How to Request Confirmation That an Email Has Been Read

Waiting for a response to some emails can be nerve-wracking, such as when you send a message to your boss asking for a raise or when you're giving your realtor your highest bid on a house. As more time passes with you inbox empty, your stress level can continue to build. Email read receipts can help ease some of that anxiety by sending you a notification the moment the recipient opens your email. However, not all email programs offer a read-receipt feature, and different email settings on your recipient's server may prevent the read receipt from generating. A read receipt can be a handy tool to let you know your email's status, but keep in mind it won't always work effectively.

Instructions

Microsoft Outlook

• Open Microsoft Outlook and enter your password if necessary. Click "New" to compose a new message. Write your email as you normally would.
•  Click on the "Options" tab at the top of the email window.

• Find the "Tracking" group. Select the type of receipt you prefer by checking the box beside your selection. "Request a Read Receipt" notifies you when the recipient opens the email. "Request a Delivery Receipt" informs you when the email is successfully delivered to the recipient's email server, but not when the recipient opens the email. Click "Send."
  
• Configure your email to request a read receipt every time you send a message by clicking on Outlook's "File" tab and choosing "Options." Click "Mail," then "Tracking." Select "Read Receipt Confirming the Recipient Viewed the Message" for a read receipt or "Delivery Receipt Confirming the Message was Delivered" for a notification the email was delivered to the recipient's email server.

Thunderbird

• Open Mozilla Thunderbird. Click "Write" in the top left corner of the page to compose a new message. Write your email.
• Click "Options" at the top of the window. Select "Return Receipt." This lets you know when your recipient receives that specific email. Click "Send."
• Set your configurations to send return receipts every time you send an email. Click on the "Tools" menu and choose "Options." Under "Advanced," select "General."
• Check the box beside "When Sending Messages, Always Request a Return Receipt."

Windows Live Mail

• Log in to your Windows Live Mail account and click "New" to compose a new email. Write the email.
• Click on the "Tools" menu on the email message's menu bar. Check the box beside "Request Read Receipt." Send your email.
• Change your email options to request a read receipt automatically with each email you send. Click on the "Main Menu" button in the top left corner of Live Mail -- it's dark blue and looks like a piece of paper. Choose "Mail," then "Options." Choose the "Receipts" tab and check the box beside "Request a Read Receipt for All Sent Messages." Click "OK."

Google Apps for Business, Education and Government

• Log in to your Google Apps for Business, Education and Government email account. Read receipts aren't available for personal Gmail accounts. The Google Apps account offers business-grade hosted email services at a small monthly fee after a 30-day free trial.
• Compose your email. Click on the "Request Return Receipt" link, which is found directly below the "To" field. Click to check the box beside "Request Read Receipt."
• Click "Send." A read receipt is requested from each individual listed in the "To" and "CC" fields. Google Apps doesn't send read receipts to group mailing lists, only to individual email accounts. When returned, the receipt shows up below the body of the message if you're using conversation view or as a separate message if you're using the standard view.

Tips & Warnings

• Read receipts are not reliable and often fail to inform you when the email has been read. If the recipient checks his email on his smartphone, it's unlikely to send a read-receipt notice to you. Also, the feature relies on the recipient's email server to send a reply, but many are configured in a way that prevents read receipts from being sent. Many email programs, such as Outlook, ask the recipient if he wants to notify the sender that the email has been read. If he selects "No," then no read receipt is sent.
• As an alternative that may help you track when a recipient has opened an email from you, purchase email tracking software such as Point of Mail, Zendio or ReadNotify. These programs typically track other information in addition to when an email is opened, such as if a recipient clicked on a link in your message and how long he spent looking at your message. Some can text your cell phone to let you know a specific email was read and when.
• Use read receipt requests sparingly for the best results. Recipients who are prompted by their email programs to decide whether to send you a read receipt are more likely to click "Yes" if it only happens occasionally. If you request a read receipt with each email you send, recipients are likely to ignore them.