Notion Mail

Prefer video to reading? Here’s our full Notion Mail guide on Youtube:

What is different in Notion Mail compared to other email tools?

Here’s what sets Notion Mail apart from other email programs:

• Smart Views are your secret weapon: Notion Mail allows you to create views and organise emails by whatever matters most to you, rather than limiting you to the good old “this came in last”.
• Templates and AI are your time-savers: Save your most common responses as snippets and insert them with one click or ask AI to draft an email based on the conversation.
• Better looking emails for everyone: Use Notion’s familiar blocks and slash commands to format your emails in seconds.
• Automatic sorting is your personal assistant: Let AI learn your preferences and automatically sort incoming emails by importance, topic, and urgency – exactly the way you want them.

And in true Notion fashion, Notion brings you the power of databases for every-day email use – and this is where things get really interesting.

Just think of that for a moment.

So far, email inboxes are always sorted in chronological order and the only way to organise them are

• the read vs unread status
• labels
• folders

Notion Databases on the other hand allow you to add any type of meta data you can think of. Whether it’s a more elaborate status, an assignee or a freeform text property – you can create any organisational system.

Combine this with the ability to create custom views with filters, sorts and groups and the inbox will never be the same.

For example, within a few minutes you’ll be able to build a small read-later app in Notion Mail.

All you need is a custom view and a few filters. Here’s how it works:

• Groups emails by sender
• Select the few “high priority” senders I always want to see
• Included custom properties for quick notes and summaries

And don’t worry – even if you have no idea what any of these things mean or how they work, we’ll cover all of this (and more) in this article.

Notion Mail UI Walkthrough

What we want to do is set up everything from scratch in the way you need it for your workflow.

We’re going to guide you through our recommended Beginner Setup for Notion Mail a bit later in this article.

Once you’re in Notion Mail, you’ll find a design that mirrors Notion’s clean and intuitive layout and will definitely feel familiar. Here’s what you’ll find:

• Sidebar Navigation: On the left-hand side, you’ll see sections for views, email folders (Inbox, Sent, Drafts), templates, and settings.
• Central Inbox: The main screen displays your emails with sender details, subject lines, and customisable properties.
• Top Bar: Access filters, grouping options, and AI auto-labeling tools here.
• Hover Actions: Quick-access buttons appear when you hover over emails for actions like archiving, labeling, or setting reminders.

Just like in Notion, your inbox isn’t limited to a specific layout. Instead, you can tune it to fit your workflow so it fits your specific needs.

That’s why in the screenshot above, you see a series of views on the left labeled TARA – the shortcut for my recommended starting setup.

Your sidebar will be a bit emptier on the first launch, but we’ll help you set up TARA for Notion Mail in a moment.

Notion Mail Pricing

Notion Mail is free to use. All you need is a Notion Account plus a Google Mail compatible email (either Google Workspace or Gmail).

The only features in Notion Mail that require a paid plan are the AI related features, so the AI Label options and the AI drafting. These features are grouped together with the general AI add-on for your Notion Workspace, so if you’re already paying for Notion AI, you get access immediately.

Since your Notion Account can be a part of several workspaces, it’s enough that you have access to AI in any of these workspaces to unlock it for your Notion Mail Account.

Tip: if you want to find out whether Notion AI is worth it for you, check out our Notion AI Mega Guide

A Step-by-Step Guide to Notion Mail

To get started with Notion Mail, download the app via this link and then go through the onboarding flow as explained below:

Step 1: Log Into Notion Mail

Start by logging into your Gmail account.

The first time you open Notion Mail, you’ll be greeted by an onboarding workflow that introduces its interface and setup options. It will ask you what kind of look you like for your inbox. At this point, I would recommend going for the default option to avoid starting with any settings that you might have to change later.

Step 2: Essential Settings in Notion Mail

Before diving into customisation, tweak these foundational settings:

• Theme: Choose between dark mode and light mode. Many users prefer light mode for readability.
• Reading View: Adjust font size for comfortable reading. Experiment with thread styles (side peek vs. full-page view) to find what works best.
• Signature: Notion Mail automatically imports your Gmail signature. Ensure it’s properly configured for replies and forwards.

