---
title: "Reading mail offline"
description: "Doota keeps a copy of your mail on your device, so the inbox and your conversations open instantly — even with no connection."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.doota.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Reading mail offline

Doota keeps a private copy of your mail **on your device**. That's why the inbox
paints instantly when you switch folders — and it's why the app still works when
you have no connection at all: on a flight, in a tunnel, on hotel Wi-Fi that
gave up.

There's nothing to turn on. Use Doota normally while online and your device
quietly fills in: the thread list for every folder syncs on sign-in, and each
conversation you open is saved in full — including formatted HTML mail.

## What works offline

- **Your inbox and folders** — the full thread list, in every folder, as of the
  last time you were connected.
- **Any conversation you've opened before** — the whole back-and-forth, message
  bodies included, plus your team's internal notes on it.
- **Opening the app cold** — you can close the tab (or the installed app) and
  launch it again with no connection; it boots straight from the device copy.

## What waits for a connection

Anything that has to reach the server pauses until you're back online — Doota
tells you with a small **"You're offline"** bar under the header, and puts things
that can't work on hold instead of letting them fail silently:

- **Writing and sending** — the Compose button is disabled offline. (There's no
  offline outbox yet; nothing is queued behind your back.)
- **Search** — [search](/guide/search) runs on the server, so ⌘K says it's
  unavailable rather than spinning.
- **New mail** — arrives the moment you reconnect, along with anything that
  changed while you were away.
- **Attachments and remote images** — files and blocked-image loads fetch from
  the server, so they need a connection.

Actions like archiving or starring also need the server; offline is for
**reading**.

> **Install Doota for the best offline experience**
>
> Offline works in a browser tab, but it's most useful with Doota **installed as an
> app** — launch it from your dock or Home Screen and it opens your inbox with or
> without a network. Installing is also what enables
> [push notifications on iPhone](/guide/notifications).

## What's on your device, and when it's removed

The device copy is your mail, readable — the same as any mail app on your phone
that shows messages without a connection. It stays in your browser's private
storage for that browser profile, and it's **removed when you sign out or switch
accounts**. On a shared or borrowed computer, sign out when you're done and the
local copy goes with you. The full picture lives in the
[security reference](/reference/security).

A conversation you've **never opened** while online isn't on the device yet — so
if you know you're about to lose signal, open the threads you'll want to read.
Very large mailboxes (thousands of conversations) fall back to loading from the
server, so offline reading may not be available there.

Source: https://docs.doota.dev/guide/offline/index.mdx