) key combination to Copy text and the Command+V key combination to Paste text.

Note: Keep in mind that if your original document was composed in, for example, Microsoft Word, there are control characters introduced when copying and pasting into different programs. If the person receiving your message does not have a mail program that supports this hidden formatting, additional characters may appear in the message.

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Creating New Folders

1. Click the Folders tab.
2. Select the radio button next to the top level folder in which you want to create a new subfolder.
3. Click New.
4. In the dialog box, type a name for the new folder.
5. Click OK.

Note: When naming folders for shared access, it is important that you do not have spaces in the folder name!

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Shared Folders

What Is a Shared Folder?

A shared mail folder allows you to share the contents of a specified mail folder with others. Keep in mind that the contents of any shared folder that you create will count against your mail quota of 100MB.

If you wish to create a new folder to share, first see the Creating New Folders instructions, above.

WARNING: Sharing folders does give you the option of assigning shared folder permissions to "anyone," which means EVERYONE with an NYUHome account. By assigning permission to "anyone," you allow anyone at the University with an NYUHome account access to your folders. DO NOT use this option. Only set specific permissions for known and trusted persons.

There are three permission types:

• Read Only. Allows users to only view the messages in the shared folder.
• Read and Write. Allows users to read and edit the messages in the shared folder and delete any subfolders created.
• Read, Write and Manage Access. Allows users to read and edit the messages in the shared folder, create subfolders under each shared folder, delete the subfolder, and share the folders with others.

How to Create a Shared Folder

A shared mail folder allows you to share the contents of a specified folder with others.

If you wish to create a new folder to share, first see the Creating New Folders instructions, above.

Note: Folders created for shared access should not have spaces in the folder name!

To set permissions on a shared folder:

1. Click the Folders tab.
2. Select the folder you want to share with others by clicking the radio button to the left of the folder.
3. From the Folder tab menu bar, click on the Share icon. The Share Folder window will open.
4. In the Share Folder window, put a checkmark in the box next to Enable direct delivery of email to folder. This will allow for mail to be delivered directly to the others sharing the folder.
5. To add people to the shared folder group, type their NetID into the box provided and click on the Add button.

   If you do not know the NetID of the person you wish to add, click the Search button. Type in the name of the person and click the Search button. When you find the name of the person, put a checkmark in the box to the left of their name under the Select column. Click the OK button to add them to your list.

   Note: Observe the display of Anyone in the NetID column. The Anyone entry cannot be removed from the NetID column, but by default has None of the permissions assigned. You do, however, have the option of assigning permissions from the drop-down menu next to the entry.

   WARNING! Sharing folders does give you the option of assigning shared folder permissions to "anyone," which means EVERYONE with an NYUHome account. By assigning permission to "anyone," you allow anyone at the university with an NYUHome account access to your folders. DO NOT use this option. Only set specific permissions for known and trusted persons.

6. From the Permissions column drop-down menu, choose the appropriate permissions for the person(s) with whom you wish to share your folder.

   Permission Types:

   • Read Only. Allows users to only view the messages in the shared folder.
   • Read and Write. Allows users to read and edit the messages in the shared folder and delete any subfolders created.
   • Read, Write and Manage Access. Allows users to read and edit the messages in the shared folder, create subfolders under each shared folder, delete the subfolder, and share the folders with others.
7. Click OK.

How to Subscribe to a Shared Folder

To access a folder that someone has shared with you, you must subscribe to the folder.

To subscribe to a folder:

1. In the Folders tab, click on the Subscribe icon in order to search for the folder to which you've been granted access. The Subscribe to Shared Folders window will open.
2. In the Subscribe to Shared Folders window, type in either the name of the person who has shared a folder with you, or type in their NetID (if you know it). Click on the Search button.
3. The Select NetID window opens with a list of the information that matches the search criteria. Select the appropriate NetID to subscribe to that person's shared folder and click the OK button.
4. A list of the folders along with the names of the owners of the folder displays. Select the folder(s) to which you want to subscribe and click the Subscribe button.
5. In the Folders window, a new section called Shared Folders appears. The name of the folder(s) and the folder('s) owner appears. Click on the folder name to view the files saved in each folder.

   With the PC, if you put your mouse over the folder icon, you can see what your access permissions are for that folder. (At this time, this feature is not enabled for Macintosh).

