Customize read receipts options and settings in Windows Mail

Windows Mail supports read receipts of both ways: this means that you can request a read receipt whenever you send an email from Windows Mail, but also that Windows Mail is able to detect when someone has requested a read receipts for an email they send you. This tutorial will explain how to customize the read receipts options and settings Windows Mail offers - for both incoming read receipt requests (when you receive emails) and outgoing requests for read receipts (when you send emails to someone).

Customize incoming read receipts requests behavior in Windows Mail

The first topic we'll explain is how you can customize the behavior of Windows Mail when it realizes that someone requested a read receipt for an email they sent you:

• Go to the Tools menu, and choose "Options"
• Click on the "Receipts" tab
• Look at the second section, labeled "Returning Read Receipts"
• This is where Windows Mail determines what to do when it receives to incoming read receipt request (attached to email messages you receive from others).
• The first choice, "Never send a read receipt", means that Windows Mail will completely ignore any incoming read receipt request. The advantage of this option is that you will never be bothered with these requests; on the flip side, you lose some control (you may sometimes actually want to acknowledge a read receipt request).
• The second option is the default: "Notify me for each read receipt request" means that Windows Mail will ask you what to do every time it notices and incoming read receipts request. Obviously, this gives you maximum control over the action Windows Mail takes on your behalf (none!), but it also means that you have to manually approve or deny every single read receipts request you get.
• The final option ("Always send a read receipt") is not a setting we recommend, because it will allow a spammer, as side effect, to determine that your email address is active. If you choose this setting, notice that you also have the choice to limit the read request confirmation to only cases when your email address is actually listed in the To or Cc fields of the email message.
• Once you have chosen your preferred Returning Read Receipts behavior for Windows Mail, click on the OK button to apply your new settings.

Requesting read receipts for outgoing emails

Windows Mail of course allows you to also request yourself read receipts from other people; you can either manually request a read receipt, or make Windows Mail request the read receipts for every email you send.

To manually request you read receipts from Windows Mail, click on the Tools menu of the new email message window, and choose "Request Read Receipt".

To always request the read receipts from Windows Mail, follow these steps:

• Go to the Tools menu, and choose "Options"
• Click on the "Receipts" tab
• Check of the " Request a read receipt for all sent messages" checkbox
• Click OK to return to Windows Mail
• From now on, Windows Mail will always request a read receipt when you send an email

We don't recommend automatic read receipt requests, which come across as controlling or pushy; much better to manually request you read receipt whenever needed.