# Inbox widget

> Show the mail about one desk on that desk, picked by a rule you can see and change, then read and reply without leaving the desk.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-inbox
Section: Widgets > People and messages
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-10

The Inbox widget is your mailbox narrowed to one desk. It shows only the messages that match a rule, such as "from the client, about the launch, in the last 30 days", and the rule is always written on the widget so you can see why each message is there. New mail that matches turns up by itself, and you can open a message, read it and reply without leaving the desk.

Use it on any desk where mail drives the work: a client account, a deal, a hire, an event, a supplier order. The four messages that matter stay in view on the desk instead of sitting somewhere in a busy inbox.

More about this widget

> **Note:**
> The Inbox widget is a live view, so messages come and go as the rule and your mail change. To keep one particular email on a desk for good, send it to the desk from Mail instead. See [Email widget: keep an email on a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-email).

## Before you start

- **Connect a mailbox in Mail.** The Inbox widget reads the mailbox you connected in Mail. Mail runs in the PlexiDesk desktop app. See [Connect your email account](https://plexiidesk.com/help).
- **Plans.** The Inbox widget is part of every plan. Drafting a reply with AI is part of the Pro and Team plans, and needs AI set up: sign in to use PlexiDesk credits, or add your own Anthropic key. See [AI settings](https://plexiidesk.com/help/settings-ai).

## Add the widget

1. Open the desk.
2. Click **Add widget** in the header.
3. Click **Inbox**. The widget appears on the desk and reads your mailbox straight away.

In the **Add widget** menu, **Inbox** sits in the **People & messages** column, between **Contacts** and **Chat**. You can also type "inbox" into the search box at the top of the menu and press `Enter`.



You can also press `⌘` `K` on a Mac or `Ctrl` `K` on Windows, type **Add Inbox** and press `Enter`.

To move, resize, rename or remove the widget itself, use its title bar. See [The widget title bar](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-title-bar).

## How the widget chooses its mail

The widget looks through the latest 200 messages in your inbox and shows the ones that match its rule, newest first. The rule is written in a line just under the widget's header.

### The rule it starts with

The first time, the widget makes a rule from the desk's name: up to two of the longest words in the name, and mail from the last 30 days. It skips words shorter than three letters, plain numbers and common words such as "the", "and", "project", "plan" and "notes".

For example, on a desk named "Q4 launch plan" the rule line reads **about launch · in the last 30 days**.

### When a mail tag is about this desk

In Mail you can make a mail tag and choose a desk under **About a desk or task**. If a tag is about this desk, a new Inbox widget follows that tag's rule instead, and the rule line reads **Following the** and the tag's name **mail tag**. See [Tag your mail](https://plexiidesk.com/help).

### When there is no rule

If the rule is empty, the line reads **Everything in the inbox — tap to narrow**, and the widget shows all of the latest 200 messages. Click the line to set a rule.

## Change the rule

1. Click **Edit filter** (the sliders icon at the top right of the widget), or click the rule line.
2. Fill in any of these:
   - **From**: a name or an address. Separate several with commas; a comma means "or".
   - **Subject contains**: words in the subject. Again, a comma means "or".
   - **Unread only**, **Flagged** and **Has attachment**: tick any you want.
   - **Last**: **any time**, **7 days**, **30 days** or **90 days**.
3. The list changes as you type. Click **Done** when the rule is right.

A message is shown when it matches every field you filled in. Within one field, any of the comma-separated words can match. Matching ignores capitals and finds your words anywhere in the sender's name or address, or in the subject.

To go back to the rule made from the desk's name, open **Edit filter** and click **Reset to this desk**.



> **Tip:**
> To catch everyone at a company, put part of their email address in **From**, for example `@example.com`. To follow two people, type both names separated by a comma.

## Read the widget

- **The header** shows how many messages match, for example **12 matching**, and how many of those are unread, for example **3 new**.
- **Each row** shows the sender, how long ago the message arrived (such as **5m**, **3h** or **2d**, or the date for older mail) and the subject. Unread messages are in bold. A paperclip marks a message with an attachment, and a flag marks a flagged one.
- **The footer** shows how many of the latest messages were checked and when, for example **12 of 200 scanned · updated 2m**.

