The Email tool allows you to send emails from within Brightspace. You can also organize received mail using folders and store email addresses using your Address Book.
To email others using the Email tool
On your organizational or course homepage, click the Message alerts (envelope) icon and then click Email.
Figure: Click the Message alerts icon and then click the Email button.- To select your email recipients, do one of the following:
- Enter their names in the To field.
- Click Address Book and select them manually.
Figure: Click Address Book in the Compose New Message window to select recipients or enter them manually in the To field.
 | Note: The maximum number of recipients in the To and CC fields is 200. The maximum number of recipients in the BCC field is 3000. |
- Update the Subject field.
- Add your content in the Body field, including any images, links, or media. You can also attach files in the Attachments area.
- Upload: Add a file or other media from your device.
- Choose Existing: Add a file from your Brightspace account or other accounts like OneDrive and Google Drive.
- Record: Record video or audio content.
- Click Send.
Figure: Create your email's Subject and Body and upload any Attachments in the Compose New Message window.
| Note: If your email has 100 or more recipients, Brightspace processes the email as a background task. You can continue using Brightspace while your email sends. The status of your email is shown in the Sent Mail folder of the Email tool. |
Add and edit an email signature
Add an email signature to your emails to ensure that every message is personal and consistent.
To add an email signature
- On your organizational or course homepage, click the Message alerts icon and click Email.
Figure: Click the Message alerts icon and then click Email.
- On the Compose New Message page, click Settings.
Figure: Click the Settings button in the Email tool.
- On the Email Settings page, in the Email Signature field, create your signature using Brightspace Editor.
| Note: The Email Signature field has a maximum character limit of 65,535 characters. |
Figure: Use Brightspace Editor to create your email signature.
- Click Save.
You have created and added your email signature. Your signature appears at the bottom of the field when you compose a new message.
To edit an email signature
- On your organizational or course homepage, click the Message alerts icon and click Email.
Figure: Click the Message alerts icon and then click Email.
- On the Compose New Message page, click Settings.
Figure: Click the Settings button in the Email tool.
- On the Email Settings page, in the Email Signature field, change your signature using Brightspace Editor.
Figure: Use Brightspace Editor to change your email signature.
- Click Save.
You have edited your email signature.
How do I contact my instructor or find my instructor's email?
To contact your instructor, email them using the Email tool in Brightspace. Some good places to find your instructor's email address are:
- Your course syllabus. This may be posted in the Content tool.
- The Classlist tool.
Note: The Classlist tool may not be available to you.
Which issues should I contact my instructor for help with?
- Extensions on assignments, quizzes, discussions, and exams.
- Requests for additional quiz attempts and technical difficulties while taking a quiz.
- Specific details or questions about course material like instructions.
- Grade inquiry for assessments like assignments and discussions.
I am unable to log in to my institution's email portal (not Brightspace). What do I do?
If you are unable to log in to your school email portal, contact your institution’s Help Desk.
Why can I only see some emails in my inbox?
If you know you have more emails than you can see on the page:
- Ensure the email filter does not restrict the emails you are seeing. From the Filter By list, select All Messages.
- You might have multiple pages for your email. Make sure to look through all pages and expand the number of emails that appear per page.
I get a "Not Authorized" error when trying to access my Email. What do I do?
From your organizational or course homepage, click on your Message Alerts (envelope icon). If you see the message You must complete the following quizzes for alerts to be enabled: {Quiz Name}, you will be able to access your email after the quiz noted in the message has ended. While the quiz is in progress, your email access is disabled by your instructor.
I cannot access my email inbox. I can only send emails.
Your institution has send-only email enabled. You cannot receive emails in Brightspace.
Forward Brightspace emails to another account
You can also set up forwarding so that any emails you receive in your inbox are forwarded to another account of your choice.
To forward emails
- Navigate to the Email tool.
- Click Settings (indicated with the gear icon).
Figure: Click Email Settings.
- Under Forwarding Options, click the check box Forward incoming messages to an alternate email account.
- Enter the email address that you want your Brightspace emails forwarded to.
Figure: Select the desired Brightspace Email Forwarding Options.
- Choose one of the following options:
- Select Forward and delete from the Inbox folder to forward any email sent to your account to the address specified. The emails will no longer be accessible through Brightspace.
- Select Forward and mark unread in the Inbox folder to forward any email sent to your account to the address specified. The email will also exist in your Brightspace account and will be marked as unread.
- Select Forward and mark read in the Inbox folder to forward any email sent to your account to the address specified. The email will also exist in your Brightspace account and will be marked as read.
- Click Save.
Forwarding actions are set up and saved for all emails that you receive in your inbox.
How do I see the emails I have sent?
To view your sent emails
- From your course homepage, click the Message Alerts icon and then click Email.
Figure: Click the Message alerts icon and then click the Email button.
- Click Sent Mail.
Figure: Click Sent Mail to view your sent emails.
- You can now view your sent emails.