With technology always evolving, it might be hard to keep up. Especially in online communication, you might find it difficult to work with the more complicated interfaces of various webmails. Most of them are not very senior-friendly and contain too many features that you might not need or half of the screen might be covered by ads.
If you want to keep your email simple, eM Client is a great option. It's an email app that enables you to receive and send emails easily, without any additional hassle.
It does have various advanced features as well, but is still comfortable to use for the elderly, thanks to its simple user interface. And all of the advanced features can be turned off!
On top of that, eM Client is one of the few free email programs - it offers a free license for personal use, which allows you to add up to two email accounts to the app - no subscription or additional payments needed. There is also no time limit on how long you can use the program for free. And it does not have any ads.
In this article, we will show you the basics of the eM Client email app - from downloading it to sending your first email.
How to download and install the eM Client email app
To download and install the eM Client email app, open your internet browser and enter emclient.com in the address bar. The official eM Client webpage will open.
On the webpage, you will see a green Download for free button:
Once the installation file is downloaded, you can install the app.
The installation file name ends with .msi on a Windows OS computer and with .pkg on a Mac (Apple) computer. The file name contains numbers - those represent the number of the newest version of the program at the time you downloaded the installation file.
If you cannot find the installation file, try looking for it in your Downloads folder.
Click on the installation file, and the installation screen will open. Click Agree to agree to the terms of use and proceed with installation by clicking on Install.
There will be a pop-up window asking you to give permission to make changes to the computer - click Yes.
After the installation finishes, you will see a window with three checkmarks - the first one means that eM Client will be set as your default email app. Checking the second one will cause the eM Client app to automatically start after you turn on your computer.
The third checkmark will launch the eM Client app immediately after the installation is finished.
You can decide to remove one or both of the first two checkmarks.
Now click Finish to finish the installation process.
First steps with eM Client
The first time you launch the eM Client app, there will be a settings screen - it gives you the option to choose between Custom and Standard settings, or Simple mode.
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You can select based on your preference; we recommend choosing the Simple mode.
There's always the option to change how your app looks later.
To learn more about the appearance settings, read our article here.
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Click "Next".
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Click on the theme you want and then click "Next". This will change how the interface looks.
If you have used a different email app on your computer in the past, such as Microsoft Outlook, IncrediMail, Thunderbird, or another, you will have the option to import your data from that app into eM Client.
Adding an email account
After you have chosen your preferred app layout, the installation wizard will help you add your email account to the eM Client app. The account setup is automatic, with only a few steps needed from your side.
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Begin by typing your email address into the "Email" text field and clicking the green "Start" button:
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Next, you might be asked to enter your email account password, depending on your email service provider. If the "Password" text field appears, enter your email account password and click the green "Continue" button:
You may need to use your "app password" instead. This is a special password that some email providers require to be inserted in third-party email apps instead of your actual email account password. If the app does not accept your password, double-check whether your email provider requires you to use an app password
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In the next step, you can change the name your recipients will see when you send them an email.
You can also choose the account display name - that is how you will see it in the account list. Or just leave it as it is.
Click the orange "Next" button to proceed.
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Now you will get the option to encrypt your email communication. This is an additional safety measure available in the eM Client app. You can read more about encryption here.
For now, do not worry about setting up encryption and just select "Continue without encryption" and click the "Next" button:
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In the last step, you can choose which services will be synchronized with your email app. The app will automatically find the available services - usually it's mail, calendar, and contacts, but it can be just mail or other combinations. Tick the checkmarks for all the services you want to use.
Additionally, you can choose to automatically download your messages for offline use and search. This means even if your internet connection stops working, you will be able to view your previously downloaded messages locally through your eM Client desktop app.
To enable this setting, make sure the "Automatically download messages for offline use and search" checkbox is ticked off.
We have selected the download scope to be "Full messages with attachments", but you can also choose it to be "Message list only" or "Full messages without attachments".
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Click the "Finish" button to complete the account setup process.
After that, your first account setup is complete.
If you did not enter your email account password at the beginning of the account setup, you will see a login screen of your email provider open automatically in your internet browser after you click the "Finish" button.
Proceed to log in with your email credentials to confirm you wish to add your account to the eM Client app. This additional step is usually required only for Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft email accounts.