Step 3: Create Your First View in Notion Mail

Views are one of Notion Mail’s standout features. To create your first view:

1. Click on the “+” icon in the sidebar.
2. Rename it (e.g., “Priority Senders”).
3. Add filters—such as showing emails from specific senders or those containing attachments—to organise your inbox effectively.

Step 4: Revert Settings if Needed

If you don’t like how your inbox looks after applying filters or creating views

1. Navigate to the filter section in your view settings.
2. Remove unwanted filters or reset them entirely.
3. Restore your default inbox view with just a few clicks.

What to keep in mind about Notion Mail

While Notion Mail already feels like a great email client, there are still several features that are missing in order to make it everyone’s go-to email client.

Here is a list of not-yet-available features that will determine whether Notion Mail is already a good fit for you:

• Unified Inbox: Notion Mail is currently limited to single-account use so there’s no way to see multiple email accounts in one inbox. You can connect several email accounts, but you’ll have to switch between them (like you switch between workspaces in Notion)
• Outlook Support: Notion Mail only supports Google Mail for now. The Outlook integration is coming soon.
• Notion Email Domains: The team has hinted that Notion-branded email domains might be possible in the future. For now, Notion Mail is basically a Gmail Wrapper similar to other popular email clients like Superhuman or Spark and not yet an email provider itself like Gmail or Outlook
• Mobile Apps: The Notion Mail mobile apps are not yet available but are supposed to release soon.
• Not Syncing Drafts: While most of your setup from Gmail is available in Notion Mail, Gmail drafts aren’t synced to Notion Mail.

I will keep updating this article as new features release for Notion Mail, so you can be sure that you always find the most up-to-date information here. If you’re also curious about other Notion updates, make sure to check out my Notion Update Timeline.

Organising Your Inbox with Notion Mail

At its core, Notion Mail is all about helping you take control of your inbox.

With Notion-typical features like views, filters, rules, and AI labels, it gives you the flexibility to organise emails in a fully customisable way.

Whether you’re sorting by sender, tagging emails with statuses, or letting AI handle the heavy lifting, Notion Mail makes it easy to create workflows that fit your needs perfectly.

But why even bother?

Well, statistics show that professionals spend on average more than 2 hours daily managing emails (Chui et al., 2012) – That’s a full work day over the course of a week!

This clearly isn’t the best use of your precious time, so let’s take a look at how Notion Mail can help reduce this.

The simple formula for inbox organisation in Notion Mail

If we had to sum up inbox organisation for Notion Mail in one line, this would be it:

Custom Views + Advanced Filters + Rules + AI Labels = Cool Workflows

Here’s how they break down:

1. Views & Filters: Create custom views using filters like sender domain or unread status. For example:

• A view for “Important Clients” showing only emails from specific domains.
• A view for “Attachments” displaying emails with files attached.

2. Groups: Group emails based on properties. For example:

• Grouped by sender domain for client coordination.
• Grouped by unread/read status for task prioritisation.

3. Rules:  Set up rules in Gmail (or Outlook once supported) to automatically apply labels based on criteria like subject lines or sender addresses.

4. AI Labels: Use Notion AI to auto-label emails based on context:

• Emails containing phrases like “Action Required” or “Urgent” can be tagged automatically.
• AI learns from manual corrections over time to improve accuracy.

5. Status: Identify actionable emails (e.g., invoices) and sort them into dedicated views. Add statuses like “To Do,” “In Progress,” or “Completed” to track cycles for outreach campaigns or job applications. Can’t add icons manually and renaming them causes disappearance.

Practical Example: Workflow in Action

Looking at all these tools to organise your inbox can feel a bit overwhelming in theory, so here’s a specific example how to use them to create a workflow in Notion Mail.

Let’s say you’re hiring for a new role and get a lot of job applications.

1. Create an AI label to automatically identify job applications reaching your inbox.
2. If necessary, add a rule to apply that label to any email with a specific subject line.
3. Create a new view labeled “Job Applications.”
4. Apply filters to the new view to show only emails that contain your new label.
5. Add a status property with cycles such as “Applied,” “Interview Scheduled,” and “Offer Received.”

And with just a few steps, you now have a light project management setup directly in your email client.

