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2285

How can I stop previewed messages being marked as read in Outlook?

When Outlook opens, and the reading pane is showing, the most recent message is displayed in the preview. When you click onto another message, the previous one may change colour and be marked as read.  The same thing may happen if you preview any other message by clicking on it.

To stop this happening in Outlook 2010, follow these instructions (see further below for the Outlook 2007 method):

1. Open the File menu and select Options.
2. Click on the Advanced menu item.
3. In the Outlook Panes panel, click on the Reading pane... button.
4. Deselect the Mark items as read when viewed in the Reading Pane and the Mark item as read when selection changes boxes (click to remove the tick).
5. Click OK.
6. Click OK again to close the Options dialogue box.

 The method for Outlook 2007 is slightly different at first:

1. In Outlook 2007, open the Tools menu and click on Options...
2. In the Options dialogue box, click the Other tab.
3. Click on the Reading Pane... button.
4. Then follow the instructions for Outlook 2010 above, from step 4.