Is There a Way to Tell if Email Has Been Read?

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Has this ever happened to you?

You send out an important email, expecting to hear back quickly. Merely...fourth dimension passes, and nothing. Afterward a while, you showtime to wonder whether your recipient ever read the email. There'due south no way to tell if an email has been read, or is there?

Fortunately, at that place are really ii ways to tell whether an electronic mail has been opened and read:

1. Request a return receipt
2. Use an electronic mail tracking tool

Did someone open and read your important electronic mail? Do yous know how to check? (graphic source)

In this article, we'll discuss both methods of tracking email. We'll list some of the pros and cons of using return receipt messages or an e-mail tracking tool. You'll besides find out how to check if someone read your e-mail using common email services. Finally, we'll provide you with a brief overview of seven popular email tracking tools.

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Now let's become into today'southward tutorial, and larn multiple ways to help you lot know when someone has opened and read your important emails. First, nosotros'll look at using electronic mail render receipts:

The Pros and Cons of Render Receipt and Email Tracking

Finding out whether someone has opened and read your electronic mail may seem like something you'd similar to utilise all the time. After all, aren't you curious? Email tracking tools are also popular with sales professionals.

But whether you use your email organisation's return receipt feature or an add-on tool, there are some drawbacks. First, let's wait at some drawbacks to using native email return receipt adequacy:

• In most e-mail platforms, a recipient can opt out of sending a return receipt—so there's no guarantee that you'll get a receipt even though you requested one.
• Non all post clients support the return receipt characteristic. If y'all happen to apply an email service that doesn't offering return receipt you'll demand to use an app instead.

The post-obit drawbacks employ to using either a native electronic mail render receipt feature or an e-mail tracking tool:

• If the return receipt message goes to the Spam binder, your recipient will never have the hazard to let you know they received it.
• Too, some recipients may be offended by an email render receipt asking. They may view email tracking every bit an invasion of their privacy.

Render receipt requests and e-mail tracking do not piece of work for every situation. There are some circumstances, all the same, when an email return asking might be advisable. It'southward especially well suited for urgent messages or letters when y'all must know whether your bulletin was received. For instance:

• You simply sent someone a fourth dimension-sensitive proposal through email. You'll probably desire to make sure that the message was received before the offering expires.
• You're a hiring manager trying to fill an open up position. You just offered the slot to your summit candidate and y'all want to make certain that they received your offer.
• You need to schedule a last-minute emergency coming together. You lot need to know who has opened the meeting invite and who you need to call and then that you can tell them about the coming together.

For instances like these, render receipt messages and e-mail tracking can exist a valuable tool for your business. You tin probably think of your ain examples when you might need to find out whether someone has opened an electronic mail yous sent. Just remember the drawbacks. If yous decide you do want to send out render receipt request or to use an electronic mail tracking tool, make sure the situation warrants it.

Request a Render Receipt Through Your Email (In Outlook & Gmail)

The starting time style to find whether someone has opened your email is by you lot requesting a return receipt through your e-mail service. In this department, nosotros'll look at how the return receipt feature works in Microsoft Outlook and so nosotros'll examine how it works in GSuite Gmail. Starting time, let's look at Outlook:

How to Tell If Someone Read Your Email in Outlook

Outlook provides two unlike options for requesting a return receipt:

1. Receipt when delivered
2. Receipt when read

With the first option, you receive a notification when an email has been delivered to the recipient. Of course, merely considering the message is delivered doesn't mean information technology was read. The bulletin may sit unopened in someone's email inbox and y'all wouldn't know.

Which brings us to the next return receipt option in Outlook. With the second option, your recipient is prompted to transport a notification when they open the email.

If you lot decide to use the return receipt feature in Outlook, click Options on the Master Carte du jour as you're composing your message. A sub-carte with diverse options appears:

How to check if an email has been read in Outlook.

To request a delivery receipt when your message is sent, click the checkbox to the left of Request a Delivery Receipt. To request a receipt when your message is opened, click the checkbox to the left of the Asking a Read Receipt pick. You can select both options if you wish.

Now, ship your message every bit usual. If y'all selected Asking a Read Receipt, the recipient volition exist prompted to send a notification when they open your message. If they respond Yes to the prompt, you lot'll receive a read receipt—a short message to allow you lot know that your original message was read.

You tin likewise utilize Tracking options to automate how Outlook handles message receipts for outgoing and incoming letters. For helpful tips on how to improve manage your Outlook inbox, report our tutorial:

At present let'south see how GSuite electronic mail handles return receipts:

How to Tell If Someone Read Your Email in Gmail

The gratis version of Gmail does not include the render receipt feature. The feature is, yet, available through GSuite. To utilise the return receipt characteristic in GSuite Gmail, you beginning must enable it.

To activate the return receipt characteristic, go the your GSuite Admin Console. Select Apps > GSuite > Settings for Gmail > Advanced settings. The Advanced Settings screen displays. Use the coil bar on the right of the screen to scroll down to the Electronic mail Read Receipts choice:

Turn on Read Receipt in GSuite Gmial.

Click the toggle button to the left of Permit email read receipts to be sent to all addresses in my arrangement likewise as the post-obit email addresses. When this option is turned on, users in your organization can request and render email receipts.

Note: If you're not the administrator of your GSuite, you'll non exist able to turn this feature on yourself. Ask your GSuite administrator to turn it on for you.

Once the Read Receipt capability is activated, simply type your e-mail as usual. When you've finished, click the down arrow in the lower right corner to display a popup menu:

How to tell if an email has been read in Gmail.

Click the Request read receipt choice from the popup menu. When y'all're ready, click the Send button to ship your electronic mail as usual. Your recipient will be prompted to transport a receipt when they open the message.

