# Put an email on a desk or turn it into a task

> Send an email or its whole thread to a desk as an Email widget, or make a task from it with a place, a due date and an urgency.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/mail-to-desk-and-tasks
Section: Communicate > Mail
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

Most email is about some piece of work. Mail gives you two ways to move a message from the inbox to where that work happens:

- **Send to desk** puts the email, or its whole thread, on a desk as an Email widget. It stays there, readable like a document, even after you archive the message.
- **Make a task** turns the email into a task with a due date and an urgency, in the folder or desk you choose.

Both buttons sit in the reading pane, beside **Reply**, **Reply all** and **Forward**.

## Before you start

- **Connect your mailbox.** See [Connect your email account](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mail-connect-account).
- **Plans.** Both are part of every plan.
- **Have a desk.** To send an email to a desk, make the desk first. See [Create a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/desk-create).

## Send an email to a desk

1. In the side menu, open **Apps** and click **Mail** under **Tools**.
2. Open the email.
3. Click **Send to desk**. Its tooltip reads **Keep this email on a desk, read like a document**. A list of your desks opens.
4. Under the desk you want, click one of:
   - **This email** to keep just this message.
   - **Whole thread** to keep this message with the rest of its conversation.
5. A notice confirms it, for example **Email sent to Q4 launch plan**, or **Thread sent to Q4 launch plan** for a whole thread. Click **Open** in the notice to go to the desk.

If you have no desks yet, the list says **No desks yet — make one and this email can live on it.**

On the desk, the email appears as an Email widget. You can check a thread for new replies, switch between the one email and the whole thread, and open it back in Mail from there. See [Email widget: keep an email on a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-email).

> **Tip:**
> Send the same email to more than one desk if it matters to each of them. Each desk gets its own Email widget.

## Make a task from an email

1. Open the email in Mail.
2. Click **Make a task**. The **Make a task from this email** window opens.
3. Check the **Task** name. It starts as the email's subject.
4. Under **Place it in**, choose where the task goes:
   - **All Tasks (top level)**, the starting choice, for a task on its own.
   - A folder, desk or task from the list, which is laid out like your folders, to put the task inside it.
5. Or, to file it somewhere new, type a name under **…or new folder**. PlexiDesk makes the folder and puts the task in it. While this box has a name in it, **Place it in** is set aside.
6. Pick a **Due date** if it has one.
7. Choose an **Urgency**: **Low**, **Minor**, **Normal**, **High** or **Urgent**. It starts at **Normal**.
8. Click **Create task**.

The button in the reading pane changes to **Task created**. Click **Cancel**, or outside the window, to close it without making a task.

### What the task holds

- The task's name, from **Task**.
- A description with who the email was from, such as "From Sam Lee <sam@example.com>", followed by the start of the email's text, so you know what it was about without going back to Mail.
- The due date and urgency you chose.

The task appears in the place you chose and in All Tasks, like any other task. See [See every task in All Tasks](https://plexiidesk.com/help/tasks-all-tasks).

## Which one to use

| You want to | Use |
| --- | --- |
| Keep the exact words of an email with the work, such as a quote, a brief or an agreement | **Send to desk** with **This email** |
| Follow a conversation as it continues | **Send to desk** with **Whole thread** |
| Make sure you do something about an email by a date | **Make a task** |
| See every new email about a piece of work as it arrives | An [Inbox widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-inbox) on the desk, or a mail tag linked to the desk. See [Organise mail with tags](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mail-tags). |

## Tips

- **Archive after you act.** Once the email is on a desk or is a task, press `a` to archive it. The Email widget keeps it readable, and the task keeps its sender and text.
- **Do both for the important ones.** Send the client's request to their desk so everyone can read it, and make a task for your part of it.
- **Name the task as an action.** Change **Task** from the subject line to what you need to do, such as "Send revised quote to Sam".

## Common questions

**I archived the email. Is it still on the desk?** Yes. The Email widget reads the copy PlexiDesk keeps on this computer, so it stays readable after the message leaves your inbox. See [Email widget: keep an email on a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-email).

**Can I find the email again from the task?** The task's description names the sender and starts with the email's text. Search Mail for the sender or a phrase from it. See [Search your mail](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mail-search).

**Why is a desk missing from the Send to desk list?** Archived desks are not listed, and the list shows up to 40 desks.

**A notice says Could not send that email to the desk.** Try again. If it keeps happening, check that the desk still exists.

## Related tasks

- [Email widget: keep an email on a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-email)
- [Read, reply and send email](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mail-read-and-reply)
- [See every task in All Tasks](https://plexiidesk.com/help/tasks-all-tasks)
- [Keep a client's people, mail and chat on their desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/desk-people-and-mail)
- [Organise mail with tags](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mail-tags)