FW meaning in email: passed on to you
FW in an email subject means forwarded. Someone got the message and passed it on to you, with the original underneath. In a text, fw is slang for liking someone or something.
Last updated
Subject: FW: FW: RE: Parking lot closed Friday. Third copy in my inbox today.
What did they mean?
Filed under F and G jargon.
FW at the top of an email
What FW: means in a subject line
FW: in front of a subject line means the email was forwarded. Outlook adds it for you when you press Forward. The original sits below whatever the forwarder typed, attachments included.
Why Outlook writes FW and not Fwd
The internet’s mail standard names only one subject prefix, Re: for a reply. It comes from the Latin in re, “in the matter of”. The standard names none for a forward, so Outlook went with FW:. Some other mail apps write Fwd:, which means the same thing.
Reading a stack of FW: RE: FW:
A subject like “FW: RE: RE: FW: Parking” is the thread’s history, with the newest step on the left. Each RE: is a reply, and each FW: marks someone new being pulled in. Start with the original at the bottom of the email and work upward. If you hit other codes on the way up, like FYI or OOO, our corporate jargon dictionary spells them out.
Edit before you send
Outlook lets you edit a forward before you send it, subject line included. Trim the forwarded text and drop any attachment the new reader doesn’t need. Then add one line on top saying what you need from them.
A bare FW: with nothing typed above it is as curt as a pls, and a pls at least asks for something.
What a forward says at work
Forwarding up the chain
A forward to your manager with “FYI” on top is the quietest complaint in the office. It shows them what someone wrote, and you never have to say a word about it. When a forward comes down the chain to you marked FYA, the work inside is yours now.
The part of the thread you weren’t meant to see
Everything below a forward travels with it, so read to the bottom of a long thread before you send it on. Halfway down there may be a reply about the person you’re adding. A CC brings someone in at the start, while a forward brings them in later, with the whole history attached.
The forward that comes home
A forward can travel in a circle. You report a broken badge reader to IT, and it comes back to you through facilities and your manager as FW: FW: FW: Badge reader.
FW as a chain letter
Chain emails were the classic forward. They told a made-up story and promised your wish would come true if you sent it to 20 people. Offices kept the format and dropped the wish.
FW outside the inbox
FW in a text message
In a text or a comment, fw is slang, short for a cruder phrase. It means you like or rate someone or something.
“I fw you” means “I like you”, as a friend or more. Add a “don’t” and it flips, so “I don’t fw that” means the writer isn’t into it.
FW on a label
In fashion, FW is fall/winter, so an FW25 collection is the one for fall and winter 2025. In IT, FW can mean firmware or a firewall. If an IT ticket says “update the FW”, ask which one they mean before you touch either.
An email that came with FW: on it
Subject:
FW:Passed on: RE: FW: Parking garage closed MondayAdding you since you’re on Monday’s client visit. Ignore the part about the shuttle bus, it got canceled two replies down. Level 2 opens again Tuesday at 7.
FW in a sentence
Subject: FW: FW: RE: Parking lot closed Friday. Third copy in my inbox today.
Can you FW me the client's email, Ezra? I wasn't on the thread.
The buyer's spreadsheet lists FW26 coats and SS27 knitwear for the new store.
Lotte deleted FW from the subject line before sending, so the client thinks she wrote it.
Questions about FW in email
What does FW mean in Outlook?
Forwarded. When you press Forward, Outlook puts FW: in front of the subject, and the email you're passing on travels below your note with its attachments.
What happens if I forward an email and then reply to the original?
Your reply goes to the original sender with Reply, or to the sender and everyone on the original To and Cc lines with Reply All. The person you forwarded it to isn't on those lines, so add them if they need the update.
What does FW stand for?
In email, it stands for forward or forwarded. In fashion it's fall/winter, and in IT it's firmware or a firewall. In texting slang, it's short for a cruder phrase that means to like or rate something.
What does FW mean in text?
As texting slang, fw means you like someone or something, so "I fw that song" means you like the song. On an email, FW still means forwarded.