Outlook (365) - mark item as read only AFTER I OPEN the item.

When this first response came in, nothing happened when I clicked Reply.

Also, I had tried to provide a screenshot in my original message and, as you can see, that failed too.

If this screenshot works, you can see that there is no File button, and nothing in the 9dots button either.

But if I go into Settings (gear)

the Message Handling is set like this...

My complaint is that I WANT TO HAVE THE MESSAGE BE AUTOMATICALLY MARKED AS READ AFTER I DOUBLE-CLICK IT OPEN , just like the regular version of Outlook does. With these settings, it only marks the message as read if I either reply to it, or manually mark it read. I want it to automatically mark it as read when I double-click the message open (not as soon as it is selected in the viewing pane, or after 5 seconds, or when I move from one message to another. ONLY when I double-click it to "officially" read the message.

Thank you,

Terry

Hi,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

It looks like on your Microsoft 365 Outlook, emails are being Marked as Read even by being previewed or being replied. I totally understand the importance of having this clarified as soon as possible. Let's work on this together in finding the best possible answer to your concern.

To better understand the situation, I would like to ask some question, such as:

• What Microsoft 365 version & edition are you using? provide us a screenshot of your product information About Office: What version of Office am I using? - Microsoft Support
• Kindly resend us the screenshot on your original post to have a better picture of the situation. There might be a minor system glitch when you are about to submit your post.

After further research, it looks like in Microsoft 365 Outlook, you can change the settings to mark an item as read only after you open it. Take note, this is only applicable using the Outlook application. Here's how:

1. Click on the "File" tab in the top left corner of the Outlook window.
2. Click on "Options" in the left-hand menu.
3. In the Outlook Options window, click on "Advanced" in the left-hand menu.
4. Scroll down to the "Outlook panes" section and click on "Reading Pane".
5. In the Reading Pane settings, select "Mark item as read when viewed in the Reading Pane".
6. Uncheck the box next to "Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane for (n) seconds".
7. Click "OK" to save the changes.

This should ensure that an item is marked as read only after you open it, and not when you preview it or move the selection. I hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Leonardo_Y

This doesn't solve the problem. This does not mark opened emails as 'Read'.

I too am looking for the same answer. I am using Outlook, but I have the option to try out the "New Outlook". The "New Outlook" is also missing the mark as opened after double clicking the email as the OP asked about. When will this be fixed?

There is no File menu. It would be nice if Microsoft actually rolled this product out with the features your support staff seem to think it has.

What a complete piece of garbage this new Outlook is!