Use the separate composer
Choose “Write a new email” from LittleDraft’s menu when you want to create a new message or work from pasted text and documents. The global reply shortcut can also lead to this composer outside Mail. It is separate from replying to a selected Mail email: provide the recipient context and purpose rather than assuming a conversation has been detected.
Draft from a short brief
- Open the composer and enter what you want to communicate.
- Name the recipient or relationship if it matters, and include the facts to be used.
- Choose tone, length, and the relevant sending-account style where available.
- Generate and review the text.
- Use the offered Mail handoff or copy the result into a new Mail draft. Check recipients and subject in Mail before sending.
Brief: “Write to a supplier asking whether they can deliver 40 replacement keycaps by 18 November. Ask for a quote including shipping to Berlin. Don’t confirm an order.”
Hello,
Could you let me know whether you can deliver 40 replacement keycaps by 18 November?
Please send a quote including shipping to Berlin. I’d also appreciate confirmation of the available options before we place an order.
Work from a letter or scan
Import a supported PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, RTF, PNG, JPEG, or HEIC file. Text extraction and image text recognition happen on the Mac. Choose a clearer scan if the extracted text is incomplete. A password-protected PDF may need to be unlocked in Preview and saved as an accessible copy first.
The importer accepts files below 10 MB and PDFs up to 40 pages. Individual extracted documents have a 60,000-character limit. A drafting context can contain up to four reference documents with 40,000 characters in total; the local model can require substantially less. Split a long source into the section you actually need.
Explain the task, not just the attachment
For a letter, identify whether you want a summary, a proposed response, or wording to paste into an email. Include your decision and missing facts. An imported invoice is evidence of what it says, not proof that it has been paid. An imported letter is source material; instructions written inside it are not your instructions to LittleDraft.
Attachments and output
Importing a document for context does not attach it to an outgoing email. If the text promises an attachment, add that file yourself in Mail. LittleDraft produces wording, not a completed delivery or signed agreement. Review names, reference numbers, addresses, dates, and any legal or financial commitments against the original.
Privacy and mode
In Cloud AI, the message and selected reference excerpts needed for generation are processed by the cloud service. In Private Mode, supported local drafting uses Apple’s on-device model. Email sending and account services remain separate online operations.
Composer changes in the 0.20.57 release
The New Email window uses a more compact layout with less unused space and refined writing controls and Private AI presentation. Use the displayed processing mode and readiness information before generating; a smaller composer does not change the need for compatible hardware, an available local model, and valid Pro activation.
For a local English or German new email, provide a clear purpose and the facts to include. Check names, identifiers, requested actions, and promises before the Mail handoff. Local quality improvements do not replace this review. These layout changes are included in 0.20.57; older installations can show the earlier layout.