How to Unsubscribe from a Shared Folder

1. In the Folders tab, select the folder to which you wish to unsubscribe by clicking the radio button next to its name under the Select column.
2. Click the Unsubscribe icon in the menu bar.
3. An alert message displays to confirm your choice. Click the OK button to unsubscribe. The folder will be removed from your shared folder list.

How to Send Mail to a Shared Folder

1. Open the Compose window.

2. In the appropriate header field (To:, Cc:, Bcc:), address the message as:

   NetID+foldername@nyu.edu

   Where NetID is the NetID of the folder's OWNER, and foldername is the name of the shared folder to which you're sending mail.

3. Compose your message and click the Send button when finished. The mail message will be delivered into the shared folder you specified in the address.

Note: Mail incorrectly addressed to a shared folder's address will be delivered to the INBOX of the shared folder's owner.

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Creating a Signature File

A signature file is information that appears on all of your outgoing email. To create one, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Options tab.
2. Select Personal Information from the left-hand menu bar.
3. In the Signature window, enter the information that you want to appear at the bottom of your email messages.
4. Click the check box next to Include this text in each message you compose: if you want to have the signature appear in each email you send.
5. Click Save Changes.
6. Send yourself a test message to see how it looks.

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Changing Your Name on Outgoing Email Messages

If your name appears incorrectly on your outgoing email messages sent using the Messenger Express mail client (for example, you use your middle name professionally, or you go by a different first name) you may request to have this information modified.

Send an email message to accounts.reply@nyu.edu to request the change.

If you are using a desktop email client like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird to read and send email, you can configure the mail client specifically for how you want your "From" field to appear.

Please note: We receive our information from the Registrar's Student Information System (SIS) database (for students) and the Human Resources main database (for staff and faculty). If your name is misspelled on your official University records, we recommend that you consult directly with a representative from the appropriate office to advise them of the error.

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Setting Up a Vacation Message

It's easy to set up what is called a "vacation message" for when you'll be away and unable to check your NYUHome mail. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Preferences button in the upper right-hand corner of your NYUHome screen.
2. Under the Your E-mail section, select the link for Set! from the Vacation message: option.

3. Customize the message that your correspondents will receive. For example:

   "I am on vacation until October 1. If you have an urgent question, please contact Judy Doe at (212) 555-1234."

4. Select the Enable vacation message option.
5. Click the Save button to activate the vacation response program.
6. Send yourself a test message to see how it looks.

Anyone who writes to you will receive a copy of the message you create. The mail they've sent will be stored in your Inbox for you to reply to when you return. Don't forget to disable the vacation message once you've returned.

Keep in mind that the vacation program will only send back a copy of this message to a user once. So, if the person repeatedly sends email, and they ignore the first "I'm on vacation" message, they won't receive a new one.

Also, remember to unsubscribe from any mailing lists you are subscribed to as auto-responding to mailing lists is not proper netiquette.

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Filtering & Transferring Mail

NYUHome mail will not automatically transfer email messages into designated folders. However, you can manually transfer mail into folders maintained on the NYUHome server, so that all your folders will be accessible to you no matter where you log in.

To transfer a message to a specific folder:

1. Click the box to the left of the message, so that a check appears in the box.
2. From the Move Messages to Folder pull-down menu, select the folder to which you wish to transfer the message.

To create a new folder, see the section above.

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Deleting (and Undeleting) Email

To have your email located in NYUHome restored, please send an email to restores@nyu.edu, include the specific time when the messages were deleted, and the title of the messages.

Your ability to retrieve deleted email depends on how you've set up your preferences within Messenger Express. Here's how to change your preferences:

1. Click on the Options tab.
2. Select Settings from the left-hand menu bar. There are two options for deletion. You can:
   • Move Deleted Messages To a selected folder. The default folder is Trash.

   • You may alternately create a new folder. Click the radio button next to Move deleted messages to activate the folder option.

     Checking the box Empty folder on close will delete any messages transferred to your selected folder when you log out of Messenger Express.

   • Mark messages deleted. Here, messages are still active in your inbox, but marked with an X. You may choose to delete these when you are ready.

     Click Expunge to permanently remove the messages that are marked for deletion. Or, you can select to Remove deleted messages from Inbox on close. This will permanently delete the selected messages when you log out of Messenger Express.

3. Click the Save Changes button to activate.

As long as the deleted message is still in your Trash folder, you can retrieve it. On the other hand, expunged messages are permanently removed, without saving a backup copy.

