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This guide takes you from a connected mailbox to a working AI assistant in a few minutes. Inbox Zero works with both Gmail and Outlook.

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1. Connect an email account

Sign in at getinboxzero.com and connect your Gmail or Outlook account. Approve the requested permissions so Inbox Zero can read and organize messages, create drafts, and send messages. You can add another mailbox later from Settings → Email Accounts. Each mailbox has its own rules, assistant settings, analytics, and connected channels.
Using Outlook? The Using Outlook guide maps Gmail terms like labels to their Outlook equivalents.

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2. Set up the Assistant

Open Assistant in the sidebar and complete the guided setup. Inbox Zero starts you with a smart set of default rules that file newsletters, marketing, and notifications out of the way and draft replies for emails that need one. Adjust the defaults, or describe new rules in plain English. After saving a rule:
  1. Open the rule and review its conditions and actions.
  2. Use the Test tab to run it against example or recent messages.
  3. Check History after new mail arrives to see what matched and why.
  4. Use Fix or Chat if the rule handled a message incorrectly.
Begin with labeling, archiving, or marking messages as read. Add outbound actions such as replies and forwarding after you are comfortable with how the rule matches.

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3. Clean up existing mail

Use Bulk Unsubscribe to find noisy senders and Bulk Archive to organize older messages by sender category. These tools act on existing mail; Assistant rules handle new mail as it arrives. Review the selected senders before applying a bulk action. Deleting mail is more difficult to recover than archiving or marking it as read.

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4. Connect optional services

  • Connect calendars for availability-aware drafts, booking links, and meeting features.
  • Open Channels to connect Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Telegram.
  • Gmail users can install the Inbox Zero Tabs browser extension.
  • Teams can create an organization and invite members from Settings → Team.

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5. Personalize drafts

Open Assistant → Settings to configure auto-drafting and how your drafts sound. See Assistant Settings for details.

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What to do next

Chat with your inbox

Search mail and take actions using natural language.

Build automation rules

Organize new mail and draft responses automatically.

Connect calendars

Use availability, booking links, and meeting workflows.

Configure channels

Deliver notifications and drafts to the apps where you work.