How do I set outlook emails to ONLY be marked as read if I open the email, not when I click on it

Hello @Dawson Eliza

To make sure we understand your requirement correctly, could you please confirm if your expected behavior is:

• When you single-click an email and view it in the Reading Pane, it should remain "Unread".
• Only when I open the email in a separate window (Pop Out / double-click) should it be automatically marked as "Read".

Regarding your question:

"How do I set Outlook emails to ONLY be marked as read if I open the email, not when I click on it?"

Before recommending a specific setting, it would be helpful to confirm the exact behavior you are looking for, as New Outlook distinguishes between viewing a message in the "Reading Pane" and opening it in a separate window.

The "Reading Pane" is the preview area within Outlook where the content of an email is displayed after selecting a message from the message list. Simply clicking a message can display it in the Reading Pane without opening a separate window.

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Based on the options currently available in New Outlook: Settings > Mail > Message handling > Mark as read, the behaviors are:

1/ Mark displayed items as read as soon as they're selected

The email is marked as Read immediately when selected in the message list and displayed in the Reading Pane.

2/ Mark displayed items as read after X seconds

The email is displayed in the Reading Pane when selected.

Outlook waits for the configured number of seconds before marking it as Read.

3/ Mark displayed items as read when popped out or the selection changes

The email is marked as Read when either:

the message is popped out (opened in a separate window), or

the user changes the selection to another message.

Important: This option does not mean "mark as read only when the message is opened." The same setting also marks the message as read when the selection changes to another email.

4/ Don't automatically mark items as read

The email remains Unread when viewed in the Reading Pane.

The email also remains Unread when opened in a separate window.

The message must be manually marked as Read

If this is the desired behavior, the available setting that comes closest is "Mark displayed items as read when popped out or the selection changes." However, it is important to note that this setting will also mark the message as Read when the selection changes to another email, not exclusively when the message is opened in a separate window.

Alternatively, you may choose:

"Don't automatically mark items as read"

With this option, messages remain Unread when viewed in the Reading Pane and also remain Unread when opened in a separate window. Messages can then be manually marked as Read when appropriate. This may be the preferred option if the goal is to prevent emails from being marked as Read unless an explicit action is taken.

Kind regards,

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