Processing & Categorizing Emails

Learn how to use InboxZebra to automatically categorize your emails.

Overview

InboxZebra fetches emails from your connected accounts and uses AI to categorize them. Categories are then synced back to Outlook or Gmail, so you’ll see them in your regular email client too!

Processing Your First Batch

Step 1: Select Date Range

At the top of InboxZebra, you’ll see two date pickers:

  • From: Choose how far back to go (e.g., 7 days ago)
  • To: Usually today (or a specific end date)

Tip for beginners: Start with the last 7 days to test the system.

Step 2: Click “Sync”

Click the Sync button (circular arrows icon) in the toolbar.

Step 3: Watch Progress

You’ll see a progress bar showing:

  • Which account is being processed
  • How many emails have been fetched
  • Current categorization progress
  • Estimated time remaining

Example progress messages:

  • “Fetching emails from hello@mycompany.com…”
  • “Processing email 45 of 200…”
  • “Categorizing: Client proposal feedback from clientcompany.com…”

Step 4: View Results

Once complete, your emails appear organized by category in the main window!

Understanding Email Processing

What Happens During Sync

  1. Fetching: InboxZebra downloads email information (subject, sender, date, snippet)
  2. Categorizing: The AI reads each email and assigns a category (Local Ollama or Cloud Gemini)
  3. Action Detection: The AI identifies emails that require action from you
  4. Task Creation: Actionable emails automatically become tasks (Pro/Business/trial feature, see Tasks & Action Tracking)
  5. Learning: The system uses examples from previous categorizations
  6. Applying: Categories are synced back to Outlook/Gmail
  7. Storing: Categorized emails are cached locally for fast access

AI Options:

  • Local (Ollama): Free, private, runs on your Mac (default)
  • Cloud (Gemini): Business feature, faster, your API key (learn more)

Processing Large Date Ranges

For Weeks or Months of Email

InboxZebra can automatically fetch thousands of emails across multiple pages:

  1. Go to Settings (Cmd+,) → General tab
  2. Increase “Max Emails to Fetch”:
    • For 1 month: set to 2,000
    • For 3 months: set to 5,000
    • For 6 months: set to 10,000
    • For archives: set to 25,000
  3. Select your date range
  4. Click Sync

What happens:

  • InboxZebra fetches 500 emails per “page”
  • Automatically continues to next page
  • Shows progress: “Fetching page 3 (1,000/5,000 emails)…”
  • Safety limit: 50 pages maximum (25,000 emails)

Time estimates:

  • Office 365: ~2 seconds per 500 emails
  • Gmail: ~20-30 seconds per 500 emails
  • AI processing: 2-5 seconds per email (depends on your model)

Canceling Processing

If You Need to Stop

Click the “Cancel” button that appears during processing.

You’ll see three options:

  1. Save Progress - Keep emails processed so far
  2. Discard All - Remove all newly categorized emails
  3. Continue - Keep processing

Tip: Choose “Save Progress” if you’ve already processed many emails and want to resume later.

Viewing Processed Emails

In InboxZebra

Your processed emails appear in the main window:

  • Left sidebar: Categories with email counts
  • Main area: List of emails in selected category
  • Double-click any email to view full details

In Your Email Client (Outlook/Gmail)

Categories and labels sync automatically:

Office 365:

  • Open Outlook (desktop, web, or mobile)
  • You’ll see colored categories on each email
  • Filter by category in the left sidebar

Gmail:

  • Open Gmail (web or app)
  • You’ll see labels on each email
  • Filter by label in the left sidebar

Tips for Best Results

Start Small

  • First run: Last 7 days
  • Second run: Last 30 days
  • Then: Larger historical batches

Review and Correct

After processing, review the results:

  • Right-click any miscategorized email
  • Choose “Move to Category” → Select correct category
  • InboxZebra learns from your corrections!

Process Regularly

  • Daily or weekly syncs keep your inbox organized
  • Already-processed emails are skipped (fast!)
  • Only new emails need categorization

Archive Aggressively

After categorizing:

  • Select emails you don’t need (old newsletters, notifications)
  • Use bulk actions to archive or delete
  • Keeps your inbox clean

Common Questions

Q: Why is processing slow? A: AI categorization takes 2-5 seconds per email. For 100 emails, expect 5-10 minutes. To speed up, use a faster AI model (phi3:mini).

Q: Can I process emails while InboxZebra is closed? A: No, InboxZebra must be running. You can minimize it and let it run in the background.

Q: Do I need to process old emails? A: Only if you want them categorized. InboxZebra works great for just new emails going forward.

Q: Will my email client show the same categories? A: Yes! Categories sync to Outlook, Gmail, and all your devices automatically.

Q: What if I close InboxZebra mid-processing? A: Click Cancel first and choose “Save Progress”. Emails processed so far will be kept. Never force-quit during processing.

Next Steps