---
schema_version: "1"
id: c3775291409d6e844d317683ed18731f2e8172bdab5eba709ce6e5790852657b
title: Threading Automated Case Emails
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/service/264-0-0/customizesupport_email_thread_automated.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.customizesupport_email_thread_automated.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 5a5c1e9d5ce52a3882156141cf73234526677c00cf3caf0b8bcb54264d8e7ea8
description: When Lightning threading is enabled, the case feed shows case emails sent by service reps or AI agents, and incoming responses to those emails. You can also configure Email-to-Case so the case feed includes certain automated case emails, such as emails sent by auto-response rules or Apex.
products:
  - Service Cloud
  - Digital Engagement
release: "264"
---
# Threading Automated Case Emails

When Lightning threading is enabled, the case feed shows case emails sent by service reps or AI agents, and incoming responses to those emails. You can also configure Email-to-Case so the case feed includes certain automated case emails, such as emails sent by auto-response rules or Apex.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col style="width:100%"></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;"><a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.customizesupport_email_editions.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Learn about the Salesforce editions and user interfaces that support Email-to-Case.">View supported editions</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>

  
| Type of Automated Email | Added to Case Feed? | Responses Added to Case Feed? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Case email alerts sent by a flow | No | Yes, in newer orgs. See below for details. |
| Emails sent by case auto-response rules | Yes | Yes, with some configuration. See below for steps. |
| Email notifications sent to the case contact or owner when a case is created, updated, closed, commented on, or changed | No | No |

## Case Email Alerts

In orgs created in Winter ’23 and later, email alerts contain the information needed for header-based threading. When Lightning threading is in use, Email-to-Case automatically adds all replies to email alerts to the case feed.

In pre-Winter ’23 orgs, if a case email alert was sent before email header-based threading was enabled, incoming responses to the alert can’t be added.

## Case Auto-Response Emails

When a case auto-response rule sends an email, the email is saved as an EmailMessage record and appears in the case feed.

When Lightning threading is in use, take these steps to allow responses to auto-response emails to be associated with the related case.

- In the Email Address field of your case auto-response rule, enter an organization-wide email address.
- Ensure that Email-to-Case processes incoming replies to auto-responses sent from the organization-wide email address. You can do so in two ways:
    - (Recommended) In your email server settings, create a forwarding rule that forwards incoming emails sent to this organization-wide address, to an Email-to-Case email services address. You should already have a rule that forwards incoming emails sent to your Email-to-Case routing address, to your Email-to-Case email services address.
    - In the Reply-to Address field in the auto-response rule, enter your Email-to-Case routing address. However, if your customer’s email client allows them to reply to the From address instead of the Reply-to address, this approach doesn’t work.

#### See Also

- [Update to Lightning Threading for Email-to-Case](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.customizesupport_email_thread_update.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Lightning threading is a secure method used by Email-to-Case to associate emails with related cases. To switch to Lightning threading from Ref ID threading, you’ll enable a release update, update your Email-to-Case settings, and update any email templates and custom code that rely on older threading methods.")
- [Email-to-Case Threading](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.support_email_to_case_threading.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Email threading ensures that outgoing emails and incoming responses related to a customer inquiry are associated with the same case in Salesforce. Threaded emails appear in the case feed so service reps and supervisors can quickly grasp an inquiry’s history and status.")