Request a Delivery Receipt for a Message in Outlook

Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries.

What to Know

This article explains how to request a delivery receipt for a single message in Outlook. It includes information on how to request delivery receipts for all messages and also how to request read receipts in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, and Outlook for Microsoft 365.

How to Request a Delivery Receipt in Outlook

If you use Outlook in a workgroup environment and use Microsoft Exchange Server as your mail service, you can request delivery receipts for messages you send. A delivery receipt means that your message has been delivered, but it doesn't mean the recipient has seen the message or opened it.

With Outlook, you can set the delivery receipt option for a single message or request receipts for every message you send automatically.

Composing an email in Outlook.

  1. Compose a new message.

Selecting a delivery receipt in an email.

Go to the Options tab and select the Request a Delivery Receipt check box.

Track Delivery Receipts for all Messages

Instead of marking each outgoing email for a delivery receipt, save time by activating the feature for all messages you send in Outlook.

The options menu in Outlook.

  1. Go to the File tab and select Options.

Viewing mail option in Outlook.

Select Mail.

Turning on delivery receipt for all emails in Outlook.

In the Tracking section, select the Delivery receipt confirming the message was delivered to the recipient's email server check box.

Recipients have the choice to send a read receipt or not. If they see this request with every message, they are less likely to send a read receipt.

Request Delivery Receipts by Default for all Messages

To request delivery receipts by default for all messages: