Client Messaging in Canopy
Client Messaging is a two-way messaging channel inside Canopy for communicating with clients securely — without relying on email or personal texts.
Why it matters: Keep all client communication inside Canopy and tied to the client record. Instead of hunting through email threads during tax season, your team gets full message history in one place — accessible to anyone assigned to the client.
💡 Beta: This feature is currently in Beta. Enable it in Settings > Experimental Features.
Table of Contents
Send a Message from the Global Inbox
Use this to start a new conversation or manage all active client threads in one place.
Go to Inbox > Client Messaging.
Threads with unread messages are marked with a red vertical bar to the left of the client name.
Click New Message.
Click the Select a Client dropdown and search for the client by name.
Type your message in the message field.
Use @ to mention a team member in the message.
Click the paperclip icon to attach a document, or the image icon to attach an image.
Click the Reference client request icon to attach a link to a client request in your message. Your client can click on the request link to take them directly to the client request in their portal.
Click Send.
📝 Note: All contacts currently invited to the client portal can see messages in that client's thread. There is no option to send a message visible to one specific contact only.
Manage Threads, Participants, and Notifications
Sort and filter the inbox
Click the arrow filter icon to sort threads newest to oldest or oldest to newest.
Click the funnel icon to filter threads by date, client, or team member.
View and Manage Participants
Open a message thread.
The red bar on the left side of the client name indicates an unread message.
The number beneath the client name shows total participant count.
Team members involved in the thread are listed in the upper right corner.
Click the 3-dot icon in the upper right corner.
Select Turn Off Notifications to stop alerts for this thread. The unread badge will still appear in your inbox.
Select Remove Participants to remove a team member from the conversation.
Send a Message from a Client Record
Use this when you're already in a client record and want to message that client without switching views.
Open the client record.
Click the Communication tab, then select Client Messaging.
Type your message in the message field.
Click the attachment icons to include documents or images.
Click Send.
To filter the message history, click the arrow next to the date at the top of the thread and choose a range: Last Week, Last Month, Beginning of Conversation, or Jump to a Specific Date.
How Message Notifications Work
When a client sends a message, a notification appears in the upper right corner of your screen.
Click the notification to open the message thread directly.
Click X to dismiss the notification without opening it.
A red dot appears on the Inbox tab and the Client Messaging tab to indicate unread messages.
In the Client Messaging tab, a red vertical bar to the left of the client name indicates a new message from that client.
Summary
Client Messaging lets your firm exchange messages and files with clients directly inside Canopy, keeping conversations tied to each client record. Use the Global Inbox to manage all active threads, or go to a client's Communication tab to message them from their record.
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