Next, you can then integrate these individual workflows into the larger context of an operating system for your team.

AI Labels vs Rules: When to use which one?

If you ever tried customising your inbox, you probably came across filter rules in Gmail & co.

Notion supports the same rules but adds another feature to the mix: AI labels.

Together, they can form the backbone of some really powerful workflows, but it’s important to understand what they’re good for (and how they differ from each other).

Think of it like this: Rules are best in situations when you need to be very precise, rigid, and strict. You know exactly what comes in and you know exactly what’s supposed to happen.

A good example for this is if you keep getting a specific email from a specific sender, that should go in a specific view.

For example, I know that every day I get several DMARC reports for sender reputation for my Notion newsletter (which has more than 30,000 subscribers).

These emails are irrelevant to me 99% of the time, so I don’t need to see them in my inbox.

That means I should create a specific rule to tell the system to

• skip the inbox for these emails and
• move them to a separate location (in case I ever need to check them)

AI labels on the other hand are best used when it comes to criteria that are more flexible and softer, so it is hard to define a specific rule.

For example, you might say that whenever you get any vacation information (whether that’s flight, hotels etc) it should go in a specific folder.

You could set up a rule for that but it would be quite tough because you would need to account for all the different booking portals that might send you emails.

And even if you did, the second you start booking with an individual hotel, things would start falling through the cracks because you would probably not anticipate that you get a message from them.

While they generally serve different workflows, you can also combine rules and AI labels.

• Rules to catch the bulk of standard communication
• AI labels to catch any edge cases

A good example for this are newsletters.

For the past three years I’ve had a super simple Gmail rule that kept my inbox nearly newsletter-free. Here’s how it works:

Whenever an email contains the word “unsubscribe,” the rule moves the email into my newsletter folder.

This works because by law, newsletters have to include an unsubscribe element.

But of course, not all newsletters are compliant, so occasionally newsletters skip the rule and reach the main inbox.

With Notion Mail, I can take this rule and supplement it with an AI label that additionally checks for any kind of content that you might want to read later (so it should be treated like a newsletter but doesn’t really behave like one).

One last metaphor:

Using rules is like putting up different mailboxes with a very specific label.

That way, the postman can deliver it to the right container.

But of course, the postman can only recognise this if it’s a very obvious and easy to understand relation and you can anticipate it.

AI labels on the other hand are like training a secretary on your preferences.

The secretary understands you and can anticipate your needs in far more detail than the postman could.

And sure, even a secretary can’t read your mind.

But if you’re willing to work your secretary in, they will get better and better.

Your Starting Setup for Notion Mail: The TARA System

Notion Mail is not just another email client—it’s a tool designed to transform how you manage your inbox.

But that comes with a challenge. Unlike traditional email clients that have a determined workflow and ask you to simply apply it, Notion Mail puts you in control.

And while that means you can do a lot more with it, it also requires a bit of additional work for the initial setup.

To get you over this initial hump, I’ve developed a simple Beginner Setup for Notion Mail.

This setup is inspired by proven productivity frameworks like GTD and PARA and is the perfect starting point to help you understand what Notion Mail can do.

And it’s called the TARA system.

TARA stands for Triage, Actions, Read, Archive and offers a practical framework to organise your inbox efficiently.

What is the TARA System?

The TARA system categorises emails into four distinct groups:

Triage (Inbox)

• What kind of emails do you get? How does your inbox look like?

Take Actions (Action Emails)

• Which emails typically require you to actually do something about them? Whether that’s replying to them or triggering other actions in your workflows?

Read Later (Content Emails)

• Which emails fall into the content category, i.e., you want to read them and get the information similar to a magazine or article on the internet?

Archive (Reference Emails)

• Which emails do you need to keep but should be archived and sorted similarly to a library for later reference?

But TARA isn’t meant to be the endpoint of your system.

It’s the start and once you understand the underlying principles, you can easily turn TARA into TARA+ and expand it with custom workflow views for your needs.

How to Implement the TARA System in Notion Mail

Setting up Notion Mail and the TARA system is simple:

1. Set up your driver labels
2. Create your views
3. Add custom Status properties

Set up your driver labels

TARA relies on three labels to categorise your emails and take them out from the triage place (aka your inbox).

