Reply, forward and attach files from the Unified Inbox

Draft — written from product facts + domain knowledge; UI labels to be verified before publishing.

You can answer any lead directly from the Unified Inbox. Replies are sent from the same mailbox that sent the original campaign email, so the thread stays intact for the lead and your reply lands in the existing conversation. You can also forward a thread to a colleague (for example an account executive) and attach files such as a deck or a one-pager.

Prerequisites

• The sending mailbox is connected and healthy under Mailbox. A disconnected mailbox cannot send replies.
• For LinkedIn replies, the LinkedIn account used by the campaign is still connected.

Steps: reply to a lead

1. In the left nav, click Inbox and open the conversation.
2. Click Reply at the bottom of the thread. The composer opens with the lead's address in To, the original subject with Re:, and the previous message quoted.
3. The From field is pre-set to the mailbox that sent the campaign email. Leave it as is unless that mailbox is paused or disconnected.
4. Write your message. You can use the same editor tools as in campaigns: Variables (for example the lead's first name or your signature), Templates and Preview.
5. Optionally click Cc or Bcc to add colleagues.
6. Click Send. To send later, click the arrow next to Send and choose Schedule.

The reply appears in the thread immediately with a "Sent" marker, and the lead's status stays Replied. The campaign does not resume sending sequence steps to a lead who has replied.

Steps: forward a conversation

1. Open the conversation and click the three-dots menu on the message you want to forward, or click Forward in the toolbar.
2. Enter the recipient's address in To. Forwarding to a teammate's OutreachFox account keeps the thread linked; forwarding to an external address sends a plain copy.
3. Add a note above the quoted message if needed and click Send.

Steps: attach a file

1. In the reply or forward composer, click the paperclip icon.
2. Choose a file from your computer. Keep individual attachments under 10 MB and the total under 20 MB; larger files are refused by most receiving mail servers.
3. The file name appears under the editor. Click x next to it to remove it.
4. Click Send.

Tips

• Reply from the Unified Inbox rather than from Gmail or Outlook so the reply is logged against the lead and visible to your team.
• Match the tone and length of the lead's reply. A two-line "Yes, Tuesday works" deserves a two-line answer with a calendar link, not a new pitch.
• Attachments are fine in one-to-one replies, but keep them out of sequence emails — attachments in cold email hurt deliverability. Use a link instead.
• Do not change the subject line when replying; a changed subject breaks threading in the lead's mail client.
• Use Preview before sending if you inserted variables, to make sure none are empty.

Troubleshooting

• Send fails with an authentication error. The mailbox token expired. Go to Mailbox, find the mailbox and click Reconnect, then send again.
• Reply sent but not visible in the lead's thread. Refresh the inbox. If the mailbox uses IMAP-SMTP, make sure the "Sent" folder is configured correctly in the mailbox settings so OutreachFox can read sent mail.
• Attachment rejected. Reduce the file size or upload it to a shared drive and paste the link.
• The lead received the reply from a different address. The campaign mailbox was replaced or removed; the reply went from the fallback mailbox. Reconnect the original mailbox to keep threads consistent.

Related articles

• Unified Inbox overview: every reply from every mailbox and channel in one place
• Reply templates (macros) for faster responses
• Schedule a reply and set follow-up reminders
• AI reply suggestions
• Add a signature to a mailbox