Descriptions of Reply, Reply All and Forward

Overview

After reading this article you will know the difference between the Reply, Reply All, and Forward options for working within your email.

Details

The options that are available for continuing a line of communication are the Reply, Reply All and Forward options.  Each has a unique use to assist in properly communicating with your instructors and other students. Learn how to use them in your IWU student email account here.

Reply

Used when you want to send a follow up question or comment to the sender of an email. (Example: Your instructor sends an email to the entire class. You want your response to go to your instructor, but not the rest of the class.)

Reply All

Used when you want to send a follow up comment to both the sender and all recipients of an email. (Example: Your instructor sends an email to you and a group of your classmates. You want your response to go to the entire group and your instructor.)

Forward

Used when you want to send an email to someone else who was not one of the original recipients nor the sender. (Example: Your instructor sends an email to you only. You want to share the email with a classmate.)