"Always keep items unread unless I explicitly mark them as read" in Outlook for Mac

Question

When using Outlook for Mac, it's useful for me to be able to mark an email as "unread" if I want to reply to it later. Then, I can occasionally view all of my "unread" emails using a filter, and decide if I want to reply to any. However, in Outlook 365 for Mac (Version 16.34), if I click on "Filter Emails -> Unread", then the first "unread" email in the list is automatically marked as "read" after I move on to a different email. What would be more useful is if it requires me to manually mark these emails as "read" if I am viewing them with the "unread" filter on.

When I use Outlook 365 with a web browser, there is a setting which allows me to do this (Settings -> Email -> Message handling), called "Always keep items unread unless I explicitly mark them as read". If I check this, then this does exactly what I am looking for.

However, I cannot find this setting in Outlook for Mac. There is an option to only mark an email as "read" if I double click on it (such that it opens into a separate window), but this means that I have to double click on every single email to mark it as read, whereas I only want to have to do that for those emails I am viewing with the "unread" filter.

So, is there a setting for "Always keep items unread unless I explicitly mark them as read" in Outlook for Mac? If not, why is this only present in the web browser version?

Answer 1

Hello JohnRowlay,

According to my tests, the feature to don’t automatically mark items as read is available in Outlook Web App(OWA) and Outlook for Windows desktop client. However, it is not available in Outlook for Mac client. After searching in the Outlook for Mac UserVoice forum, I have found a similar feature request. You can vote here to submit your feedback: Disabling automatically marking the first e-mail as read on start-up.

You can also create a new thread in the UserVoice forum for feedback. It’s a good place for customers to share their feedbacks. Your understanding and cooperation would be highly appreciated.

Regards,

Rick

Answer 2

I don't understand what your reply is referring to...!  Who is David Williams?!

Answer 3

Do NOT reply to David Williams

This is an attempt to take over your computer, steal your data and your identity.