When you send an important email, it can be frustrating not knowing whether the recipient has read it. Meanwhile, some email senders, particularly marketers, can track exactly when you open their messages without you knowing. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to block this tracking in your email client, allowing you to maintain your privacy.

Understanding email tracking

Email tracking is often accomplished through pixel trackers, which are embedded into images or links within an email. When you open the email, the pixel notifies the sender that the message was opened. This is a common method for marketers to measure their success.

Some senders use more transparent methods, such as Mailtrack, which adds a notification to the end of each email, informing the recipient that the sender knows the email has been opened. The best way to avoid being tracked is to steer clear of obvious marketing emails. However, your email client likely has a setting that blocks trackers from working in the first place. Here’s how to disable trackers in three popular email clients:

• Disable pixel trackers in Gmail

To disable pixel trackers in Gmail, search for the “Ask before displaying external images” option. On the desktop version, locate this setting under Settings > See all settings > General > Images. For iOS, navigate to Settings > Email Preferences > Images, and on Android, access Settings > [your email account] > Images.

Note: Keep in mind that enabling this setting disables dynamic email, which means you’ll lose some interactive email features, such as replying to a Google Docs comment without leaving the message.

• Disable pixel trackers in Outlook

In Outlook for Windows, navigate to File > Options > Trust Center. Under Microsoft Outlook Trust Center, select “Trust Center Settings,” then uncheck “Don’t download pictures automatically in HTML e-mail messages or RSS items.” In Outlook for Mac, open Settings and change the Download external images setting from “Automatically” to “Only in messages from my contacts” or “Ask before downloading.”

For the iOS or Android apps, open Settings, choose your email address under Mail Accounts, and enable “Block External Images.”

• Block Pixel Trackers in Apple Mail

Apple Mail users can block trackers as part of the “Mail Privacy Protection” feature, which also hides your IP address. Enable this setting on iOS by going to Settings > Mail > Privacy Protection, and on Mac from the Privacy tab in the in-app settings.

By blocking email trackers, you can take control of your inbox privacy and prevent senders from knowing when you’ve opened their messages. Follow the steps outlined for your specific email client and enjoy a more secure email experience.