How to Mark Messages as Read When Open in Outlook

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Customize your read or unread preferences in Outlook for Windows
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This wikiHow guide teaches you how to make Outlook for Windows automatically mark messages as “Read” when you open the message. If you're using the classic version of Outlook on Windows, you can choose whether messages are marked as read when single-clicked or double-clicked. In the newer version of Microsoft Outlook (both Outlook Web and New Outlook) and Outlook 365, your mark-as-read options are a bit more limited.

Mark as Read When Opened in Outlook

In New Outlook or on the web, click the gear and go to Mail > Message handling to choose when to mark a message as read. In Outlook Classic, go to File > Options > Advanced > Reading Pane… to choose your mark-as-read settings.

Section 1 of 3:

Mark as Read When Opened (New Outlook & Web)

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  1. 1
    Click the gear icon at the top-right corner of New Outlook or Outlook on the web. If you're using the new version of Outlook on Windows or have opened Outlook in your web browser, you will see a gear icon at the top-right corner.
    • Before you continue, it's important to know that the Mark as Read settings in these new Outlook versions do not allow you to mark messages as read when double-clicked. Previewing the message in the reading pane is considered "opened" in this version, and there is no way to distinguish single- and double-clicking a message.
    • If you don't see a gear icon at the top-right, you're using Outlook Classic. Jump down to the Outlook Classic method instead.
  2. 2
    Click the Mail tab. It'll be on the left panel.
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  3. 3
    Select Message handling . You will see this in the center column.
  4. 4
    Choose your "Mark as read" preference. Here's how each option works:
    • Mark displayed items as read as soon as they're selected: Messages will automatically be marked as read as soon as you click to preview them.
    • Mark displayed items as read after 5 seconds. You can click a message to preview it quickly, but if you keep it open for more than 5 seconds, it will be marked as read.
    • Mark displayed items as read when the selection changes. Clicking an item to preview it will not mark it as read, but as soon as you click somewhere else in Outlook, the status will change to read .
    • Don't automatically mark as read. Messages will stay set to unread until you mark them as read manually.
  5. 5
    Close the window to save your changes. Your new mark as read preferences will take effect immediately.
    • If you chose not to mark messages as read automatically, you can mark messages manually by right-clicking and selecting Mark as Read, or by pressing Ctrl + Q . [1]
  6. 6
    Go back to the old Outlook if this interrupts your workflow. If you're used to the old Outlook feature that lets you wait until you double-clicked a message to mark it as read, you can switch from the New Outlook desktop app back to the old Outlook. To do this, just click the toggle switch at the top-right corner of New Outlook to go back to the Outlook you're used to.
    • Unfortunately, each time you relaunch Outlook, New Outlook will open by default. You will have to keep switching back to Outlook Classic. [2]
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Section 2 of 3:

Mark as Read When Opened (Outlook Classic)

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  1. 1
    Click the File menu and select Options . If you're using the classic version of Outlook, you will see a File menu at the top-left corner of the program. [3]
  2. 2
    Click Advanced . It will be under "Outlook Options" in the left panel.
  3. It's in the "Outlook Panes" area of the right panel.
    • Mark messages as read when clicked once: To mark messages as read as soon as you click them once to display them in the reading pane, check the box next to "Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane" and type a 0 into the "Wait __ seconds" box.
    • Mark messages as read when double-clicked: To keep a message marked as unread until you double-click to open it in a separate window, remove the checkmark from "Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane" and choose an alternative.
  5. Messages will now be marked as “Read” as soon as they appear in the Reading Pane.
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Section 3 of 3:

FAQ

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  1. 1
    How do you mark a message as read in Outlook? Just right-click the message and select Mark as Read , or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Q .
  2. 2
    Why can't I mark as read when opened in Outlook 365? If you're trying to mark messages as read when you double-click to open them in New Outlook or the version of Outlook that's accessible in your web browser, clicking a message once is considered "opening the message." There is no way to change it so it's not marked as read until you double-click it.
  3. 3
    How do you mark all as read? To mark every message in an inbox as read, click one message, then press Ctrl + A to select all at once. Right-click the selection, then choose Mark as Read .
  4. 4
    Can you create a rule in Outlook to mark as read? You can create inbox rules to mark messages as read automatically in any version of Outlook. Here's how:
    • Click the gear and go to Mail > Rules > Add New Rule.
    • Set your preferred condition.
    • Choose Mark as Read from the "Add an action" menu. [4]
    • Click Save .
  5. 5
    How do I add a mark as read button in Outlook? If you want to mark a message as read automatically, you can right-click the message and select Mark as Read in any version of Outlook for Windows. If you'd rather have a Mark as Read button, here's what to do:
    • Click the gear icon in Outlook to open your settings.
    • Click Mail in the left panel.
    • Click Customize actions in the center panel.
    • Check the box next to "Mark as read or unread" under "Quick actions."
    • You will then see an envelope icon at the top of each message. Click the envelope to toggle the message's read status from unread to read (or vice-versa).
  6. 6
    Why is Outlook not marking emails as read when clicked on? Your preferences may be set not to mark messages as read automatically, or to wait until you've had the message open for some time.
    • In New Outlook, go to your Settings > Mail > Message handling and choose "Mark items as read as soon as they are selected."
    • In Classic Outlook, go to File > Options > Advanced > Reading Pane… and select "Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane." Make sure the time is set to 0 if you want messages to be marked as read as soon as you click them.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/mark-a-message-as-read-or-unread-in-outlook-59b44298-08c2-4eb7-8128-ea0fb7f52720
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/toggle-out-of-the-new-outlook-for-windows-ec102b39-5727-418e-ae1f-a1805434640c
      3. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/mark-a-message-as-read-or-unread-in-outlook-59b44298-08c2-4eb7-8128-ea0fb7f52720
      4. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/manage-email-messages-by-using-rules-in-outlook-c24f5dea-9465-4df4-ad17-a50704d66c59

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open Outlook .
      2. Click File .
      3. Click Options .
      4. Click Mail .
      5. Click Reading Pane .
      6. Check the “Mark items as read” box.
      7. Type “0” in the “Wait” box.
      8. Click OK .

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