Create Message

Namespace: microsoft.graph

Important

APIs under the /beta version in Microsoft Graph are subject to change. Use of these APIs in production applications is not supported. To determine whether an API is available in v1.0, use the Version selector.

Create a draft of a new message in either JSON or MIME format.

When using JSON format, you can:

  • Include an attachment.
  • Use a mention to call out another user in the new message.
  • Update the draft later to add content to the body or change other message properties.

When using MIME format:

  • Provide the applicable Internet message headers and the MIME content, all encoded in base64 format in the request body.
  • * Add any attachments and S/MIME properties to the MIME content.

By default, this operation saves the draft in the Drafts folder.

Send the draft message in a subsequent operation.

Alternatively, send a new message in a single action, or create a draft to forward, to reply or to reply-all to an existing message.

* Note: S/MIME message payloads are currently limited to 4 MB. Submission attempts that exceed this limit will result in anHTTP 413 Request Entity Too Large error response.

This API is available in the following national cloud deployments.

Global service US Government L4 US Government L5 (DOD) China operated by 21Vianet

Permissions

One of the following permissions are required to call this API. To learn more, including how to choose permissions, see Permissions.

Permission type Permissions (from least to most privileged)
Delegated (work or school account) Mail.ReadWrite
Delegated (personal Microsoft account) Mail.ReadWrite
Application Mail.ReadWrite

HTTP request

POST /me/messages
POST /users/{id|userPrincipalName}/messages
POST /me/mailFolders/{id}/messages
POST /users/{id | userPrincipalName}/mailFolders/{id}/messages

Request headers

Name Type Description
Authorization string Bearer {token}.
Content-Type string Nature of the data in the body of an entity. Required.
Use application/json for a JSON object and text/plain for MIME content

Request body

When using JSON format, provide a JSON representation of the message object.

When specifying the body in MIME format, provide the MIME content with the applicable Internet message headers ("To", "CC", "BCC", "Subject"), all encoded in base64 format in the request body.

To use mention to call out another user in the new message:

  • Include the required toRecipients property, the mentions property, and any writable message properties in the request body.
  • For each mention in the mentions property, you must specify the mentioned property.

Since the message resource supports extensions, you can use the POST operation and add custom properties with your own data to the message while creating it.

Response

If successful, this method returns a 201 Created response code and a message object in the response body.

If the request body includes malformed MIME content, this method returns 400 Bad request and the following error message: "Invalid base64 string for MIME content".

Examples

Example 1: Create a message draft in JSON format

Request

The following example shows a request to create a draft of a new message.

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/messages
Content-type: application/json

{
    "subject":"Did you see last night's game?",
    "importance":"Low",
    "body":{
        "contentType":"HTML",
        "content":"They were <b>awesome</b>!"
    },
    "toRecipients":[
        {
            "emailAddress":{
                "address":"AdeleV@contoso.com"
            }
        }
    ]
}

In the request body, supply a JSON representation of message object.

Response

The following example shows the response. Note: The response object shown here might be shortened for readability.

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-type: application/json

{
    "@odata.context":"https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/$metadata#users('ad787b4f-1fda-4523-8e48-ffedb7f4635f')/messages/$entity",
    "@odata.etag":"W/\"CQAAABYAAAAmXr9SsE/UR4PcnTZcg7qWAAAFS12t\"",
    "id":"AAMkAGRWAAAFSmKXAAA=",
    "createdDateTime":"2017-12-23T07:29:57Z",
    "lastModifiedDateTime":"2017-12-23T07:29:58Z",
    "changeKey":"CQAAABYAAAAmXr9SsE/UR4PcnTZcg7qWAAAFS12t",
    "categories":[

    ],
    "receivedDateTime":"2017-12-23T07:29:58Z",
    "sentDateTime":"2017-12-23T07:29:58Z",
    "hasAttachments":false,
    "internetMessageId":"<MWHPR130@MWHPR130.namprd13.prod.outlook.com>",
    "subject":"Did you see last night's game?",
    "bodyPreview":"They were awesome!",
    "importance":"low",
    "parentFolderId":"AAMkAGRWAAAAAAEPAAA=",
    "conversationId":"AAQkAGRVYAsRJrRdc_mWNaxU=",
    "conversationIndex":"AQHTe7/VAniOJVgCxEmtF1z6ZY1rFQ==",
    "isDeliveryReceiptRequested":false,
    "isReadReceiptRequested":false,
    "isRead":true,
    "isDraft":true,
    "webLink":"https://outlook.office365.com/owa/?ItemID=AAMkAGRWAAAFSmKXAAA%3D&exvsurl=1&viewmodel=ReadMessageItem",
    "inferenceClassification":"focused",
    "unsubscribeData":[

    ],
    "unsubscribeEnabled":false,
    "mentionsPreview":null,
    "body":{
        "contentType":"html",
        "content":"<html>\r\n<head>\r\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\">\r\n<meta content=\"text/html; charset=us-ascii\">\r\n</head>\r\n<body>\r\nThey were <b>awesome</b>!\r\n</body>\r\n</html>\r\n"
    },
    "toRecipients":[
        {
            "emailAddress":{
                "name":"AdeleV@contoso.com",
                "address":"AdeleV@contoso.com"
            }
        }
    ],
    "ccRecipients":[

    ],
    "bccRecipients":[

    ],
    "replyTo":[

    ],
    "flag":{
        "flagStatus":"notFlagged"
    }
}

Example 2: Create a draft message that includes an @-mention

Request

The next example shows a draft email by Randi Welch to Samantha Booth. The message also includes a mention of another user, Dana Swope.