Note: Please be aware that all messages older than seven days are automatically deleted from the Trash folder.

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Forwarding Mail to Another Account

To automatically forward mail from your NYUHome account to another email account, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Preferences button in the upper right-hand corner of your NYUHome screen.
2. Under the Your E-mail section, select the link for Edit from the Mail forwarding option.
3. Check the box next to Enable e-mail forwarding.
4. Enter in the window the email address (or addresses) of the account(s) to which you want to forward your mail. You can enter as many email addresses as you wish, but they must be separated by a comma.
5. If you wish to leave a copy of each email message you receive in your NYUHome account in addition to having the mail forwarded, make sure the option for Retain a copy of each incoming email message on NYUHome is selected. Otherwise, no copy will be left in your NYUHome account.

   Note: Copies of messages left on the NYUHome server count against your email quota. If you exceed your quota, you will no longer receive your messages. Therefore, it is important that you log into your NYUHome account periodically to empty your mail Inbox to avoid going over your mail quota.

6. Click the Save Changes button to begin forwarding your mail.

You should test each forward you have set IMMEDIATELY by sending a sample email with an attachment to yourself at your NYUHome account. Make sure the email arrives properly, including the attachment, at the account(s) to which you have forwarded your mail within a reasonable amount of time. If it does not, you should immediately disable the forwarding from your NYUHome account and investigate your account at the other location.

TIPS: Make sure that the account to which you are forwarding is not configured to auto-forward email to your NYUHome account. If you have two accounts set to forward email to each other, you will create a mail loop, and will not receive the mail at either location!

To remove a forwarding address:

Follow steps 1 and 2 as above. Then, uncheck the box next to Enable e-mail forwarding. Click Save Changes to stop forwarding your email. Your email will now automatically be retained on NYUHome.

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Reading Email from Other Accounts

You can configure your NYUHome account to POP your mail from other email accounts. If you have an account on servername.com (such as stern.nyu.edu or yahoo.com), you can collect mail from your servername.com account and view it with Messenger Express.

To collect messages from another server:

1. In the bottom right of the Inbox or Folder tabs, click Collect External Mail.
2. A POP collection window appears. You will be asked to supply the following information:
   • POP Server: Enter the name of the server you want mail collected from.
   • POP User ID: Enter your user ID for that account.
   • Password Enter your password for that account.
   • Delete messages from server: If you want the mail you are collecting to be deleted from the external account, click this checkbox to insert a checkmark.
   • Save to Folder: From the drop-down list, choose a folder to hold your collected external mail.
3. Click Collect.

Remember, however, that you can only save up to 100 megabytes of email in your NYUHome account. Whenever you import email from other accounts into NYUHome, it will use up some of that quota. So please manage your allocated disk space carefully.

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Opening Attachments with Internet Explorer 6

First, make sure that pop-ups are allowed for home.nyu.edu. (Check the information bar at the top of the browser window.) If the problem persists, do the following:

1. Open the Internet Explorer 6 Tools menu, and select Internet Options.
2. Click the Security tab, click the Trusted Sites icon, then click Sites.
3. Under "Add this Web site to the zone," enter https://mail.nyu.edu.
4. Click Add.
5. Make sure that "Require server verification" is not checked. (Click to clear the box if it is.)
6. Click OK, then click OK again.
7. Clicking an attachment link should now open a window prompting you to Open or Save the attached file.

As a quick alternative to the above steps, you can right-click the attachment link, choose Open in a New Window, and then Open or Save the attachment, as desired.

Opening Attachments with Internet Explorer 7

First, make sure that pop-ups are allowed for home.nyu.edu. (Check the information bar at the top of the browser window.) If the problem persists, do the following:

1. Open the Internet Explorer 7 Tools menu and select Internet Options. (The Tools menu is located in the upper right area of the browser window).
2. Click the Security tab.
3. On the Security tab, click the Internet icon, then click the Custom level button.
4. Scroll down the Settings list to the "Downloads" section. Under "Automatic prompting for file downloads," click Enable to select it.
5. Click OK, then click OK again.
6. Clicking an attachment link should now open a window prompting you to Open or Save the attached file.

As a quick alternative to the above steps, you can right-click the attachment link, choose Open in a New Window, and then Open or Save the attachment, as desired.

Viewing Email Attachments

If you receive a message with an attachment, simply click on the attachment's name to see the file.