I call these labels “driver labels” since their main purpose is to move emails into the specific views. Kind of like tiny chauffeurs who pick up guests and bring them to the right location.

(the idea for this comes from Jason Resnick and his organisational system for Email Marketing in ConvertKit)

The driver labels for TARA are:

• Action
• Read
• Archive System

Why do we call it “Archive System” rather than Archive? Well, Archive is already a system tag used by Google so we need a different variation.

How to apply your driver labels?

In Notion Mail, you have a few ways to apply labels to an email.

The easiest (and manual) way? Hover over any email and click into the label section on the right of your screen.

Alternatively, you can also press the shortcut “L” to bring up the label selection.

But of course, we want to avoid manual work as much as possible.

To automatically apply labels, we can either use good old gmail rules or leverage Notion Mail’s AI Label Feature.

Here is more context on when to use AI labels vs rules in Notion Mail.

Build your views

Add Status properties

Some mails can’t be ticked off right away, but expect you to take action. This is when your inbox becomes a task manager.

So far, your mail app probably wasn’t intended to turn mails to tasks and manage your progress. Enter custom status properties.

These statuses can be visualised with colored icons before the task name or used to group your views according to the progress stages.

The beauty of Notion Mail is that it doesn’t give you one preset Status property to chose. Instead, you have the flexibility to create multiple status properties with unique stages. For example:

• Reading Status: “Unread”, “Reading”, “Read”
• Action Status: “Untouched”, “Editing”, “Completed”
• Lead Status: “Proposal Sent”, “In Progress”, “New Lead”, “For others”, “Lost”

Why TARA Works

Unlike traditional email systems that rely on folders or flags, TARA leverages Notion Mail’s database functionality to create dynamic workflows. This makes it easier to prioritise tasks, track cycles (e.g., job applications or outreach), and maintain a clutter-free inbox.

Pro Tip: Start with the basic TARA setup and expand it by adding views for specific workflows like travel planning, invoices, or client coordination.

Writing emails in Notion Mail

In this section, we’ll cover everything you need to know about writing emails efficiently with Notion Mail plus all the little tips and tricks to become a Notion Mail power user.

Notion Block Editor

Notion Mail brings the familiar block editor from Notion into your email composition process. This means you can format emails with:

• Headings: Use /h1, /h2, or /h3 for structured content.
• Callouts: Highlight key points with callout blocks.
• Lists: Create bullet points or checklists directly in your email.

Snippets: Streamlining Repetitive Responses

We have a Notion Mail version of templates called “Snippets”. Text snippets allow you to create your own custom slash commands (which we’ll hopefully also see in Notion itself at some point), including custom merge tags aka variables.

Snippets are reusable text blocks that save time when writing frequent responses. They go beyond basic templates by incorporating dynamic data and placeholders.

Dynamic Data

Snippets can pull information dynamically from your email context or database properties. For example:

Hi {{Name}},

Thank you for reaching out! I’d be happy to assist with {{Topic}}. Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with.

Best regards,
{{Your Name}}

When you use this snippet, placeholders like {{Name}} and {{Topic}} are automatically filled based on the recipient’s details or your input.

Placeholders

For situations where dynamic data isn’t available, placeholders let you insert custom values while composing an email. For example:

Hi {{RecipientName}},

I’d love to join your podcast titled "{{PodcastName}}." Please let me know next steps!

Best regards,
{{Your Name}}

You can input PodcastName during composition without editing the snippet manually.

Draft Notion Mails Using AI

Stuck on a reply? Click the AI button and say:

“Write a friendly ‘out of office’ reply that mentions my vacation to Bali.”

It’ll even pull info from your Notion workspace (like your calendar or project docs) to make replies smarter.

You can also ask Notion AI to base the draft on existing content from existing content in Notion:

• Chain Context: The AI analyses previous email threads to craft relevant replies automatically.
• Notion Context: You can reference pages from your Notion workspace (e.g., product documentation) while drafting an email.

Simply prompt the AI with instructions like:

“Draft a reply explaining our ordering process based on the attached Notion page.”

This feature is particularly useful for customer support teams or professionals handling repetitive queries.