In the request body, supply a JSON representation of message object.

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/messages
Content-type: application/json

{
    "subject": "Party planning",
    "toRecipients":[
      {
          "emailAddress":{
              "name":"Samantha Booth",
              "address":"samanthab@contoso.com"
          }
      }
    ],
    "mentions":[
      {
        "mentioned":{
          "name":"Dana Swope",
          "address":"danas@contoso.com"
         }
      }
    ]
}

Response

The following example shows the response. Note: The response object shown here is truncated for brevity. All of the properties will be returned from an actual call.

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-type: application/json

{
  "@odata.context":"https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/$metadata#me/Messages/$entity",
  "@odata.id":"https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/users('266efe5a-0fd7-4edd-877b-b2d1e561f193@ae01a323-3934-4475-a32d-af1274312bb0')/messages('AQMkADJmMTUAAAW1fsAAAAA==')",
  "@odata.etag":"W/\"CQAAABYAAAAPFhK2FclcRbABBJhCde8iAAAAbYj7\"",
  "id":"AQMkADJmMTUAAAW1fsAAAAA==",
  "body":{
    "contentType":"Text",
    "content":""
  },
  "bodyPreview":"",
  "sender":null,
  "from":null,
  "subject": "Party planning",
  "toRecipients":[
    {
      "emailAddress":{
        "name":"Samantha Booth",
        "address":"samanthab@contoso.com"
      }
    }
  ],
  "mentionsPreview":{
    "isMentioned":false
  },
  "mentions":[
    {
      "@odata.id":"https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/users('266efe5a-0fd7-4edd-877b-b2d1e561f193@ae01a323-3934-4475-a32d-af1274312bb0')/messages('AQMkADJmMTUAAAW1fsAAAAA==')/mentions('4577bba4-b063-4cea-9073-6f7ca815fcec')",
      "id":"4577bba4-b063-4cea-9073-6f7ca815fcec",
      "mentioned":{
        "name":"Dana Swope",
        "address":"danas@contoso.com"
      },
      "mentionText":null,
      "clientReference":null,
      "createdBy":{
        "name":"Randi Welch",
        "address":"randiw@contoso.com"
      },
      "createdDateTime":"2016-07-22T02:22:44Z",
      "serverCreatedDateTime":"2016-07-22T02:22:44.201Z",
      "deepLink":null,
      "application":null
    }
  ]
}

Example 3: Create a draft message that includes custom Internet message headers

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/messages
Content-type: application/json

{
    "subject":"9/8/2018: concert",
    "body":{
        "contentType":"HTML",
        "content":"The group represents Washington."
    },
    "toRecipients":[
        {
            "emailAddress":{
                "address":"AlexW@contoso.com"
            }
        }
    ],
    "internetMessageHeaders":[
        {
            "name":"x-custom-header-group-name",
            "value":"Washington"
        },
        {
            "name":"x-custom-header-group-id",
            "value":"WA001"
        }
    ]
}

In the request body, supply a JSON representation of message object.

Response

The following example shows the response. Note: Internet message headers are not returned by default in a POST response. The response object shown here may also be truncated for brevity. All of the properties will be returned from an actual call.

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-type: application/json

{
    "@odata.context":"https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/$metadata#users('7f180cbb-a5ae-457c-b7e8-6f5b42ba33e7')/messages/$entity",
    "@odata.etag":"W/\"CQAAABYAAAC4ofQHEIqCSbQPot83AFcbAAAnjjuE\"",
    "id":"AAMkADhNmAAA=",
    "createdDateTime":"2018-09-09T02:54:56Z",
    "lastModifiedDateTime":"2018-09-09T02:54:56Z",
    "changeKey":"CQAAABYAAAC4ofQHEIqCSbQPot83AFcbAAAnjjuE",
    "categories":[

    ],
    "receivedDateTime":"2018-09-09T02:54:56Z",
    "sentDateTime":"2018-09-09T02:54:56Z",
    "hasAttachments":false,
    "internetMessageId":"<MWHPR220MB1120.namprd22.prod.outlook.com>",
    "subject":"9/8/2018: concert",
    "bodyPreview":"The group represents Washington.",
    "importance":"normal",
    "parentFolderId":"AAMkADhAAAAAAEPAAA=",
    "conversationId":"AAQkADhNCuP8OKSm-0NE=",
    "isDeliveryReceiptRequested":false,
    "isReadReceiptRequested":false,
    "isRead":true,
    "isDraft":true,
    "webLink":"https://outlook.office365.com/owa/?ItemID=AAMkADhNmAAA%3D&exvsurl=1&viewmodel=ReadMessageItem",
    "inferenceClassification":"focused",
    "unsubscribeData":[

