After starting, KMail displays its main window. By default, the main window consists of three sections:

Figure 12.1. Main Window of KMail after Start-Up

The folder area to the left contains a list of your mail folders (mail boxes) indicating the total number of messages and how many are still unread. To select a folder, simply click it. The messages it contains appear in the top right frame. The number of messages is also displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the application window.

The subject, sender, and time of receipt of each message are listed in header area to the right. Click a message to select it and display it in the message window. Sort the messages by clicking one of the columns (subject, sender, date, etc.).

The contents of the currently selected message are displayed in the message frame of the window. Attachments are depicted as icons at the end of the message, based on the MIME type of the attachment. Use PgUp and PgDn to scroll through the pages of the message or use ↑ and ↓ to scroll line by line. These shortcuts are indicated to the right of the respective menu items in the main menu.

Messages can be marked with different status flags. Change the status with ‘Message’+‘Highlight as’. You can use this feature to highlight important messages that you do not want to forget.