Be notified when messages are delivered or read

A delivery receipt informs you that your e-mail message was delivered to the recipient's mailbox, but not that the recipient has seen it or read it. A read receipt informs you that your message has been opened.

However, do not rely solely on these receipts. In Microsoft Outlook, the message recipient has the option to decline to send read receipts. There are other scenarios where read receipts are not sent, including if the recipient's e-mail program does not support read receipts.

Track all messages that you send

On the Tools menu, click Options.
Under E-mail, click E-mail Options.
Under Message handling, click Tracking Options.
Select the Read receipt or the Delivery receipt check box.

Tip As a best practice, we recommend that you consider tracking only single messages of importance instead of all messages. Recipients who occassionally receive a notification that a read receipt is requested on your e-mail message are less likely to turn off all read receipts for future messages.

Track a single message

In the message, on the Options tab, in the Tracking group, select the Request a Delivery Receipt or the Request a Read Receipt check box.

Track receipt responses

Open the original message that you sent with a request for a delivery or read receipt. This message is usually located in the Sent Items folder.
On the Message tab, in the Show group, click Tracking.

Note Tracking does not appear until at least one receipt is received. After you receive the first receipt in your Inbox, it might take several minutes before the Tracking button is available.

Change the processing of receipt responses

On the Tools menu, click Options.
Click E-mail Options, and then click Tracking Options.
Select the processing options that you want by doing one or more of the following:
- Automatically record responses in the original item
  - Select the Process requests and responses on arrival check box.
- Delete notifications about delivered and read messages
  - Select the Process receipts on arrival check box.
- Move receipts out of your Inbox after processing
  - Select the After processing, move receipts to check box.
    To select a folder other than Deleted Items, click Browse.