Dear TeachUsTech’ers,
Welcome to the first TeachUsTech newsletter. This was created to help you or a loved one learn how to perform everyday tech tasks by themselves. If there is some you would personally like to learn about, please feel free to email us at [email protected] and we’ll add it to our list for future newsletters.
Just so you know the inspiration for this, I’ll share a story that may feel very familiar with you. Many years ago I moved to the other side of the world from my parents. Our main method of communication was whatever the latest and most reasonably priced method of communication was at the time. Think back to when Skype was revolutionary technology. As the technology advanced with introduction of smartphones (Blackberry/iPhone), social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), and social gaming apps (Words with Friends), my parents faced greater challenges in keeping up with the advances in technology. Our online or in person visits would often transition from talking about life to talking about whatever their greatest technology challenge was that day. This caused frustration for both my parents and for me as I wasn’t always capable of teaching them. As the years passed, my parents got more familiar with their phones and their computers and the amount of “tech support” calls decreased but the need for helping them keep up with advances in technology has not gone away. This newsletter was created to be another resource for them (and hopefully for you) to gain the skills and knowledge to use technology with confidence.
These newsletters will be kept on our website, www.TeachUsTech.com for easy access in the future but these were created for you to print and keep a copy at your fingertips. If you like the content, please feel free to forward this email to your friends as well. I’m sure your friends and their loved ones will appreciate it.
In this newsletter we’re going to learn one of the most useful everyday skills: how to forward an email to someone else.
Forwarding is what you do when you get a message and think, “Oh, my friend / son / daughter / neighbour needs to see this too.” Instead of typing it all out again, you simply forward the original message so they can see exactly what you received.
These newsletters are made to be printed and kept nearby, so feel free to mark them up and write your own notes in the margins. And if you’d like to go a step further and learn how to copy, cut, and paste parts of an email (instead of the whole thing), you’ll find that in our “How to Copy, Cut and Paste (Windows & Mac)” guide on www.TeachUsTech.com.
What does “Forward” mean?
When you forward an email, you take a message that arrived in your inbox and send a copy of it on to someone else.
- The original sender still has their email.
- You keep your copy in your inbox.
- The new person you choose gets a copy with a small note at the top saying it was forwarded by you.
Think of it like photocopying a letter you received and mailing that copy to someone else.
How to Forward an Email on a Computer
These steps will look almost the same in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and most other email programs on a computer.
Step 1 – Open the email you want to forward
- Open your email program (for example: Gmail in your web browser, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, etc.).
- Click on the email you want to forward so it opens up and you can read it.
Step 2 – Find and click the Forward button
1. Look for a button or link that says “Forward”.
- It is often near the bottom of the message or near the top next to “Reply”.
- Sometimes it looks like an arrow pointing to the right.
2. Click Forward once.
If you don’t see a Forward button right away, look for three small vertical dots or a “More” button. Click that and you should see Forward in the list.
Step 3 - Choose who you want to send it to
After you click Forward, a new message window will appear.
1. Look for the box labelled “To” (this is where you put the email address).
2. Click in the “To” box.
3. Type the email address of the person you want to send the message to.
Step 4 – (Optional) Add your own note
Above the forwarded message, there is usually a blank area where you can type.
1. Click in the blank area at the top of the message.
2. Type a short note like:
- “Hi Linda, this is the email I mentioned on the phone.”
- “Thought this might be helpful for you.”
Your note will appear above the forwarded message when the person receives it.
Step 5 – Send the forwarded email
1. When everything looks good, find the Send button.
- It may say “Send” or show a paper airplane icon.
2. Click Send once.
How to Forward an Email on a Smartphone (iPhone or Android)
On phones, the idea is the same: open the message → tap Forward → choose who to send it to → tap Send.
Step 1 – Open the email
1. Open your Mail app (this might be called Mail, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, etc.).
2. Tap the email you want to forward so it fills the screen.
Step 2 – Tap the Forward icon
1. Look for an icon that looks like an arrow or the word Forward.
- On some apps, you may need to tap the Reply arrow first, then choose “Forward” from a small menu.
- On others, you might tap three dots (...) and then choose Forward.
2. Tap Forward.
Press Arrow
Press Forward
Step 3 – Add the person’s email address and a note
1. In the To box, tap once and type the person’s email address.
2. Tap in the message area above the forwarded content if you want to add a short note. (See image below)
Step 4 – Tap Send
1. When you’re ready, look for the Send button.
- On many phones, this looks like a paper airplane or says “Send”.
2. Tap Send once.
Quick Reminder
Forward is for sending the whole email to someone new. If you only want to send one part of a message (for example, a single sentence or a phone number), that’s where copy, cut, and paste are helpful. A full step-by-step guide for that in our “How to Copy, Cut and Paste (Windows & Mac)” newsletter coming next week on www.TeachUsTech.com.
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