Has my email been read? This is how you find out

If you want to find out whether your email has really been read by the recipient, there are two simple options available to you, among other things. We will show you how to proceed with both options.

Has my email been read? Find out via read receipt

The classic way to check is with read receipts.

• Once you’ve written an email, go to the settings or options and select the option to request a read receipt from the recipient. Usually, you just have to check the corresponding box.

• If the recipient opens your email, they will be asked directly whether they want to send the confirmation. They can click either “Yes” or “No”.

• This type of confirmation is therefore not secure, as you do not receive any guaranteed feedback. If the recipient clicks on “No”, they have opened the email, but you will not know about it.

• On the other hand, read receipts are often perceived as annoying, since very few recipients like to be controlled.

• Furthermore, there are email providers that suppress the read receipt function. This means that you request a read confirmation and set the corresponding checkmark, but the recipient does not see it.

Use Chrome extensions

If you have downloaded Chrome, you can use a Chrome extension. This allows you to track your email open rates. After installation, a tracking pixel is automatically inserted into the body of the email. As soon as the recipient opens the email, a notification is sent to you. This also shows you the time at which the email was opened.

• Install the extension “MailTrack for read receipts”.

• Compose and send your emails as usual. MailTrack inserts itself before sending and automatically tracks all sent emails.

• Then open the “Sent Items” folder or open it at a later time. Here you can view the status of the read receipt.

• If you see a check mark, it means that your email has been sent. If two checkmarks appear, this indicates that your email has been opened and thus read.

• If you move the mouse over the two checkmarks, you can also see when your email was opened.

Email tracking tools: an overview of your options

To find out if your email has been read, you can also use specialized email tracking tools.

• These tools offer features such as classic read receipts with a notification when your email is opened.

• Or you can choose a tool with link tracking, which allows you to see whether links in your email have been clicked.

• Many tools are compatible with popular email services like Gmail and Outlook.

• Popular providers include Mailtrack, Yesware and Bananatag. Choose the tool that suits your needs to make your communication more efficient.