Evolution is capable of fetching e-mail from multiple mail accounts. The account from which to send e-mail can be selected when composing a message. Configure mail accounts in ‘Edit’+‘Preferences’+‘Mail Accounts’. To modify an existing configuration, select it and click ‘Edit’. To delete an account, select it and click ‘Delete’.

To add a new account, click ‘Add’. This opens the configuration assistant. Click ‘Forward’ to use it. Enter your name and your e-mail address in the respective fields. Enter the optional information if desired. Check ‘Make this my default account’ to use this account by default when writing mails. Click ‘Forward’.

Select the appropriate incoming e-mail format for this address in ‘Server Type’. ‘POP’ is the most common format for downloading mail from a remote server. ‘IMAP’ works with mail folders on a special server. Obtain this information from your ISP or server administrator. Complete the other relevant fields displayed when the server type is selected. Click ‘Forward’ when finished. Select the desired ‘Receiving Options’, if available. Click ‘Forward’.

The next set of information to enter is about mail delivery. To submit outgoing e-mail to the local system, select ‘Sendmail’. For a remote server, select ‘SMTP’. Get the details from your ISP or server administrator. For SMTP, complete the other fields displayed after selection. Click ‘Forward’ when finished.

By default, the e-mail address is used as the name to identify the account. Enter another name if desired. Click ‘Forward’. Click ‘Apply’ to save your account configuration.

To make an account the default account for sending e-mail, select the desired account then press ‘Default’. To disable fetching e-mail from an account, select the account then click ‘Disable’. A disabled account can still be used as the address for sending, but that account is not checked for incoming e-mail. If necessary, reactivate the account with ‘Enable’.

To compose a new message, click ‘New’+‘Mail Message’. Replying to or forwarding a message opens the same message editor. Next to ‘From’, select from which account to send the message. In the recipient fields, enter an e-mail address or part of a name or address in your address book. If Evolution can match what you enter to something in the address book, a selection list is displayed. Click the desired contact or complete your input if none match. To select directly from the address book, click ‘To’ or ‘CC’.

Evolution can send e-mail as plain text or HTML. To format HTML mail, select ‘Format’ in the toolbar. To send attachments, select ‘Attach’ or ‘Insert’+‘Attachment’.

To send your message, click ‘Send’. If not ready to send it immediately, make another selection under ‘File’. For example, save the message as a draft or send it later.

Evolution supports e-mail encryption with PGP. It can sign e-mail and check signed e-mail messages. To use these features, generate and manage keys with an external application, such as gpg or KGpg.

To sign an e-mail message before sending it, select ‘Security’+‘PGP sign’. When you click ‘Send’, a dialog prompts for the password of your secret key. Enter the password and exit the dialog with ‘OK’ to send the signed e-mail. To sign other e-mail messages in the course of this session without needing to “unlock” the secret key repeatedly, activate ‘Remember this password for the remainder of this session’.

When you receive signed e-mail from other users, a small padlock icon appears at the end of the message. If you click this symbol, Evolution starts an external program (gpg) to check the signature. If the signature is valid, a green check mark appears next to the padlock symbol. If the signature is invalid, a broken padlock appears.

The encryption and decryption of e-mail is just as easy. After composing the e-mail message, go to ‘Security’+‘PGP encrypt’ and send the e-mail message. When you receive encrypted messages, a dialog opens to ask for the password of your secret key. Enter the passphrase to decrypt the e-mail message.

It is often convenient to sort e-mail messages into a variety of folders. Your folder tree is shown in the left frame. If accessing mail over IMAP, the IMAP folders are also shown in this folder bar. For POP and most other formats, your folders are stored locally, sorted under ‘Local Folders’.

Several folders are included by default. ‘Inbox’ is where new messages fetched from a server are initially placed. ‘Sent’ is used for saving copies of sent e-mail messages. ‘Outbox’ is temporary storage for e-mail that has not yet been sent. It is useful if working offline or if the outgoing mail server is temporarily unreachable. ‘Drafts’ is used for saving unfinished e-mail messages. The ‘Trash’ folder is intended for temporary storage of deleted items. ‘Junk’ is for Evolution's junk sorting feature.

New folders can be created under ‘On This Computer’ or as subfolders of existing folders. Create as complex a folder hierarchy as desired. To create a new folder, select ‘File’+‘New’+‘Mail Folder’. In the following dialog, enter a name for the new folder. Use the mouse to determine the parent folder under which to place the new folder. Exit the dialog with ‘OK’.

To move a message into a folder, select the message to move. Right-click to open the context menu. Select ‘Move to Folder’ and, in the dialog that opens, the destination folder. Click ‘OK’ to move the message. The message header in the original folder is shown with a line through it, meaning it is marked for deletion in that folder. The message is stored in the new folder. Messages can be copied in a similar manner.

Manually moving a number of messages into different folders can be time-consuming. Filters can be used to automate this procedure.

Evolution offers a number of options for filtering e-mail. Filters can be used to move a message into a specific folder or to delete a message. Messages can also be moved directly to the trash with a filter. There are two options for creating a new filter: creating a filter from scratch or creating a filter based on a message to filter. The latter is extremely useful for filtering messages sent to a mailing list.