When you send an email with Microsoft Outlook, you can request a delivery receipt or a read receipt. A delivery receipt is a notification that confirms your message has been successfully delivered to your recipient’s inbox. This is great. However, it doesn’t indicate whether the recipient has viewed your message. Which is why most people prefer to use read receipts. A read receipt is a written confirmation that your email has not only been delivered but also opened by the recipient. Here’s what it looks like for your recipients ⤵️

Benefits of Read Receipts in Outlook

You can leverage Outlook read receipts to optimize your email productivity, streamline your communication, and reap many benefits, such as: 

• Reduced uncertainty: Thanks to read receipts, you can ensure that your email was received and opened, even if your recipient didn’t reply. This can reduce the anxiety and uncertainty often associated with essential emails. 

• Timely follow-ups: When it comes to follow-ups, timing is everything. Knowing when your recipient opened your last message can help you schedule your follow-up at the right moment. 

• Accountability: Read receipts can also serve as a form of accountability, proving that both sender and receiver are aware that the information has been communicated. But while read receipts are a valuable tool, they should be used judiciously. Overusing them can come off as intrusive and may annoy recipients, which brings us to our next question.

When to Request a Read Receipt in Outlook

To maintain proper email etiquette, it is recommended to avoid adding read receipts to all your emails. Deciding when to request a read receipt in Outlook is crucial for maintaining professionalism while also ensuring effective communication. “Most people are buried in emails”, explains Corentin Brossault, CEO of Mailmeteor. “Systematically adding a read receipt to your emails can come across as discourteous and unprofessional”. So while it might be tempting to use read receipts for every email you send, here’s how to use this handy feature to streamline your email communication efforts without overstepping boundaries:

• Time-sensitive: When you send an email that requires a timely response, such as an event invitation or a project deadline, a read receipt can help confirm that your message has been received. 

• Important transactions: In a business context, you can add a receipt to your emails when they contain critical information or an important document to make sure that your message reaches its intended recipient. 

• After no response: If a previous email has gone unanswered, you can send a follow-up and request a read receipt to understand whether your messages are being seen. If your message isn’t urgent or if it doesn’t contain any vital information, avoid requesting a read receipt unless you have a good reason to do so. 

This way, you won’t be considered excessively intrusive or overbearing.

How to Add An Outlook Read Receipt on All Emails

To enable read receipts in Outlook, you can follow these steps: 

• Compose your email in Outlook. Click the “Options” tab in the email composition window. In the “Tracking” group, check the 

• “Request a Delivery Receipt” box to be notified when the email is delivered to the recipient’s mailbox. 

• You can also check the “Request a Read Receipt” box to be notified when the recipient opens the email.

When the recipient receives the email and opens it by double-clicking, a Microsoft Outlook dialog will appear to ask if the recipient wants to send a receipt to the sender. If the recipient click “Yes”, the sender will receive a receipt like this:

Outlook Read Receipt Limitations

Outlook read receipts can be a great way to see what happens after you click “Send.” But this feature is far from perfect.

Here are some of the main drawbacks of read receipts and why you may want to look for a more reliable alternative:

• Email etiquette: Overusing read receipts can come off as intrusive and annoy your recipients. Use this feature only for important emails. Which means you won’t be able to track all your emails. 

• Lack of accuracy: Recipients can decline to send a read receipt even after opening your email. This feature is not entirely accurate. Someone may have read your email but chose not to send a confirmation. 

• Not always compatible: In some cases, your recipient will receive your email, but they won’t see the read receipt. This could be because their email client doesn’t support Outlook read receipts or systematically blocks them. 

• Did they read it?: And last but not least, although they’re called “read receipts”, there is no guarantee that the recipient read your message. They could have opened your email and immediately trashed it.

Outlook Read Receipt Alternatives

If you feel like adding a read receipt isn’t the best way to know if your email got seen, there are other ways to track your messages. 

Request A Delivery Receipt 

Instead of adding a read receipt to your message, you can request a delivery receipt. This way, you’ll receive confirmation that your email was delivered to the recipient’s mailbox. However, you won’t know if the email was opened. 

Here’s how to add a delivery receipt in Outlook: 

• Open Outlook. 

• Click New email. 

• Go to Options. 

• Select Request delivery receipt. 

• Press Send. 

And that’s it. But delivery receipts are not always the best solution, as all email programs support them. 

Ask for Confirmation 

Instead of sending an automated read receipt, why add a more human touch to your emails by requesting confirmation manually? Just drop a line at the end of your email asking the recipient to confirm that they’ve received your message. This way, you can ensure that they’ve opened your email and have read it. You could schedule a follow-up email if your first message didn’t receive a response. This may take a bit more time than simply requesting an Outlook read receipt. However, this approach is more likely to generate engagement, especially if you personalize your email and take the extra step to make your recipient feel special. 

Use Tracking and Delivery Receipts 

Outlook also provides the option to track an email’s delivery and read status. By default, Outlook sends a delivery receipt when the email is delivered to the recipient’s mailbox. You can track the email’s read status by going to the “Tracking” options in the message window. 

Third-Party Email Tracking Tools 

Some third-party email tracking tools and plugins that integrate with Outlook, providing more advanced read receipt and email tracking functionalities, are available. These tools can offer insights such as when the email was opened, the device used, and the recipient’s location. 

Use Voting Buttons 

Another method to gauge whether an email has been read is using Outlook’s “voting buttons.” I can insert voting buttons in your email, and when the recipient opens the email, they will see the option to click on the voting buttons to indicate that they have read the email. 

Analyze Email Analytics 

If you are using Outlook for business or professional purposes, I may have access to email analytics through your organization’s email server or third-party email management tools. These analytics can provide detailed insights into email open rates, read times, and recipient engagement. 

Consider Legal and Privacy Implications 

Considering the legal and privacy implications of tracking email opens and read receipts is crucial. In some regions, obtaining read receipts without the recipient’s consent may be a violation of privacy laws. Always comply with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when using email tracking. 

Follow-Up Directly 

If determining whether an email has been read is critical, consider following up with the recipient directly. A polite and professional follow-up email or phone call can give me the certainty I need regarding the email’s reception.

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