When you send an essential email, you don’t know when the recipient will open it. You must sit like a dope in front of your computer, waiting for their reaction. Some emailers, on the other hand, do not need to wait for a response to know that their message was received. In fact, they can track when you open their email without including you in the loop. Fortunately, a simple adjustment in your email client allows you to defeat them at their own game.
How email tracking works:
Email tracking is a method used by senders to track whether recipients have opened their emails. It typically involves embedding a small, invisible pixel image or tracking code within the email. When the email is opened, the pixel or code sends a signal back to the sender’s server, indicating that the email has been viewed.
Disable pixel trackers in Gmail:
If you use Gmail, you can disable pixel trackers by following these steps:
- Open Gmail and click on the gear icon in the top-right corner.
- Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
- Go to the “General” tab.
- Scroll down to the “Images” section and select “Ask before displaying external images.”
- Click on “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page.
By enabling the “Ask before displaying external images” option, Gmail will prompt you to manually load images in emails, including pixel trackers. This way, you have control over which images are loaded and can prevent the tracking pixels from sending back data.
Disable pixel trackers in Outlook:
If you use Outlook, you can disable pixel trackers by following these steps:
- Open Outlook and go to the “File” tab.
- Select “Options” from the left-hand sidebar.
- In the Outlook Options window, click on “Trust Center” in the left-hand sidebar.
- Click on the “Trust Center Settings” button.
- In the Trust Center window, select “Automatic Download” from the left-hand sidebar.
- Uncheck the box that says “Don’t download pictures automatically in HTML email messages or RSS items.”
- Click on “OK” to save the changes.
Disabling the automatic download of pictures in Outlook:
prevents pixel trackers from loading when you open emails. However, keep in mind that this will also prevent all images from automatically displaying, so you will need to manually load images for each email you open.
Block pixel trackers in Apple Mail:
If you use Apple Mail on macOS or iOS, you can block pixel trackers by adjusting your settings:
- Open the Mail app and go to “Preferences” (macOS) or “Settings” (iOS).
- In macOS, select the “Viewing” tab. In iOS, select “Mail” or “Mail Settings.”
- Look for an option related to “Load remote content” or “Load remote images” and disable it.
- Close the preferences or settings window to save the changes.
By disabling the loading of remote content or images, you prevent pixel trackers from loading in Apple Mail. However, this may also affect the display of other images in emails, so you will need to manually load them if necessary.
Taking these steps to disable pixel trackers in your email client helps protect your privacy and prevents senders from knowing when you have opened their emails. It gives you greater control over your online activities and the information you share unknowingly through email tracking.