Obsidian SuiteDocumentation
Obsidian Mail Client: all chapters

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Getting started

Obsidian Mail Client is a mail app for Windows. It puts Mail, Calendar, People and To Do in one window, with a ribbon and keyboard shortcuts that work the way Outlook's do. This chapter takes you from the download to your first account.

What you need

  • Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) or Windows 11, 64-bit.
  • An email account: Outlook.com (or Hotmail, Live, MSN), a Microsoft 365 work or school account, your organization's Exchange Server or Obsidian Mail Server, Gmail, or any mail service that offers IMAP.

Install the app

The installers are on the download page at obsidiansuite.net/client. The download asks for a user name and password; ask us if you don't have them.

There are two installers. Pick one:

InstallerUse it when
Installer (.exe)You install it for yourself. No administrator rights needed. The right choice for most people.
MSI package (.msi)You are IT and install it for every user on a PC, by hand or with Intune, Group Policy or similar tools. Needs administrator rights.

To install:

  1. Download the installer you picked.
  2. Open it and follow the steps.
  3. If Microsoft Defender SmartScreen says it doesn't recognize the app, choose More info, then Run anyway. The installer's code-signing certificate is still being issued; updates the app installs itself are always checked against our signature (see Updates).

The first start

The first time the app starts it shows its welcome screen with a Get Started button.

  1. Click Get Started.
  2. The Add Account window opens. Type your email address. The app recognizes the kind of account from the address; you can change it under Account type.
  3. Follow the steps for your kind of account. They are explained in Adding and managing accounts.
  4. The app tests the account (it signs in and lists your folders) before it keeps anything. When the test passes, the window closes and your mail starts to arrive.

The first sync fetches your newest mail. Older mail comes as you open folders.

A quick tour

  • The rail on the far left switches between Mail, Calendar, People and To Do (Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+4).
  • The ribbon across the top holds the commands. Its tabs change with the module you are in.
  • In Mail, the folder pane is on the left, the message list in the middle and the reading pane on the right.

Finding your way around explains each part.

Running in the background

When you close the window, the app keeps running in the Windows notification area (the tray) so new mail keeps arriving and the spam filter keeps working. Click the tray icon to bring the window back, or right-click it and choose Quit to stop the app.

To change this, go to File > Options > General and clear Closing the window keeps it running in the tray. On the same page you can make the app start when you sign in to Windows.

Next steps