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Overview

Instead of subscribing to all newsletters manually again, you can set up auto-forwarding and send a copy of selected newsletters from your main inbox to your summate inbox, automatically. The overall process typically takes about 5 minutes of time, and generally requires two things:
  • add your @inbox.summate.io email to your approved forwarding addresses
  • setup filters to forward newsletters to your @inbox.summate.io email

Security First

Why we use email forwarding instead of OAuthWe deliberately chose email forwarding over direct inbox access for two key reasons:
  1. Universal Compatibility - Works with every email provider (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, ProtonMail, corporate emails, etc.) without special integrations
  2. Privacy by Design - We only see emails you explicitly choose to forward. Your personal emails, bank statements, and sensitive communications stay completely private. We never have access to your full inbox.
This approach gives you complete control over what content reaches Summate while keeping your email account secure.

Step-by-step guide for Gmail

1

Go to Gmail Settings

Click the gear icon in Gmail and select “See all settings”.
Gmail gear iconGmail settings menu
2

Navigate to Forwarding and POP/IMAP

Click on the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab in the settings menu.
Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab
3

Add a new Forwarding Address

Click “Add a forwarding address” button.
Important: Do NOT enable “Forward a copy of incoming mail to…”This would forward ALL your emails. Instead, you’ll set up selective forwarding with filters in Step 8.
Add forwarding address button
4

Enter your Summate inbox address

Enter your unique Summate inbox: username@inbox.summate.ioYou should have received this during onboarding. If you haven’t, visit your inbox page to find it.
Enter forwarding address dialog
5

Authorize your request

Gmail will ask you to verify your identity (possibly through 2FA).After authorization, Gmail sends a verification link to your Summate inbox.
6

Find the verification email

  1. Navigate to your Summate inbox
  2. Look for a new sender in the pending section
  3. Click on the Gmail verification email
Gmail verification email in Summate inbox
7

Complete verification

Copy the verification link from the email (it starts with https://mail-settings.google.com/mail/...) and paste it into your browser.
Verification link in email
8

Set up forwarding filters

Now that your Summate address is verified, create filters to selectively forward newsletters.Part A: Go to Filters and Blocked Addresses
Filters and blocked addresses tab
Part B: Create a new filterClick “Create a new filter” and specify your criteria (e.g., from a specific sender).
Create new filter dialog
Part C: Configure forwarding action
  1. Check “Forward it to” and select your Summate inbox
  2. Optionally check “Mark as read” to keep your inbox clean
  3. Click “Create filter”
Filter action configuration
See Recommended Filter Settings below for smart filtering ideas that will save you time.

Step-by-step guide for Outlook/Microsoft 365

Microsoft Enterprise 365 accounts often block automatic email forwarding by default. You may need administrator access to enable this feature.

Common Error Message

If you see this error when trying to forward emails:
550 5.7.520 Access denied, Your organization does not allow external forwarding.
Please contact your administrator for further assistance. AS(7550)
This means your Microsoft 365 account has external forwarding disabled. Follow the steps below to enable it.

Enabling External Forwarding (Administrator Required)

1

Access Microsoft 365 Defender

Log in as an administrator and navigate to:
  • Email & collaborationPolicies & rulesThreat policiesAnti-spam policies
Or go directly to: https://security.microsoft.com/antispam
Microsoft 365 Anti-spam settings page
If you don’t see these options, ensure you’re logged in with administrator privileges.
2

Edit Anti-spam Outbound Policy

Click on Anti-spam outbound policy (Default) and scroll down to click Edit protection settings.
Anti-spam outbound policy settings
3

Enable Forwarding Rules

  1. Find the Forwarding Rules section
  2. Locate the Automatic Forwarding Rules dropdown
  3. Select On - Forwarding is enabled
  4. Click Save at the bottom
Enabling automatic forwarding rules

Setting Up Forwarding Rules in Outlook

Once external forwarding is enabled, follow these steps to create rules that forward newsletters:
1

Open Rules Settings

In Outlook Desktop:
  1. Go to FileManage Rules & Alerts
  2. Click New Rule
In Outlook Web:
  1. Click the Settings gear icon
  2. Select View all Outlook settings
  3. Go to MailRules
  4. Click Add new rule
2

Create a Forwarding Rule

  1. Name your rule (e.g., “Forward Newsletters to Summate”)
  2. Add conditions to identify newsletters:
    • From: Specific sender or domain
    • Subject contains: Newsletter keywords
    • Body contains: “unsubscribe” (use cautiously)
See Recommended Filter Settings for smart filtering ideas.
3

Set the Forward Action

  1. Add an action: Forward to
  2. Enter your Summate inbox: username@inbox.summate.io
  3. Optionally add more actions:
    • Mark as read
    • Move to folder
    • Apply category
4

Review and Enable

  1. Review your rule settings
  2. Ensure “Turn on this rule” is checked
  3. Click Save or OK
  4. Test with a sample newsletter
For detailed instructions with screenshots, see Microsoft’s guide: Manage email messages by using rules

Step-by-step guide for iCloud Mail

All iCloud Mail emails, including those sent to custom domain addresses, can be automatically forwarded to your Summate inbox.
1

Access iCloud Mail Settings

  1. Go to icloud.com/mail
  2. Sign in to your Apple Account
  3. Click the Settings button at the top of the Mailboxes list
  4. Choose Settings
2

Configure Mail Forwarding

  1. Select Mail Forwarding in the sidebar
  2. Check the “Forward my email to” checkbox
  3. Enter your Summate inbox address: username@inbox.summate.io
3

Optional Settings

Storage Management:
  • To save iCloud storage, check “Delete messages after forwarding”
  • Otherwise, copies of forwarded emails will be stored in iCloud
Selective Forwarding:

To Stop Forwarding

  1. Go to icloud.com/mail and sign in
  2. Access SettingsMail Forwarding
  3. Uncheck the “Forward my email to” checkbox
For more details, see Apple’s official guide: Automatically forward email in Mail on iCloud.com

Step-by-step guide for Yahoo Mail

Yahoo Mail only supports all-or-nothing forwarding on paid plans (Yahoo Mail Plus). There’s no way to forward only newsletters - all emails will be forwarded to Summate.

