Finding yourself navigating away from an email quickly to prevent Outlook from marking it read? Frustratedly marking emails unread all the time? Find out here how to tweak the Outlook “mark as read” settings (on Mac and Windows) to your preferences and never have it mark as read automatically in the reading pane, for example.
First, Approach with the Sun in Your Face
All over the world, some 2 m (6.6 ft) above ground, you can look at thermometers.
The instruments are part of the global meteorological observing system and housed in Stevenson screens. These white and wooden huts all have their doors on the southern side in the Earth’s southern hemisphere and on their north in the northern. So, the sun does not shine on the instruments even as you open the shelter to read the instruments.
Now, how about reading (or “reading”) emails? Here’s how to approach that in Outlook:
How to Adjust Outlook “Mark as Read” Settings to Your Preferences
Outlook for Windows
Time needed: 2 minutes
To configure “mark as read” settings in Outlook for Windows so messages are marked as read just as you prefer:
- Click File in Outlook for Windows.
- Go to the Mail category.
- Click Reading Pane…under Outlook panes.
- Choose when (and whether) emails open in the Outlook reading pane will be marked as read.
– Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane: Enable for Outlook to mark emails as read after they have been seen in the reading pane, optionally with a delay; enter a delay of
0seconds to have emails marked as read immediately.
– Mark item as read when selection changes: Have emails in the reading pane retain their unread status until you open a different email in the reading pane or switch to a different folder, for instance.
You can’t have one with the other: Note that you can only have one of the two settings active; you can disable both.
- To have all deleted mail marked as read automatically:
Go to Mail settings in Outlook for Windows options and check Mar messages as read when deleted under Other.
Outlook for Mac
To change when Outlook for Mac will mark an email as read:
- Select Microsoft Outlook | Settings… from the menu in Outlook for Mac.
Outlook keyboard shortcut: You can press Command , (comma) to open Outlook for Mac settings. - Open the Reading category.
- Pick the desired method for marking emails read under Mark mail as read.
No automatic marking as read in the reading pane: To have Outlook for Mac only mark emails as read when you open them in their own window or do so explicitly, select Only when opened in a separate window, for example.
New Outlook and Outlook on the Web
To pick when New Outlook and Outlook on the Web (at Outlook.com) will mark messages as read:
- Click or tap the Settings gear icon in New Outlook.
- Go to the Mail category.
- Select the Message handling category.
- Pick how Outlook should handle marking emails as unread under Mark as read:
– Mark displayed items as read as soon as they’re selected marks emails as read immediately as they appear in the reading pane or a new window;
– Mark displayed items as read after 5 seconds waits for an email to display for five seconds in the reading pain or its own window before marking it unread;
– Mark displayed items as read when the selection changes marks emails as read as soon as you select a different message; and
– Don’t automatically mark items as read always retains the read status unless you change it manually. - Click Save.
- Close the settings dialog.
How to Adjust Outlook “Mark as Read” Settings to Your Preferences: FAQ
Can I have Outlook not mark emails as read automatically at all?
No, but you can get close.
Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac will always mark an email as read if you open it in its own window.
You can, however, prevent Outlook from marking messages as read if you only see them in the reading pane.
In Outlook for Windows, disable both
- Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane and
- Mark items as read when selection changes.
In Outlook for Mac, choose
- Only when opened in a separate window.
New Outlook
New Outlook and Outlook on the Web honor Don’t automatically mark items as read also for emails that show in their own window.
How to adjust Outlook “mark as read” settings to your preferences tested with Outlook for Windows 2310, Outlook for Mac16.78 and New Outlook; updated October 2023)