Group Email: mail apps and common questions

Group Email works with the mail app you choose in the using menu. Some apps let BusyContacts create and send messages; others can only open drafts. See the Group Email guide for a full walkthrough.

Why can't BusyContacts attach files or send automatically through Spark?

BusyContacts opens Spark drafts through an email link (mailto:). A standard email link can provide recipients, a subject, and a message. It has no command to attach a file or send the message.

Click Create Draft or Create Drafts, then add the file and send from Spark. If you chose a file with Add Attachment… in BusyContacts, it appears in Finder after the group drafts open so you can drag it into each draft.

The same limits apply to Canary Mail, eM Client, and other apps that Group Email uses through email links. Changing your default mail app or granting Automation permission does not add commands to those links.

Which apps support attachments and Send Now?

Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Airmail, and MailMate support separate emails, shared emails, one attachment, and Send Now… through AppleScript. BusyContacts includes the scripts, so you do not need to write one. Your installed mail app must support the commands, and macOS must allow BusyContacts to control it.

Check the mail-app comparison before choosing. Similar names can refer to different apps: Spark Desktop differs from the older Spark, and Airmail differs from Airmail Beta.

Why is “separate emails” unavailable?

Apps that only accept email links use one email, with the same message for everyone. BusyContacts cannot send those drafts for you, so separate emails would require you to send every person's draft by hand.

Choose Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Airmail, or MailMate to use separate emails and fill in each person's name or other contact details.

My mail app has Cc and Bcc. Why are they disabled here?

A mail app may have Cc and Bcc fields but not fill them correctly from an email link. Group Email offers those choices only for apps whose handling has been checked: Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Airmail, MailMate, Spark Desktop, Canary Mail, and eM Client.

Other apps use To, which shows everyone's addresses to the other recipients. If you need to keep addresses private, choose an app that supports Bcc or separate emails. If you switch from Cc or Bcc to an app that only supports To, BusyContacts asks you to confirm before creating emails that show everyone's addresses.

Why does Group Email show Chrome as a mail app?

Your Mac's default email reader can be a browser. Group Email includes that default in its using menu, even if it is Chrome rather than a dedicated mail app. Selecting a browser does not configure it to open Gmail or another webmail service. Apple explains this distinction.

For Gmail, follow Use Gmail in Chrome. Chrome needs permission to let Gmail handle email links. Otherwise, clicking Create Draft may open the browser without opening a message.

Browser drafts use one email with everyone in To. Attach files and send in webmail. To use Bcc, separate emails, or automatic attachments, choose a compatible mail app instead.

How do I change the mail app?

For Group Email, choose the app in the using menu at the bottom of the window. You do not need to change your Mac's default.

For a contact's email link or the ordinary Send Email command, change Default email reader in Mail > Settings > General. Follow these setup steps if Mail asks you to add an account or your preferred app is missing.

Changing the Mac default does not replace a mail app already saved with your Group Email draft. Choose the new app in using as well.

Why isn't my favorite app in the “using” menu?

The app must be installed and registered with macOS to open email links. Install it, open it, and set up your email account first.

Group Email lists the mail apps it recognizes and your Mac's default email reader. If an unlisted app can open email links, make it the default email reader, then reopen BusyContacts. An app that Group Email does not recognize opens shared drafts with everyone in To.

Can I use a Gmail address without using Chrome?

Yes. Your email account and your mail app are separate choices. You can add your Gmail account to a compatible mail app and select that app in using. Group Email's available features depend on the app, not on whether your address ends in gmail.com.

How do I choose the From address or sending account?

Set up the account and preferred sending address in your mail app. BusyContacts cannot select the account or From address for you.

If you want to choose the sender for a particular email, create drafts and check From before sending them. With Send Now…, check your mail app's sending settings first. A test email can help you confirm which address it uses.

My Card supplies your details for message fields and the test destination. It also supplies the To address when the group is in Cc or Bcc. Changing My Card does not change the sending account.

Why does macOS ask BusyContacts to control my mail app?

Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Airmail, and MailMate use AppleScript to create drafts, attach files, and send messages. macOS requires Automation permission for BusyContacts to use those commands. Permission applies separately to each mail app.

If you previously refused permission, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation and enable the mail app under BusyContacts. Then try again. If the app is not listed there, return to Group Email and start creating a draft to request permission. See Automation permission.

Why is my message too long for the selected app?

Apps that open drafts through email links limit how much text the link can contain. The addresses, subject, and message all take up space. Shorten the message or choose Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Airmail, or MailMate, which use AppleScript instead.

Why did one email create several drafts?

Group Email splits large groups into shared emails with at most 50 group recipients each. An app's email-link limit may require smaller groups. One email means everyone receives the same message; a large group can still need several drafts. Check Preview before creating them.

Your email provider's recipient and sending limits still apply. Group Email does not bypass them.

Does Send Test to Me send immediately?

With Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Airmail, or MailMate, it sends the test immediately. With an app that only opens drafts, it opens a test draft for you to send. The test goes only to your chosen address from My Card, not to the group.

Test drafts in apps that only accept email links do not include attachments or show the file in Finder. See Send a test to yourself to choose the test address and preview.

Does “Sent” in History mean the email was delivered?

Sent means the mail app accepted the send request. The app may queue the message or report a delivery error later. Check its Outbox, Sent folder, and any delivery-failure messages.

Apps that open email links do not confirm that a draft was created. Check the mail app before retrying an uncertain result, or you could create or send the same email twice. Sending or editing a draft in the mail app does not update BusyContacts' History. See History.

Does Group Email need a subscription or an internet connection?

Group Email is included with BusyContacts and needs no separate mailing-service subscription. You can write messages, fill in contact details, and prepare templates offline on your Mac.

Sending needs an internet connection through your mail app and email provider. Group Email does not upload your messages or recipient list to a BusyMac server for processing. Your mail app may save drafts and sent messages with your email provider. See Privacy and saved information.