If you're non familiar with GSuite, you can acquire how to get started with this tutorial:

Request a Return Receipt Through an Email Tracking Improver or Extension

Equally y'all've simply learned, using a native email return receipt feature may non be the most dependable method of telling whether your message was received. Even so, if yous only occasionally need to notice out whether your electronic mail was read, it's probably enough.

Just, mayhap yous need a more reliable way of finding out if your e-mail recipients read the messages you send to them. Or, maybe you lot're worried nigh how your render receipt request will be perceived.

There's a way around those worries. There are number of extensions that provide a reliable e-mail tracking functionality. Often, the tracking characteristic works without your recipient even realizing that your messages are being tracked.

In this section, we'll expect at a seven pop email tracking tools:

Note: Some tools had a complimentary version available. Exist enlightened that some (but non all) free versions automatically appended a "sent with [visitor name]" phrase to emails sent using that tool. Also note that some of these tools include more than email tracking, but since the focus of this commodity is on email tracking that'southward besides the focus of these overviews.

Tool 1. ContactMonkey

Utilise ContactMonkey to find out who's opening your email letters.

Not only tin you notice out who'southward opening your email messages, you can also track who's clicking on any links inside the messages. Use ContactMonkey with your Outlook or Gmail email system. This tool integrates with the popular CRM tool, SalesForce.

A notification displays on your desktop each time a message is opened or a link is clicked. ContactMonkey also includes a dashboard with email stats and analytics.

Tool 2. HubSpot Sales

Choose how you receive notifications of read emails with HubSpot Sales.

HubSpot Sales includes an email tracker. The email tracking aspect of the tool instantly lets y'all know when an electronic mail is opened, when the email recipient clicks on a link, or when they open an zipper. Yous can also see whether the email was revisited (opened once again)

Choose how y'all receive notifications of read emails. View them from HubSpot Sales, your browser, your desktop, or your CRM. HubSpot Sales works with Gmail, GSuite, Outlook, or Office 365 for Windows.

Tool three. MailTrack

Meet at a glance whether your message has been opened.

MailTrack is an extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera that works with Google and Gmail inboxes to track sent messages.

Yous can see at a glance whether an electronic mail message was received and whether it was opened. Opened email letters have a double cheque in your Sent mail folder. Click on the checkmarks to acquire when and how your bulletin was opened.

Tool 4. MixMax

If a message was sent to a group, you lot tin come across which group members opened it.

MixMax lets you to see whether your email was opened, when it was opened, and how many times an email was opened. If the message was sent to a group, you can meet which group members opened the message.

The app includes a wide variety of sales tools, such as the ability to schedule meetings, in improver to the ability to track electronic mail. This tool works with Gmail and Google Inbox. The tool as well integrates with the CRM, Salesforce.

Tool 5. Streak

Utilise the nautical chart to learn about your viewed messages.

Streak works as a CRM from within Gmail. Its email tracking abilities are included every bit part of its email power tools. This tool provides yous with a chart of your bulletin views.

The interface includes a list of each fourth dimension the message was read and what type of device the recipient used to read the message. Y'all can also use Streak to larn near the email recipient'due south neighborhood.

Tool 6.  ToutApp

ToutApp works with your telephone organization.

ToutApp is designed as a sales tool that includes electronic mail tracking features. The tool works with both Gmail and Outlook. The tool also integrates your telephone organization. The interface shows where, when, and how often recipients appoint with sent emails. ToutApp even lets you lot know if an email has been forwarded.

This app is built to be used by a team, so also includes many squad features.

Tool 7. Yesware

You'll go an alert each time an e-mail is opened.

Yesware works with a wide diversity of email system including: Gmail, GSuite, and Office 365.

Y'all'll get an warning each time 1 of your sent emails is opened. Yous tin run into where, when, and what device the email was opened with. You can also tell whether your recipient viewed e-mail attachments or whether they replied to a message. You tin can even find out what IP address the recipient used to open the email.

Conclusion

In this article, you've learned how to know if someone opened your email. We've discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using return receipt features or email tracking to know if your email has been read.

Yous've also learned how to tell if your e-mail has been read in GSuite Gmail and how to bank check if and email has been read in Outlook every bit well. Finally, we've provided you with a brief overview of seven of the almost pop electronic mail tracking applications and tools.

If you need to know if your email has been read, you lot know how to find out.

More Bang-up Electronic mail Tutorials and Resources

If you rely heavily on email for your business, you lot may want to review our series on Writing Effective Business Emails, such equally these helpful posts:

Likewise, for tips on how to manage your email inbox better, download our free eBook: The Ultimate Guide to Inbox Naught Mastery . Continue on top of your about important messages and level-upward your email productivity.

How do you lot continue on elevation of your most important messages? Exercise you check if someone has opened and read your emails? If then, what'southward your favorite arroyo or tool? Let us know in the comments.

Envato Tuts+ Acquaintance Editor Business, N Texas, USA

Laura Spencer is our Associate Business Editor here on Tuts+. She uses her business organization knowledge to help a broad multifariousness of audiences. By sharing her noesis in well-researched manufactures, she hopes to help others practice well. Laura graduated with a degree in business organization. As well Tuts+, Laura'south work has been published on many sites including Vandelay Design Web log, FreelanceM.ag, Freelance Binder, Lubbock Barrage Journal, Adult female's Day, LifeHacker, and more than. She'due south also written over forty business organization study guides for continuing education companies. Laura has likewise managed her own writing business since 2002. Before that, she worked in corporate America as a technical author and also as a marketing writer. Every bit a lifelong learner, Laura continues to seek out meliorate information to help her readers. Check out her latest ideas on her blog.

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