How does Notion Mail integrate with my Notion workspace?

Notion Mail can be used as a standalone Mail App, but it also integrates with your Notion workspace. I’m a big fan of Notion’s simple, but modern text editor. Lucky us because we can now send emails with the exact same text editor that we’re used to from Notion.

The other cool thing is that we can @tag pages in Notion inside your mail drafts. And if you have at least one workspace with a paid Notion AI plan, you can ask Notion AI to insert atable of your Top 5 rated coffee spots in Berlin (provided you keep track of something like that in Notion 😉).

Classic Notion Features in Your Inbox

One of Notion’s most iconic features is probably the slash commands and they’re all here in Notion Mail too.

When writing emails, it’s now much easier to format them properly using headings (just type /h1), adding thoughtful callouts, and even dropping in quotes to emphasise key points.

I personally often struggle with the editor in Apple Mail and I absolutely HATE having to change the formatting in emails – so this is a very welcome change.

How does Notion Mail work together with Notion Calendar?

For now, Notion Mail has a basic integration with Notion Calendar for scheduling meetings:

1. Type /schedule in your email draft.
2. Select available time slots directly from your calendar.
3. Generate a scheduling link similar to tools like Calendly.

That means you can create new scheduling links right from your email tool rather than having to switch over to Notion Calendar.

Shortcuts for Notion Mail

Here are my top picks when it comes to shortcuts in Notion Mail.

Learn these Notion Mail Shortcuts first:

• C: Compose a new email
• R: Reply to an email
• L: Apply labels quickly
• U: Mark an email as unread
• Cmd/Ctrl + K: Access the command menu for quick actions
• Arrows Up / Down: Navigate through emails

Tip: In Notion Mail, you don’t even need to select an email to trigger a shortcut. It’s enough to hover over it or navigate through them with arrows and then press the shortcut key.

Action Shortcuts for Notion Mail

• C: Compose a new email
• R: Reply to an email
• E: Archive an email
• U: Mark an email as unread
• L: Apply labels quickly
• Cmd/Ctrl + P: Open the search bar to find emails or views instantly
• Cmd/Ctrl + K: Access the command menu for quick actions

Navigation Shortcuts for Notion Mail

Navigate between sections effortlessly:

• Press G + I for Inbox.
• Press G + A for All Mail.
• Press G + T for Sent Mail.
• Press G + D for Drafts.

These shortcuts help you move through your inbox faster without relying on mouse clicks.

Tips & Tricks for Notion Mail

Here are some expert tips to make the most of Notion Mail:

1. Customise Hover Actions:
   • Tailor quick-action buttons (e.g., archive, label) based on your workflow needs.
   • Add reminders directly from hover actions to revisit important emails later.
2. Use AI Labels Wisely:
   • Train Notion AI by manually correcting mislabeled emails. Over time, it learns your preferences and improves accuracy.
   • Combine AI labeling with manual rules for edge cases (e.g., niche newsletters).
3. Integrate Snippets into Workflows:
   • Use snippets not just for responses but also for internal notes or recurring tasks like follow-ups.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which emails can I use with Notion Mail?

Currently, it’s limited to Gmail, but Outlook is on the horizon and probably more providers to expect.

What makes Notion Mail different?

The main difference is how it brings Notion’s database and property system to email management. You can create custom views, add properties to emails, and use Notion’s formatting tools in your email composition.

How can I get access to Notion Mail?

You can use Notion Mail in your browser or download it here.

Can I use Notion Mail on my phone or tablet?

Unfortunately not yet, but can be expected in the near future.

Is Notion Mail free?

Yes, Notion Mail is free for all Notion Users. You can access 99% of features with a free Notion Plan. If you want to use the AI features, you need the regular Notion AI add-on in any of your Notion Workspaces.

Does Notion Mail integrate with Notion?

At the moment, Notion Mail is only loosely integrated with Notion. You can reference Notion Pages for AI drafting, but you can’t yet send emails directly to Notion or add them to your databases.

The team has confirmed that they’re working on a closer integration and that we can expect it soon.

Does Notion Mail integrate with Notion Calendar?

Yes, Notion Mail allows you to schedule meetings right from your email tool without having to switch to Notion Calendar.