1. If it is a basic text document, it will open up in a separate browser window for you to view. To save the file to your local machine, go to the File menu and select Save As to choose a name for the file.
2. If the attachment is an image file, the image will appear in the mail message window. To save the image to your local machine:
   • On a Macintosh: Hold the mouse button down on the image and you will be asked how you wish to save the image file.
   • On a PC: Hold down the right mouse button over the image and you will be asked how you wish to save the image file.

If the attachment is more complex, for example, an Excel spreadsheet or a document that needs to be opened in a particular application (i.e. - Photoshop or Powerpoint), your browser preferences will determine how the attached file is handled.

If your browser is set up to automatically download attachments to a particular folder, the download will begin when you click on the attachment name. Or, your browser may ask you what you wish to do with the download, for example, do you wish to open it, save it or delete it. Once the file is downloaded to your local machine, you can open it with the appropriate application.

Note: There is 50MB size limit on incoming attachments. In addition, if you save a message with a large attachment in one of your mail folders, the file size will count against your mail quota. If you download the file to your local computer, you will reduce your quota.

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Uploading Attachments

You can attach and send any file from a disk connected to your computer. When you specify a file to attach, a copy of the file is attached to the message and the original remains on the disk.

File Size Restrictions

Keep in mind that the size of the file you attach cannot exceed 50MB. In addition, any file will actually become larger when attached to your email since attachments are encoded before they are sent. The encoding is necessary to ensure that data is properly sent across email systems. The encoding may often increase the file size by up to 25 percent. Compression of the file may be necessary if the file is too large to be sent as is.

An alternative to sending a file using the email system is to upload the file to your NYUHome Web space and provide the URL to your colleague so they can download the file to their local machine.

For more information on your NYUHome Web space, see Your NYUHome Web Page for instructions on creating and editing your NYUHome Web page.

To send an attachment with a message:

1. Click the Compose icon from any of the tabs in the menu bar: Folders, Inbox, Sent, Trash, Drafts, or Addresses.
2. Click the Attach icon. The Attach File window will open.
3. Click Browse to find the file you want to attach.
4. Click on the file you want to attach. Make sure that the file has the proper file type suffix (such as .txt, .jpg, .doc, .gif) appended to the file name.
5. Click Open.
6. Click the Add button to add the file to your attachment list. If you have other files to add, repeat steps 3, 4 and 5.
7. If you wish to remove one of the files you've added, click on the Remove button next to the file name.
8. Once you've added all the files you wish to attach, click the Attach button in the Attach File window.

The Attach window closes when the file is sent.

Note: If you wish to remove the attachment(s) after the Attach File window has closed, you can delete them in the Attachment section of the Compose window. Click on the attachment name and click the Remove button.

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Printing Out Mail or Files from NYUHome

The Messenger Express mail program is similar to a web browser. Therefore, you can use the same menu bar commands as you would with your browser.

• In Netscape: Open the message or file you wish to print and select the Print Frame option from the File menu to print the message on your home printer.
• In Internet Explorer: Open the message or file you wish to print and select the Print option from the File menu to print the message on your home printer.

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Creating an Address Book Entry

To Add an address:

1. Click on Addresses from the top menu bar.
2. Click on the New Contact button. The New Contact window will open.
3. Enter the appropriate information in each field.
4. Click the OK button to save your entry.

To Edit an address entry:

1. Click on Addresses from the top menu bar.
2. Click on the address you wish to edit.
3. In the window that pops open, make any changes you wish to the existing address entry.
4. Click the OK button to save your entry.

To Delete an address:

1. Click on Addresses from the top menu bar.
2. Click on the address you wish to delete.
3. In the window that pops open, click the Delete button.

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Adding Addresses From Your Email

When you receive an email message, the addresses in the header of the mail message (the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields) show up as links. If you click on an address link, the New Contact window opens up and you can add the address to your Address Book.

If you wish to quickly add ALL the addresses that appear in the message to your Address Book, you can use the Add Addresses feature.

Note: Keep in mind that when you use the Add Addresses feature to add addresses from an email, ALL the addresses in the email are added to your list. If you do not wish to add all the addresses, simply click on the address you wish to add and the New Contact window will open for you to add the particular address.

