Settings reference
Aster Mail Settings holds every option for your account, your mail, and the app. This page explains how Settings works and links each section and tab to the article that covers it in detail.
Open Settings
To open Settings, select Settings (the gear button) in the top bar. You can also open the command palette with Ctrl+Shift+p (or Cmd+Shift+p on a Mac) and choose Open settings.
When the app window is at least 1024 pixels wide, the gear button opens the quick settings panel first. To open the full Settings view from there, select See all settings. In a narrower window, the gear button opens Settings directly.
Settings opens as a full page by default. To open it in a popup over your inbox instead, go to Settings > Reading & Conversations > Behavior, and under Advanced set Settings view to Popup. To return to your mail from a full page, select Back to Inbox at the top of the Settings sidebar.
Quick settings panel
The quick settings panel changes the most common display options without leaving your inbox. To open the full Settings view, select See all settings at the top of the panel.
- Reading pane position: Right side, Bottom, or Hidden (click to open).
Under Inbox list, the panel has these switches:
- Conversation Grouping: groups replies with the message they answer.
- Inbox Categories: sorts incoming mail into category tabs.
- Sender pictures: shows an avatar next to each sender.
- Preview text: shows a line of each message under its subject.
The panel also has these options:
- Density: Comfortable or Compact.
- Theme: Light, Dark, or System. To choose a color theme, select More themes, which opens Settings > Appearance.
Search settings
To find an option by name, type at least two characters in the Search settings field in the top bar. To move through the results, use the arrow keys, and to open the highlighted result, press Enter. To clear the search, press Esc. The search field is not available when Settings opens as a popup.
Save changes
Aster saves most changes as soon as you make them. The indicator at the top of Settings shows Saving, then Saved. If a change does not reach the server, it shows Not saved with a Retry link. A few editors, such as the signature and mail rule editors, have their own save button.
The bottom of the Settings sidebar shows how much storage you use. To add storage, select Buy More Storage.
Settings on the onion site
If you use Aster Mail through its onion address in Tor Browser, Settings hides Storage, Invite friends, and Import, and Billing accepts only cryptocurrency.
Every section and tab
The sidebar groups the sections under six headings. Some tabs appear only in certain situations, which the table notes.
General
| Section and tab | What it covers | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance > Appearance | Theme, color themes, custom theme and fonts, language, date and time, density, and how messages and the composer open | Appearance settings |
| Appearance > Accessibility | Text size, contrast, motion, color vision, and keyboard and screen reader support | Accessibility settings |
| Account | Profile picture, display name, addresses, recovery email, signed-in accounts, and account details | Account settings |
Security
| Section and tab | What it covers | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Security > Security | Protection score, password, two-step verification, passkeys, sessions, login alerts, tracking protection, images, HTML content, Aster Vanguard, connection, and the danger zone | Security settings |
| Security > Security > Aster Vanguard | App lock, Duress PIN, and Lockdown Mode | Aster Vanguard and Lockdown Mode |
| Security > Trusted Devices (appears when you have paired apps) | Apps and devices paired with your account | Review devices and sessions |
| Security > Encryption | Encryption keys, key rotation, PGP keys, and encryption behavior | Encryption settings and PGP keys |
Aliases & Domains
| Section and tab | What it covers | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Aliases > Aliases, Directories, Ghost Aliases, and Preferences | Creating, editing, importing, exporting, and restoring aliases, directories, ghost aliases, and alias defaults | Alias settings |
| Domains | Adding a custom domain, DNS setup, domain health, catch-all, and removing a domain | Custom domain settings |
Billing
| Section and tab | What it covers | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Storage use by type, storage format, and buying more storage | Storage settings |
| Billing > Billing | Your plan, payment methods, invoices, credits, and cancellation | Billing settings and credits |
| Billing > Family (appears on a family plan) | Members, kids’ addresses, shared mailboxes, groups, activity, filters, domains, security, and data retention | Family plan settings |
| Invite friends | Your referral link and rewards | Invite friends |
| Section and tab | What it covers | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Notifications | Desktop notifications, sound, badge, push, events, quiet hours, position, duration, and muted categories | Set up notifications |
| Reading & Conversations > Behavior | Reading and navigation, display, translation, the navigation panel, composing and replies, protected folders, undo send, confirmations, spam filtering, and advanced options | Reading and conversation settings |
| Reading & Conversations > Categories | Turning inbox categories on or off and creating custom categories | Inbox categories |
| Compose > Compose, Signature, and Templates | Compose defaults, signatures, and reusable templates | Compose, signature, and template settings |
| Mail Rules > Mail Rules | Rules that sort, label, and act on incoming mail, and folder auto-clean | Mail rules settings |
| Mail Rules > Blocked and Allowlist | Senders and domains you block or always allow | Blocked and allowed senders |
| Mail Rules > Auto-Forward | Forwarding incoming mail to another address | Forward mail automatically |
| Mail Rules > Vacation Reply | Automatic replies while you’re away | Set a vacation responder |
Advanced
| Section and tab | What it covers | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Import > Import | Importing mail from another provider or from files | Import mail from another provider |
| Import > External Accounts | Reading and sending mail from another account inside Aster Mail | Connect external accounts |
| Import > Export emails | Exporting your mail, contacts, and settings | Export your mail |
| Bridge | Aster Bridge, connected installations, and SMTP, IMAP, POP3, and JMAP tokens | Aster Bridge settings |
| Help > Feedback | Sending feedback to the Aster team | Send feedback |
| Help > Updates (desktop app only) | Checking for and installing app updates | Updates |
| Help > Developer (appears when Developer Mode is on) | Diagnostic tools for troubleshooting | Developer settings |
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