The widget checks again by itself when new mail arrives. To check now, click **Refresh** (the circular arrow at the top right).

## Read and reply to a message

1. Click a message in the widget. It opens over the desk and is marked as read.
2. Read it. The top shows the subject, the sender and the date. If the message is part of a longer exchange, click the line above it, such as **2 earlier messages in this thread**, to see the messages before it.
3. Any attachments are listed by name under the message. Rest the pointer on one to see its type and size.
4. To answer, click **Reply** or **Reply all**. Check the **To** line, and the **Cc** line for **Reply all**, then write your reply in the box.
5. Click **Send**. The reader shows **Sent.** when your mailbox has sent it.

To close the message, press `Esc` or click outside it. For everything else you can do with your mail, such as forwarding, archiving and searching, open Mail. See [Read and reply to mail](https://plexiidesk.com/help).

### Draft a reply with AI

Drafting with AI is part of the Pro and Team plans.

1. Open the message and click **Reply** or **Reply all**.
2. Click **Draft with AI**.
3. Plexii writes a draft into the reply box from this message and the earlier messages in the same thread. When there is enough of your own sent mail to learn from, the draft follows the way you usually write.
4. Read the draft, change what you need and click **Send**.

A line under the draft says what it was written from, for example how many earlier messages it read. If the message does not look like one that wants a reply, Plexii tells you so instead of writing a draft. See [AI reply drafts](https://plexiidesk.com/help).

## When the widget shows a message instead of mail

| The widget says | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Reading the mailbox…** | Wait a moment while it reads your mail. |
| **No mailbox connected** | Click **Open Mail** and connect your account, then come back to the desk. See [Connect your email account](https://plexiidesk.com/help). |
| **Nothing matches** | No message among the latest ones checked fits the rule. The note under it says how many were checked and repeats the rule. Click **Edit filter** to widen it, for example by choosing a longer **Last** period. |
| **Couldn't read the mailbox** | Click **Try again**. If it keeps happening, open Mail to check that your account is still connected. |
| **Mail isn't available here** | Mail runs in the PlexiDesk desktop app. Open the desk there. |

## When you share a live view of the desk

When you share a live web view of the desk, the Inbox widget appears to viewers as a placeholder, so your mail is not shown. See [Share a live web view of a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/share-live-web-view).

## Good ways to use it

- **A client desk.** Set **From** to the client's company domain and **Last** to 30 days. Put a [Contacts widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-contacts) beside it with the people involved.
- **A desk for one deal or order.** Put the reference or order number in **Subject contains**, so every message about it collects on the desk.
- **A morning check.** Tick **Unread only** to see just what you have not read yet about this work.
- **The message that matters.** When one email is the record of the work, such as the quote or the agreement, send it to the desk from Mail so it stays there. See [Email widget: keep an email on a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-email).

## Common questions

**Is this the same as Inbox in the Office menu?** No. **Inbox** in Office holds your notifications and share invites. The Inbox widget shows your email. See [Your Inbox of notifications](https://plexiidesk.com/help).

**Why is an older email missing?** The widget checks the latest 200 messages in your inbox, and the **Last** setting can leave out older mail. To find anything in your mailbox, use the search in Mail. See [Search your mail](https://plexiidesk.com/help).

**Does the rule move or change my mail?** No. The rule only decides what the widget shows. Opening a message marks it as read, and replies are sent from your connected mailbox.

**The widget stopped following my mail tag.** Once you open **Edit filter**, the widget keeps a rule of its own, which you can change freely. To follow the tag again, add a new Inbox widget to the desk.

**Can I have more than one Inbox widget on a desk?** Yes. Each one keeps its own rule, so you can have one for the client and one for a supplier on the same desk.

## Related tasks

- [People & messages widgets](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widgets-people-and-messages)
- [Email widget: keep an email on a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-email)
- [Mail overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help)
- [Connect your email account](https://plexiidesk.com/help)
- [Tag your mail](https://plexiidesk.com/help)
- [AI reply drafts](https://plexiidesk.com/help)
- [Keep a client's people, mail and chat on their desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/desk-people-and-mail)