How to Get Your Free License for eM Client
You can use the eM Client email app for free for 30 days without having to do anything. Once the 30 days are up, there is an option to use eM Client without any payment, but you have to enter a license key (code) in the app to activate it using a Free license you can register on our website.
You will receive a reminder before the trial period ends. The reminder pop-up window will appear when you open the eM Client app.
It is best to activate your free license when you receive the notification, before the 30 days are up.
You can either click the green "Get Free license" button on the reminder window, or open your internet browser and head on to emclient.com/free-license.
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You will see a form - fill in your information, and do not forget to check the "I have read and agreed to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy" box. You can read the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy in detail by clicking on their links.
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Click on the Get Free License button:
The webpage will show a message saying that a confirmation was sent to your email - it can take some time before it arrives in your inbox.
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Open your email account's inbox in your webmail or the eM Client app - you will see an email with the subject that says "eM Client: Free License Request".
Open the email.
If you cannot see the email in your Inbox, try looking for it in your Junk mail folder. If the email is not in your Junk folder, you can try to sign up for the free license again after 10 minutes
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In the email, you will see a message saying "Dear user, thank you for your interest in a free eM Client license. Please use the following link to finish the license registration and get your activation key:"
There will be a green Get Free License button - click on it:
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Once you click on the button, a new internet browser window will open automatically. It will show your free license activation key (code) along with basic instructions on how to activate the license in your eM Client email app:
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Now that you can see your activation key, you can use that key to activate your free license. Select the code that is shown next to the "Your activation key is:" text with your mouse and use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C (or Cmd + C on Mac).
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Then, open your eM Client app.
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In the app, click on the three-line button in the top left corner and select Help > License. Alternatively, if you are a MacOS computer user, click Help > License on the top left toolbar.
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The License window will open - click the "Activate" button:
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Another pop-up window will open - use the Ctrl + V keyboard shortcut (on Windows computer) or the Cmd + V keyboard shortcut (on Mac) to insert the activation license key you previously copied into the text field:
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After you click the "Ok" button, the license information will be loaded into the License window:
Your free license is now activated, and you can close the window by clicking the "Close" button.
If you see an eM Client license error message saying "The provided activation key is not valid. If you believe this is an error, please contact the vendor", make sure to double-check you have copied the license key correctly. Usually, this issue arises from a letter you might have missed when you copied the license key. Try entering it again by clicking the "Ok" button, followed by the "Activate" button.
How to add a second email account in the eM Client app
With your free license, you can connect up to two email accounts in the eM Client app.
To add another email account, click the three-line icon in the top left and head to the Accounts section. Once in the Accounts section, click the "+Add Account" button.
On macOS, this setting will be found under eM Client > Add Account…
Once you click the "+ Add account" button, the automatic account setup wizard will open. This is the same setup wizard that you already used to set up your first email account after you installed the application. Check the instructions we provided earlier in this article if you want a step-by-step.
How to read emails in the eM Client app
Now that you have set up your email accounts, you can receive and read emails.
On the left side of the app window, you will find a list of your email accounts and their folders.
If you click the Inbox folder, you will be able to view the list of your incoming messages next to the list of accounts. Each message will have the sender, subject, and the received date listed.
Click on the message to open it:
You can also double-click the message to open it in a separate window.
How to reply to an email in the eM Client app
After reading an email, you might want to reply to it. To do so, first make sure you clicked on the email you want to reply to. After you have done that, click on the "Reply" button on the toolbar at the top of your app window.
A new window will open, where you can type your message. When you are done, click the orange "Send" button to send the email.
How to send an email
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To compose and send a new email, click the orange "New" button in the top left of your eM Client app window:
A "New Message" window will open, where you can compose your new email.
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After you finish writing your email, insert the email address of the recipient in the "To:" text field and a subject in the "Subject:" field.
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If you want to include an attachment to your email, click the paperclip icon in the compose window toolbar:
After you click on the paperclip icon, a new window will open, where you can select a file from your computer and attach it to your email.
Find the file you want to send and click the "Open" button. This will add the file as an attachment to your email.
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Now that you have finished writing your email and added an attachment to it, click the orange "Send" button.
The eM Client app has a user-friendly interface where you will easily find all the basic email features you might need. Anyone looking for an email app for seniors will also appreciate that you can use the app for free with up to two email accounts - forever. eM Client email app helps you keep in touch with your friends and family comfortably, with no advanced technical skills needed. To learn even more about eM Client, take a look at our blog.