Overview
Email is where most of a project's back-and-forth lives. Client questions, vendor quotes, change requests, approvals. The problem is that your inbox has no idea which messages belong to which project, so your team ends up jumping between their mailbox and Structur just to piece together where things stand.
The Emails module fixes that by connecting your mailbox directly to Structur. Once connected, any email you send to a client or vendor from inside a lead or project maps automatically to that record's Emails module. Your team can read, reply, and manage those conversations right alongside the scope, budget, schedule, and everything else tied to the job.
You can also pull in emails from previous days using the Fetch Previous Emails tool, so even conversations that happened before you connected your mailbox can be brought into the right project. And for teams not using Google or Microsoft, Structur supports any IMAP-compatible email server.
This keeps your project communication in one place, visible to anyone on your team who has access to the project. No more digging through a personal inbox to figure out where a client conversation left off.
Note: You need a Structur Pro subscription to connect your mailbox. If you're on a different plan, upgrade before continuing.
Understanding the Emails Feature
What It Does
The Emails module allows you and your team to:
Connect your mailbox - link Google, Microsoft, or any IMAP-compatible email server to Structur from Settings
Map emails automatically - any email sent to a client or vendor from inside a lead or project appears in that record's Emails module
Reply without leaving Structur - respond to messages directly from the lead or project you're working in
Fetch previous emails - pull in messages from earlier days so past conversations show up in the right project
Manage your inbox - mark messages as read, archive handled conversations, and keep the active view clean
Access attachments - view and download files sent by clients right inside the project
When to Use It
The Emails module is most valuable when you want to:
Keep all client and vendor conversations for a job in one place instead of scattered across personal inboxes
Give your team shared visibility into the latest messages without forwarding anything manually
Reply to clients with the full project context already open in front of you
Build a clear, project-tied communication history that anyone on the team can reference
Stop switching tabs between Structur and your email client throughout the day
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Connect Your Mailbox
Click Settings in the left sidebar
Click Integrations in the Settings sidebar
Find the Email section at the top of the page
Choose your connection method:
Click Continue with Google to connect a Gmail account via OAuth
Click Continue with Microsoft to connect an Outlook or Microsoft 365 account via OAuth
Click Other IMAP Server to connect any other email provider manually
For Google and Microsoft, follow the OAuth authorization prompts to grant Structur access to your mailbox
For IMAP, fill in the IMAP Host, Port (defaults to 993), Username / Email, and Password, toggle Use SSL/TLS on if required, then click Connect
Once connected, your Account Status updates to Connected and your email address appears under the Email section.
Note: Each team member connects their own mailbox individually. The Emails module shows conversations from the mailbox of the person who is logged in.
2. Send an Email from a Lead or Project
Any email you send to a client or vendor from inside a lead or project maps automatically to that record's Emails module.
Open the lead or project you're working in
Click Emails in the module top bar
Click on New Email on top right, compose and send your message
The email is sent from your connected mailbox and any replies from the client or vendor will appear in the same Emails module automatically.
3. Fetch Previous Emails
If conversations happened before you connected your mailbox, you can pull them in using the Fetch Previous Emails tool.
Open the lead or project
Click Emails in the module top bar
Click Fetch Previous Emails
The Fetch Previous Emails modal opens
Use the Fetch Condition dropdown to select how far back you want to pull messages
Click Fetch Emails
Structur pulls in all matching emails from your connected mailbox and adds them to the project's Emails module.
4. Manage Messages
From the Emails module inside any lead or project you can:
Reply - respond to a message without leaving the project
Mark as read - clear messages from your unread list
Archive - remove handled messages from the active view
Open attachments - view and download files sent by the client or vendor
Note: Archiving a message in Structur removes it from the active Emails view. It is not deleted from your mailbox.
5. Disconnect or Switch Your Mailbox
Click Settings in the left sidebar
Click Integrations
Find the Email section
Click Disconnect next to your connected account
Reconnect with a different account if needed
Best Practices
Connect your mailbox early - set up the integration when you first start using Structur so every lead and project picks up its conversations from the start.
Send from inside the lead or project - emails sent from within a record map automatically, so always compose from the Emails module rather than switching to your external client.
Use Fetch Previous Emails when you first connect - pull in any relevant past conversations so your project history is complete from day one.
Archive as you go - treat the project Emails module like a real inbox and archive handled messages so unread items stay meaningful.
Keep client and vendor records accurate - Structur maps emails based on the contacts tied to the project, so clean contact records mean accurate email matching.
Reply from Structur, not your inbox - replies sent from your external client won't map back to the project automatically. Keep the conversation inside Structur to maintain a complete record.
Common Questions
Q: Do I need a specific Structur plan to use this feature?
A: Yes. You need the Structur Pro subscription to connect your mailbox. Upgrade under Settings > Billing before attempting to connect.
Q: Which email providers can I connect?
A: Structur supports Google (Gmail) and Microsoft (Outlook / Microsoft 365) via OAuth, and any other provider that supports IMAP. Choose Other IMAP Server in Settings > Integrations to connect manually.
Q: Will Structur pull in every email from my inbox?
A: No. Structur shows emails tied to the clients and vendors on the lead or project you're viewing. Messages unrelated to your Structur contacts won't appear in the Emails module.
Q: Can my teammates see the messages in the Emails module?
A: Teammates with access to the lead or project can see the email conversations tied to that record. This gives your whole team shared visibility into client communication instead of it living in one person's inbox.
Q: If I reply from Structur, does the client receive a normal email?
A: Yes. Replies are sent through your connected mailbox and arrive in the client's inbox like any other email from you.
Q: What happens if I archive a message in Structur?
A: Archiving removes the message from the active Emails view in the project. The message is not deleted from your external mailbox.
Q: What is Fetch Previous Emails for?
A: It lets you pull in emails from before you connected your mailbox or before you started using the Emails module on a specific project. Use the Fetch Condition dropdown to choose how far back to go, then click Fetch Emails to bring those messages into the project.
Q: Can I connect more than one mailbox?
A: Currently each user connects one mailbox per account. If multiple mailbox support is important to your workflow, it is on the Structur roadmap.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Don't | ✅ Do |
Reply from your personal inbox after connecting | Reply from the Emails module so the project has a complete conversation record |
Expect every inbox message to show up in Structur | Remember Structur only shows emails tied to the client or vendor on that specific lead or project |
Skip Fetch Previous Emails when you first connect | Pull in past conversations right away so your project history is complete |
Try to connect without a Structur Pro subscription | Upgrade to Pro under Settings > Billing before connecting your mailbox |
Forward emails to teammates manually | Let teammates see the conversation directly in the project through the Emails module |
Keep client and vendor records sloppy or duplicated | Keep contact records clean so Structur can accurately match emails to the right projects |