Mac Mail App Check If Read

Jan 01, 2020  Launch Mail from the Dock or Finder. Click Mail in the menu bar on the top left of your screen.

Gmail is one of the most popular email products in the world. On a Mac, you can use the software through a browser as it was initially designed, or through the native Mail app. Another alternative is to bring the look and feel of the web-based Gmail to the desktop through a third-party app solution.

Which solution is best for you ultimately comes down to a matter of choice. Here’s a look at the best ways to use Gmail on your Mac.

Contents

Mac Mail App Check If Read By 2

  • 1 Through a Web Browser
  • 2 Using the Native Mail App
  • 3 Third-party Apps
  • 5 A Lot to See Here

Through a Web Browser

First introduced as a beta release in 2004, Gmail on the web officially launched for the masses five years later. The free email service developed by Google is now available in over 100 languages and used by over 1.4 billion users worldwide.

Gmail offers a basic HTML version that works across all browsers, while an AJAX version is supported by major browsers for Mac including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, among others.

In 2018 for the third time in its history, Gmail received a significant design upgrade. The redesign uses Google’s Material Design and uses the company’s Product Sans font. Besides a design change, the update also includes a Confidential Mode, which allows you to set an expiration date for sensitive messages, integrated rights management, and two-factor authentication.

Reasons to use the web version of Gmail

If you’re a heavy Google Chrome user, it might be best to stick with Gmail on the web. Through this interface, you’ll have access to all of the official Gmail tools. To customize your Gmail web experience, check out the Google Chrome Store where you’ll find hundreds of Gmail extensions.

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Using the Native Mail App

On your Mac, you can set up all of your email accounts through the official Mail app. When you do, your email tools are limited to those offered by Apple through macOS.

Why you should use the native Mail app

Using the Mail app is ideally suited if you have multiple email accounts, including more than one that’s being hosted by Google. In doing so, you can take a streamlined approach to all of your email needs.

Third-party Apps

These third-party apps do the best job of duplicating the Gmail web design on Mac. Each solution offers its own set of unique features.

Go for Gmail

With the free Go for Gmail app, you can see whether you have new email right from your Mac’s toolbar. In doing so, you don’t have to go into the app to check. Beyond this, it does a great job of bringing the Gmail experience to an app.

You can simply download an app or piece of computer software that will do the work for you.Tracking your budget can now be automated, you can learn basic principles directly from your phone, and you can consult with advisors virtually for a lower price tag. In the digital era, it’s never been easier to stay in control of your finances. Best budgeting software for mac.

Extra features include the ability to run both a Desktop and Mobile mode. When you select the latter, you’ll discover mini versions of Google Calendar, Google Keep, and Google Tasks.

Simplicity is one of the reasons to choose Go for Gmail. Besides being able to change the app’s appearance slightly and customize its notifications, Go for Gmail works exactly like the official web version. It also supports multiple Gmail accounts.

You can download Go for Gmail from the Mac App Store.

Kiwi for Gmail

Like the Go app, Kiwi for Gmail brings the Gmail web experience to the desktop. However, this isn’t the only reason to use the product. With Kiwi for Gmail, you can also use extra features that will enhance your email experience.

These extras include a new Focus Filtered Inbox that has been designed to remove email noise, allowing you to focus on what’s important. In doing so, you can limit your view based on date, importance, unread, attachments, and starred. You can also combine filters to create a short list of your most relevant emails. Other useful features include windowed versions of Google’s web applications including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

It should also be noted that Kiwi for Gmail supports the No. 1 scheduler plugin, Boomerang, which allows you to schedule the time to send an email.

If looking for an all-in-one app solution for Google tools, you can’t go wrong with Kiwi for Gmail, which is available on the Mac App Store.

Mailplane

Because of its price, Mailplane is best described as a premium solution for Gmail on Mac. Available through a 15-day free trial, the app offers some unique and essential features that make it worth considering despite its hefty price tag.

At the top of the list of Mailplane features is the ability to archive a message or write a quick reply directly from a new email notification. The software is also compatible with the new Dark Mode in macOS Mojave, offers an offline mode, the ability to add annotations and shapes to email, and more.

As a long-time Mailplane user, my favorite feature continues to be the use of third-party extensions, which now include Boomerang, Grammarly, SalesForce Inbox, and many others.

You can download your free Mailplane trial from the company’s official site.

One Final Alternative

With Wavebox, you can easily navigate between different web apps — including Gmail. In doing so, you can deal with fewer browser tabs and take advantage of the macOS Notifications system. In total, Wavebox offers integration with over 1,100 web applications.

Unlike browser tabs, Wavebox app allows you to work with a single suite of web apps. By doing so, you can open all of your most essential web apps with just one click. In Gmail’s case, you can also add links to other Google apps (including YouTube), so you can access them all in the same place on your computer. You can also install popular Gmail extensions like Boomerang, Clearbit Connect, and LastPass.

Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux, Wavebox Pro is free to use for 14 days. With a Pro account, you can install an unlimited number of web apps. A free version allows you to install up to two Gmail accounts. You can purchase a yearly Pro subscription from the official Wavebox website.

A Lot to See Here

As a heavy Gmail user, I’ve gone back and forth over the years on how best to access my email on my MacBook Pro. Kiwi has been my go-to app for many years because of its ease of use. The other ones are also worth considering, however.