Requirements

  • Yahoo Mail Plus or Access + Forwarding subscription (not available on free accounts)
  • Verification of forwarding address
1

Access Forwarding Settings

  1. Open Yahoo Mail in your browser
  2. Click the Settings gearMore settings
  3. Navigate to Mailboxes
  4. Click on your primary email account
2

Enable Auto-Forwarding

  1. Find the Auto-forwarding section
  2. Enter your Summate inbox: username@inbox.summate.io
  3. Click Verify
  4. Check your Summate inbox for verification email
  5. Complete verification and Save
Important Limitation: Yahoo filters can move emails to folders but cannot forward them. If you need selective forwarding for newsletters only, consider using a different email provider.

Step-by-step guide for ProtonMail

ProtonMail supports selective forwarding with custom rules on paid plans only. Free accounts cannot use auto-forwarding.

Security Note

When forwarding from ProtonMail to non-Proton addresses (like Summate), emails will not be end-to-end encrypted. Only the emails matching your forwarding rules are affected.
1

Access Forwarding Settings

  1. Sign in at mail.proton.me
  2. Click Settings (gear icon)All settings
  3. Navigate to Proton MailAuto-reply and forward
  4. Click Forward emailsAdd forwarding rule
2

Create Selective Forwarding Rule

  1. Forward from: Select your Proton address
  2. Forward to: Enter username@inbox.summate.io
  3. Click Add condition for selective forwarding:
    • From contains: newsletter domains
    • Subject contains: “newsletter”, “digest”, “weekly”
    • Add multiple conditions for accuracy
  4. Click Send confirmation email
3

Complete Verification

  1. Check your Summate inbox for the verification email
  2. Click Accept forwarding in the email
  3. Your rule is now active
Manage rules anytime from Auto-reply and forwardForward emails
For advanced filtering, use ProtonMail’s Sieve filters (Settings → Filters → Add sieve filter) for header-level matching and complex logic.

Step-by-step guide for Fastmail

Fastmail offers excellent forwarding capabilities with both simple rules and advanced Sieve filters.
1

Create a Forwarding Rule

  1. Go to SettingsRules (or Filters & Rules)
  2. Click Create rule
  3. Add conditions to identify newsletters:
    • From contains common newsletter domains
    • Subject contains newsletter keywords
    • List-Id header exists (most accurate)
2

Set Forward Action

Choose the action type:
  • Send a copy to: Enter username@inbox.summate.io
    • Preserves original sender (recommended)
    • Better for DMARC compliance
  • Forward: Re-sends from your address
    • Replies come back to you
3

Advanced Filtering (Optional)

For power users, use Sieve scripting:
# Forward newsletters based on List-Id header
if header :contains "List-Id" "newsletter" {
  redirect :copy "username@inbox.summate.io";
  keep;
}
Access via Settings → Advanced → Sieve Filtering
Fastmail’s “Send a copy to” (redirect) typically has better deliverability than traditional forwarding, especially with strict DMARC policies.

Step-by-step guide for HEY

HEY only supports all-or-nothing forwarding. You cannot forward only newsletters - it’s either everything or nothing. HEY’s philosophy doesn’t include traditional email rules or filters.

How HEY Handles Newsletters

HEY automatically routes newsletters to The Feed (a separate view), but there’s no way to auto-forward only Feed items to external addresses.
1

Enable Global Forwarding (If Needed)

If you must forward all emails:
  1. Go to app.hey.com/accounts
  2. Select your account
  3. Navigate to Forwarding & Sending
  4. Add username@inbox.summate.io as forwarding address
  5. Complete verification
Note: This forwards ALL emails except spam
2

Alternative Approach

For selective forwarding, consider this workaround:
  1. Forward everything from HEY to another provider (Gmail/Fastmail)
  2. Set up selective rules in that provider
  3. Forward only newsletters to Summate from there
This adds complexity but enables selective forwarding.
Given HEY’s limitations, most users find it easier to manually forward individual newsletters or use HEY’s built-in Feed feature instead of auto-forwarding.
Setting up the right filters ensures only newsletters reach your Summate inbox, not your personal emails. Here are proven filtering strategies:

Platform-Specific Filters

Newsletter Platforms:
  • Substack: from:substack.com
  • Beehiiv: from:beehiiv.com
  • ConvertKit: from:convertkit.com
  • Ghost: from:ghost.io
  • Mailchimp: from:mailchimp.com
These filters catch all newsletters from major platforms.

Smart Keyword Filters

Combine multiple criteria for accuracy:
  • from:newsletter AND has:unsubscribe
  • subject:"weekly" OR subject:"daily" OR subject:"digest"
  • from:noreply AND has:unsubscribe
More specific = fewer false positives.

Universal “Unsubscribe” Filter

Use with caution: The “has the words: unsubscribe” filter catches most newsletters but may also forward:
  • Order confirmations
  • Service notifications
  • Marketing emails
  • Account updates
For best results, combine with sender filters or use more specific criteria.

Tips for Better Filtering

Best Practices:
  1. Start specific - Begin with known newsletter senders
  2. Test first - Apply filters to existing emails before enabling forwarding
  3. Refine regularly - Review what’s being forwarded weekly
  4. Use labels - Mark forwarded emails in your main inbox for easy tracking