You send and hope. Was your email read? Did they spam it? Are they playing games? That is when the read receipt feature in Gmail is your little trick card up your sleeve.
Read receipt enables you to confirm that a message has been read — reassured and you. From tracking job searches, making business transactions, to getting notified on important internal messages, it’s a simple feature.
You’ll never be in the dark on how to ask for a read receipt from Gmail, when and what if you just so happen to be on a personal Gmail account.
What is a Gmail Read Receipt
A read receipt is a small message that informs you if and when your message is read.
If you have it enabled in yours, Gmail will send you a small message like:
“Your message to [recipient] was read on 2025.”
They might not even know, but they might be asked to make it known that they’ve read your message — if their email is set up that way.
It’s handy for:
- Work or school email (Google Workspace)
- Reminders to customers or business partners
- Company internal chat
Important Note Before You Start
Read receipts in Gmail only work on regular @gmail.com personal accounts.
They only work in:
- Google Workspace (Business or Education) accounts
- If your organization’s administrator has enabled system settings for them
If you have system settings with a personal Gmail account, see “Alternative Ways to Track Email Opens.”
How to Request a Read Receipt in Gmail (Desktop)
If you are on a Google Workspace account, follow these steps to request a read receipt:
Steps:
- Open the computer to access Gmail.
- Click Compose and begin a new message.
- Insert your recipient, subject, and message.
- Click the three dots (⋮) at the bottom-right corner of the compose window before sending.
- Choose Request read receipt.
- Click Send.
That is it! Gmail will ask the recipient to confirm once they have opened the mail.
When Recipient Opens It:
- You’ll get a notification immediately by email or in that chat that the message has been read — and even when exactly it was read.
Read Receipts in Gmail Settings for Admins
If you are the Google Workspace admin of your domain, then you can turn on read receipts for all the members of your domain.
Steps
- Sign in at admin.google.com using your admin account.
- Go to Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → User settings.
- Scroll down to Email read receipts.
- Choose one of the following:
- Allow receipts to all addresses in your domain.
- Allow receipts for internal messages only.
- Allow receipts for any external address.
- Allow receipts to all addresses in your domain.
- Click Save Changes.
Your users can request read receipts directly from their Gmail compose window.
How to Request Read Receipt in Gmail App (Mobile)
The phone app (iPhone or Android) Gmail lacks a built-in option for requesting read receipts now.
You can, but:
- Enable read receipts from computer first.
- Then read the same mail on your phone after sending.
If you want complete read receipt capability, you’ll need to send email from a computer web browser.
How Read Receipts in Gmail Work
When you mail with “Request read receipt,” Gmail includes a small invisible tracking token with the message.
When the recipient:
- Opens the message, and
- Clicks on “Send read receipt” (if prompted to)
You notice the following message:
- The date and time it was opened
- The date it was read
Example Notification
Read on October 22, 2025, at 4:17 PM.
Note: Some users will not choose to send the confirmation — specifically outside users or users who are using another email service (for instance, Outlook or Yahoo).
When Gmail Read Receipts Don’t Work
You will not see a confirmation every now and then, and that is alright.
This is the reason:
- The recipient organization turns off read receipts.
- They are using a non-Google email client (i.e., Outlook, Yahoo).
- They opened your email via a mobile client where receipts are deactivated.
- They deactivated the read receipt request.
- You’re signed into a personal Gmail account, rather than Google Workspace.
Read receipts are admin-control and user-permission dependent — they’re never 100% precise.
Additional Options for Tracking Gmail Opens (for Personal Accounts)
If you are using Gmail’s personal account and want to check if your mail is opened or not, then you can use third-party email trackers freely.
Some of them are useful below:
| Tool | Features | Works With |
| Mailtrack | Double-check mark (✓✓) inserted when email opens | Gmail (personal & business) |
| Streak CRM | Internal tracking and follow-up reminders | Gmail (Chrome extension) |
| Boomerang for Gmail | Tracks opens and schedule sends | Gmail (Chrome/Firefox) |
| HubSpot Email Tracking | Free CRM with open and click tracking | Gmail (with extension) |
Example (Mailtrack):
After installing Mailtrack, you can see:
- ✓ Sent
- ✓✓ Opened (2:45 PM)
These are nice features in the event that you are unable to get official Gmail read receipts.
How Do I Know if a Read Receipt Was Sent
When you’ve requested a read receipt:
- You’ll receive a small notification in your mailbox.
- Or you’ll receive an e-mail message in your sent email thread with “Read on 2025.”
If you do not receive anything after a couple of days’ time, the most probable reason is that the recipient either:
- Has yet to open the message, or
- Did not activate send read receipt.
Privacy Implications Using Gmail Read Receipts
Read receipts are under the strict privacy control of Gmail.
- The recipient himself decides to send or not send a receipt.
- Senders have no option to force reading confirmation.
- Gmail never provides personal information (e.g., IP or device) to the sender.
Now, as amazing as a confirmation tool, it isn’t a violation of recipient privacy or legal limits.
Problems and Solutions
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
| “Request read receipt” feature unavailable | You are signed in to a personal Gmail account | Use Google Workspace or a tracking add-on |
| You are not receiving a read receipt | Recipient hasn’t honored the request or uses another provider | Wait or use third-party tracking |
| Feature disabled by administrator | Organization restriction | Talk to your Google Workspace administrator |
| Read receipt not shown on mobile | Gmail app limitation | Use desktop browser version instead |
Common Applications of Gmail Read Receipts
| Situation | How It Helps |
| Business proposal | Determine when your reader opened your offer |
| Job application | Verify HR got your resume |
| School assignment | Teachers can view student assignments |
| Legitimate email communication | Timestamp verification message read |
| Team projects | Internal email coordination tracking |
Read receipts save time and verify communication gaps.
Steps Recap:
- Open desktop Gmail.
- Compose your message.
- Click on the three dots (⋮) → Request read receipt.
- Send the message.
- You’ll get a notification when the recipient opens it (if they allow sending confirmation).
Gmail Read Receipt FAQs
Is a read receipt possible to request on Gmail personal accounts?
No. Only Google Workspace accounts.
Will Gmail send read receipts automatically?
No. It has to be accepted by recipients.
Will recipients be aware that I requested a read receipt?
They can be nudged with a slight hint to get the read receipt.
Can Gmail opens be tracked without Workspace?
Yes. Add-ons such as Mailtrack, Boomerang, or Streak can be used.
Can a read receipt be enabled in Gmail’s mobile app?
Not exactly. The mail must be sent from the desktop client.
Gmail read receipt is an easy and immediate method of ascertaining if and when your mail is opened. Even non-Google Workspace customers, with a single account, can monitor mails using reliable third-party software.
Soliciting clients, following up on a proposal, or ascertaining delivery — a read receipt makes the communication precise.
So send that crucial mail next time — ask for a read receipt and stay in charge.