To use the Add Addresses feature:

1. Open an email message.
2. Click on the Add Addresses icon in the menu bar.
3. If the address is already in your Address Book, a dialog box will open with a notification that a "duplicate was ignored".
4. Click on the Addresses button. You should see the address you added listed in your Address Book. To add more information to the entry, click on the entry listing under the Display Name column.

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Address Groups

Creating an Address Group

To create an address group, any address you wish to add to the group must first be added to your Address Book individually.

Once the addresses you wish to add to your group are entered into your Address Book:

1. Click on Addresses from the top menu bar.
2. Click on the New Group icon. The New Group window will open.
3. Enter a name for your group in the Group Name field.
4. Highlight the individuals you want to include in the new group from the left-hand panel. To select more than one name at a time, hold down the Shift key (for Macintosh and PC) while selecting, or to select non-contiguous entries, hold down the Apple key (for Macintosh) or the Ctrl key (for PC) while selecting.
5. Click the Add button to move the selected recipient to the Group Includes panel on the right. Or, click the Remove button to remove a recipient from the Group Includes panel and place it back in the other panel.
6. If you wish, you can click the Notes tab to enter notes about the group you are creating.
7. Click the OK button to save your address group.

Editing or Deleting an Address Group

1. Click on Addresses from the top menu bar.
2. Under the Display Name column, click on the name of the group you wish to edit. The Update Group window will open.
3. Click the Add button to move the selected recipient to the Group Includes panel on the right. Or, click the Remove button to remove a recipient from the panel and place it back in the other panel.
4. To delete a name, select the name, then click the Delete button.
5. Click the OK button to save your changes.

Sending Mail to an Address Group

1. Click on the Compose button.
2. In the Compose Message window, click on the Address button.
3. From the drop-down menu that says All, change the option to Groups. Your address groups will now be displayed in the left-hand window.
4. Highlight the address group to which you want to send mail.
5. Click the appropriate middle button (To:, Cc:, Bcc:) to determine how your message will be sent to your address group. The address group will then be displayed in the right-hand window.
6. Click the OK button. You will be returned to your Compose Message window and the addresses of those in your address group should be in the correct mail header field.

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Searching for NYU Email Addresses

From within the Messenger Express mail program, you can use the Search feature to address your email.

1. Click Compose in the Messenger Express screen.
2. In the Compose Message screen, click on Address.
3. The Select Recipients window will open allowing you to select recipient addresses from your personal address book. Highlight the address to which you wish to send mail and click the appropriate header field button (To:, Cc:, Bcc:). When you're finished, click on the OK button to address your message.
4. If you wish to search the NYU Public Directory, click on the Search... button.
5. Type in the name of the NYU person you wish to find.
6. Click on Search.
7. When you find your choice, click the box next to one of the following addressing options: To:, Cc: or Bcc:
8. Click on OK to add that address to your recipient list.
9. When finished, click OK.

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Checking Spelling

To use the built-in spell check, click on the Spell Check button in the menu bar of the Compose Message window.

If you have misspelled words, a window will open showing you the errors. You can go back to editing your message once you've corrected your errors.

Alternatively, you can put a check mark in the box next to the Check spelling before message is sent option. This will perform a spell-check before you send your message. However, this option does not allow you to go back and edit your message once you've performed the spell-check.

Keep in mind that if you copy and paste a document originally created with a Micrsoft product (i.e. Microsoft Word) to your message text, you may introduce formatting characters, specifically Microsoft's "smart quotes," into your message.

Smart quotes are quotes, either single or double, that lean to the left at the beginning of the quote and lean towards the right at the end of the quote. They are well known and used, but are not part of the standard character set. The standard quotes are like those on a typewriter. If you have "smart quotes" in your copied document, the Spell Checker will interpret the words containing the smart quotes as misspelled.

Note: If you are using Internet Explorer on a PC as your web browser, you have the option to format your messages with HTML. With the Text/HTML switch set to HTML, the spell checker displays the HTML tags during a spell check. Ignore these tags; they do not affect the spell check.

To change a word that the spell checker has highlighted:

1. Click a highlighted word in order to select it.
2. Edit the word yourself directly in the Change field or, to replace it with a word from the suggested word list, click on a suggested word. If the spell checker does not have any suggestions, it displays the message No Suggestions.
3. Click one of the following:
   • Change - to replace the highlighted word that you selected.
   • Change All - to replace all the instances of the word within your message.
   • Ignore All - to ignore the word you selected and all other instances of the word within your message. This removes the highlighting from all occurences of the selected word.