    ],
    "unsubscribeEnabled":false,
    "mentionsPreview":null,
    "body":{
        "contentType":"html",
        "content":"<html>\r\n<head>\r\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\">\r\n<meta content=\"text/html; charset=us-ascii\">\r\n</head>\r\n<body>\r\nThe group represents Washington.\r\n</body>\r\n</html>\r\n"
    },
    "toRecipients":[
        {
            "emailAddress":{
                "name":"Alex Wilber",
                "address":"AlexW@contoso.com"
            }
        }
    ],
    "ccRecipients":[

    ],
    "bccRecipients":[

    ],
    "replyTo":[

    ],
    "flag":{
        "flagStatus":"notFlagged"
    }
}

Example 4: Create a message draft in MIME format

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/messages
Content-type: text/plain

RnJvbTogQWxleCBXaWxiZXIgPEFsZXhXQGNvbnRvc28uY29tPgpUbzogTWVnYW4gQm93ZW4gPE1l
Z2FuQkBjb250b3NvLmNvbT4KU3ViamVjdDogSW50ZXJuYWwgUmVzdW1lIFN1Ym1pc3Npb246IFNh
bGVzIEFzc29jaWF0ZQpUaHJlYWQtVG9waWM6IEludGVybmFsIFJlc3VtZSBTdWJtaXNzaW9uOiBT
YWxlcyBBc3NvY2lhdGUKVGhyZWFkLUluZGV4OiBjb2RlY29kZWNvZGVoZXJlaGVyZWhlcmUKRGF0
ZTogU3VuLCAyOCBGZWIgMjAyMSAwNzoxNTowMCArMDAwMApNZXNzYWdlLUlEOgoJPE1XSFBSMTMw
MU1CMjAwMDAwMDAwRDc2RDlDMjgyMjAwMDA5QUQ5QTlASFdIUFIxMzAxTUIwMDAwLmNvZGVudW0u
cHJvZC5vdXRsb29rLmNvbT4KQ29udGVudC1MYW5ndWFnZTogZW4tVVMKWC1NUy1IYXMtQXR0YWNo
OgpYLU1TLVRORUYtQ29ycmVsYXRv

Response

The following example shows the response.

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-type: application/json

{
    "@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/$metadata#users('0aaa0aa0-0000-0a00-a00a-0000009000a0')/messages/$entity",
    "@odata.etag": "W/\"AAAAAAAAAAAa00AAAa0aAaAa0a0AAAaAAAAaAa0a\"",
    "id": "AAMkADA1MTAAAAqldOAAA=",
    "createdDateTime": "2021-04-23T18:13:44Z",
    "lastModifiedDateTime": "2021-04-23T18:13:44Z",
    "changeKey": "AAAAAAAAAAAA00aaaa000aaA",
    "categories": [],
    "receivedDateTime": "2021-04-23T18:13:44Z",
    "sentDateTime": "2021-02-28T07:15:00Z",
    "hasAttachments": false,
    "internetMessageId": "<AAAAAAAAAA@AAAAAAA0001AA0000.codcod00.prod.outlook.com>",
    "subject": "Internal Resume Submission: Sales Associate",
    "bodyPreview": "Hi, Megan.I have an interest in the Sales Associate position. Please consider my resume, which you can access here...",
    "importance": "normal",
    "parentFolderId": "LKJDSKJHkjhfakKJHFKWKKJHKJdhkjHDK==",
    "conversationId": "SDSFSmFSDGI5LWZhYjc4fsdfsd=",
    "conversationIndex": "Adfsdfsdfsdfw==",
    "isDeliveryReceiptRequested": null,
    "isReadReceiptRequested": false,
    "isRead": true,
    "isDraft": true,
    "webLink": "https://outlook.office365.com/owa/?ItemID=AAMkAGNhOWAvsurl=1&viewmodel=ReadMessageItem",
    "inferenceClassification": "focused",
    "body": {
        "contentType": "text",
        "content": "Hi, Megan.I have an interest in the Sales Associate position. Please consider my resume, which you can access here... Regards,Alex"
    },
    "sender": {
        "emailAddress": {
            "name": "Alex Wilber",
            "address": "AlexW@contoso.com"
        }
    },
    "from": {
        "emailAddress": {
            "name": "Alex Wilber",
            "address": "AlexW@contoso.com"
        }
    },
    "toRecipients": [
        {
            "emailAddress": {
                "name": "Megan Bowen",
                "address": "MeganB@contoso.com"
            }
        }
    ],
    "ccRecipients": [],
    "bccRecipients": [],
    "replyTo": [],
    "flag": {
        "flagStatus": "notFlagged"
    }
}

If the request body includes malformed MIME content, this method returns the following error message.

HTTP/1.1 400 Bad Request
Content-type: application/json

{
    "error": {
        "code": "ErrorMimeContentInvalidBase64String",
        "message": "Invalid base64 string for MIME content."
    }
}