I would strongly suggest that you try out each app before making a choice. Using the official Mail app is also an acceptable solution as is sticking with the web version. Make your decision based on the features you find most important and whether you want to pay.

How do you view Gmail on your Mac? Let us know in the notes below.

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Updated 1:49 PM EST Feb 19, 2020

You write an email. No reply. You send another email. No reply. You’re halfway through a third email and you stop. What happened to the first two? Junk folder? Was the message just ignored?

In the 21st century, our inboxes are flooded. According to the technology market research company The Radicati Group, the average adult will receive 92 email messages per day in 2017. That doesn’t even count the spam that pours into our accounts. The longer we wait for an answer, the more we wonder whether the message was seen at all.

The communications stream is compounded by text messages. You send a text and you expect an immediate reply. But what if you don’t get a reply? Learn how you can tell when someone is seeing your text messages.

That’s why “read receipts” were invented. This tool will tell you the exact time that your message is read. Better yet, read receipts nudge the recipient into writing back as soon as possible. This is especially helpful for tracking urgent and time-sensitive messages.

Related: Ever wished that you could 'unsend' an email? Tap here for the steps.

There is a drawback: privacy. Read receipts are great for you, because you have an idea what is taking place in the recipient’s inbox. But some people find receipt requests intrusive and never send them back. There are ways to turn to “invisible” third-party email trackers, which will send you a receipt without the recipient ever knowing.

Depending on your platform, here are various ways to know if someone has opened and read your email.

Request a return receipt

Read receipts are much more common that most people realize. Most major email platforms will give you the option to request return/read receipts with email that you send. Some will also let you specify these receipts for every email you're composing.

Keep in mind, these requests only do half the job; the recipient can still decline, and you’ll never receive the receipt you’re hoping for. Some email platforms, like Gmail and Apple Mail, for example, do not officially support the sending of read receipt requests.

Related: Can you spot a fake email? Take my phishing IQ test.

As an alternative, you can use 'invisible' email tracking and read receipts, but here you'll have to rely on third-party tracking software. (More on that in a minute.)

For the other major email platforms, here's how you set them up:

Outlook

To request a return receipt in Microsoft Outlook, click Options on the top menu bar to bring up its sub-menu.

Mac Mail App Check If Read By Age

Now, just check 'Request a Read Receipt' to receive a notification when your message is opened. Additionally, you can also get notifications when your message is successfully delivered by checking 'Request a Delivery Receipt.'

Mac Mail App Check If Ready

Mozilla Thunderbird

Here's how to turn on return receipts in Mozilla's email client Thunderbird:

Click Tools (on the top menu bar) then click Options. Now, on the General tab click on 'Return Receipts.'

Here you can configure Thunderbird to always include return receipts with your emails. You can also send your own return receipts and the location of your receipts. When done, just click OK.

You can also configure Thunderbird return receipts on individual emails. While writing a new email just click on Options on the top menu bar then select 'Return Receipts and or Delivery Status Notification' to configure its return receipt setting.

Again, as usual, the recipient can choose whether to send a return receipt reply or not.

Gmail

In the free version of Gmail, you can’t request a read receipt. But the feature is available via Google's paid business cloud software G Suite.

If you are a G Suite subscriber, you can turn on read receipt requests via the G Suite Admin Console. Go to Apps >> GSuite >> Settings for Gmail >> then click Advanced Settings. Here, you can scroll down to the Email Read Receipts section, where you’ll find this wordy option: 'Allow email read receipts to be sent to all addresses in my organization as well as the following email addresses.' Switch it to “on.”

With this option on, you can click on the lower right down arrow on your Compose window to request a read receipt for the particular email you're writing.

Related: Take control of your Gmail account with these five tips to get a better handle of your inbox.

Use email tracking software

Mail

Maybe you have a small business. Maybe you doing research, and you just need to know which emails were opened and which were untouched. In this case, you might turn to third-party email tracking solutions.

Most of these are paid services with monthly subscriptions, but some have free basic plans, too. These third-party trackers offer more features than your regular free email client.

Get Notify

One basic way to get track your emails and get read receipts is Get Notify. For each message read, you’ll receive a notification. You will be notified of the exact date and time the email was read. You'll also receive the recipient's IP address, geographical location, operating system and which web browser they are using.

Mac Mail App Update

Get Notify's free version caps your tracked emails to a maximum of five per day and a total of 150 a month but you can give a 'small donation' to remove the daily limit and increase your monthly limit.

Mailtrack

Mac Mail App Check If Read By Phone

Mailtrack is a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera that's designed to work with Gmail. Mailtrack's free version offers unlimited email tracking, but your emails will be tagged with a Mailtrack Signature. This is typical for individual non-business use.

For about $5 a month, you can get its Pro version to remove the Mailtrack signature. The Pro version also provides tech support, notifications, and usage for three different email addresses. Finally, small companies can sign up for the 'Teams' plan, and large companies can sign up for 'Enterprise.'

Streak

Streak is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) add-on for Gmail. Their free version has basic CRM features and email power tools. You can track 200 emails a month, which should be plenty for personal use.

Streak also has a Corporate Plan ($39/month) and an Enterprise Plan ($89/month) meant for small to large businesses. Aside from full CRM features, these paid plans also include unlimited email tracking.

How else can you improve your communications? Be sure to listen or download my podcasts, or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet or computer. From buying advice to digital life issues, click here for my free podcasts.

Mac Mail App For Windows

Updated 1:49 PM EST Feb 19, 2020