   Notice that each time your change a highlighted word, the spell checker returns you to the beginning of your message. This behavior is more apparent in long messages.

4. When you are finished checking the spelling in your message, Click the Done button.

   Note: Make sure you do not close the spell check browser window itself. If you do, you will lose your compose window and your message. Always use the Done button to close the spell checker.

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Session Time Out

Currently, the NYUHome log-in time limit is 10 hours. Therefore, if your session has been idle for 10 hours or more, you will need to log in again.

Unfortunately, you cannot retrieve a lost message once you've timed out.

The timeout on NYUHome sessions is in place because many people are using NYUHome from labs and other public locations. Unfortunately, many people do not log out in such public venues, and we've had a number of incidents in the past of another person walking up to a public machine and misusing the email of another person. The timeout reduces the overall chance of abuse.

To avoid a timeout when composing long messages, do the following:

1. Use a text editor like Notepad (for the PC) or SimpleText (for the Macintosh) to compose messages that take substantial time to edit. Then paste them into a Compose window in Messenger Express when you are ready to send.
2. If the features of Messenger Express don't suit your needs, it might be more beneficial for you to use a desktop mail program like Eudora, Netscape Messenger or Outlook Express with your NYUHome account to better manage your mail. These programs allow for "off-line" composition and viewing of mail. Instructions for setting up your NYUHome account with one of these mail programs are available at www.nyu.edu/its/email/configure.

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Requesting a Return Receipt

With Messenger Express, you can request to get a "return receipt" delivered to you when the mail message you've sent is received, read or both.

To set up the return receipt feature:

1. Click on the Compose icon. The Compose Message window appears.
2. Compose your message.
3. At the bottom of the message screen is a drop-down menu that says Request Receipt. The default setting is None.
   • Select When delivered to be notified when your message arrives in the recipient's mailbox.
   • Select When viewed to be notified when the recipient has read your message.
   • Select Both to be notified when the message is both delivered to and read by the recipient.
4. Click on the Send button to send your message.

Note: Activating the return receipt function does not guarantee that you will be notified of a delivered mail message. Many mail clients can be programmed to ignore return receipt requests.

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Emptying the Trash

Mail moved to your Trash folder counts against your mail quota just like mail saved into your other folders. Therefore, to better manage your mail quota, it's a good idea to empty the trash on a regular basis.

One way to clear the Trash automatically is to:

1. Click the Options tab.
2. Choose Settings from the left-hand menu.
3. Under the Deleting Mail section, click the radio button for Move deleted messages to Trash (the default selection).
4. Put a checkmark in the box next to Empty Folder on Close.
5. Click on Save Changes.

This way, when you click on the Close button to end your mail session, the mail in the Trash will be automatically deleted.

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Changing Mail Sort Order

1. Click on the Options tab.
2. Choose Appearance from the left-hand menu.
3. Under the Message List View section, change the drop-down menu to the sort order you prefer (oldest first vs. oldest last).
4. Click on Save Changes.
5. Click on the Folders tab.
6. Choose the Inbox folder.
7. You should see your messages in the sort order you prefer.

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Help Block Unwanted Spam Mail

1. Log into NYUHome.
2. Click the Preferences link in the upper right corner of your NYUHome screen.
3. Under the Your E-mail heading, find the Spam filtering level option and click the EDIT link.
4. There are four filtering levels to choose from:
   • None No filtering of Spam is done.
   • Light The default setting. Only mail that is very likely to be spam is filtered. Some spam will still arrive in your Inbox. There will be few false positives. (A false positive is desired mail that may be inadvertently filtered into your Spam folder because it may contain elements that are characteristic of spam: lots of capital letters or exclamation points, or phrases like "click here.")
   • Medium More spam filtered than the Light setting; more false positives.
   • Strict Eliminates virtually all spam from your Inbox. Most likely to produce false positives.

    

5. Select your preferred filtering level and click Save. Once mail considered to be spam (according to your filtering level) is received, Messenger Express will automatically create a folder called Spam for the spam mail delivery (if one does not already exist).

NOTE: Any message older than seven days within the NYUHome Spam folder will be automatically deleted. We recommend that you check your Spam folder periodically as, depending on your filter level, some desired messages may end up in this folder.

Viewing Mail Headers

To view expanded mail headers, click on the triangle in the upper right-hand corner of the mail message.

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Page last reviewed: September 9, 2009