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Mark Message as Read when Viewed/Deleted
Idea shared by kevind - 9/22/2026 at 12:55 PM
Under Consideration
So here's an enhancement request (or might consider it a fix) when viewing new messages in webmail.

Open webmail and the first message appears in preview window. Click Delete and it goes to Trash, but never gets marked as Read. Then the next messages appears, click Delete and it goes to Trash, but still is unread.  So now you have 2 unread messages in Trash and they cycle continues...  Same thing happens if you Mark as Junk.

Suggestion: when a message appears in Preview window, mark it as read. If you don't want to do that, then mark it as read when it gets deleted or moved to Junk.

Thanks!
Kevin
J
Don't mark as read just by being shown in the preview window without a programmable (with default) timeout.

Leaving them as not read when moving to junk or deleted helps prevent feedback spam for messages that have read receipts attached to them. 

If it's junk, I don't want the sender to know it got read or acknowledged in any form if all I'm going to do is move it to junk or delete it...
MailEnable survivor / convert --
That's one option, you could have a timeout (wait a few seconds) then mark as read. FWIW, marking as read shouldn't let the send know you received it.

Actually, I think this might be a bug/inconsistency.  Here's why:
  • if you click a new message with your mouse, it gets marked as read.
  • if you move to new message with arrow keys, message gets marked as read.
  • if system puts you on new message (after delete), message does not get marked as read.
I suspect that behavior is intentional, and would prefer it stays that way. When you click or arrow a message there is an implied intention you want to read or interact with the message.

After you delete a message the next highlight message should not marked (as it is now) because you have no choice in the matter. If you move on to do something else or log out after deleting, the next 'unread' message would be marked as read when you come back to it.

I wouldn't mind deleted or junked messages being marked as read, I could do without the unread numbers next to those folders as I will never read them anyway. 
OK, so you agree that messages you delete or move to junk get marked as read. That makes sense as you view the message before hitting Delete or Spam.  Let's make that happen!

Interestingly, looking at Thunderbird, it marks a message as Read when you delete the message above it.  So it does what I'm requesting.  What about Outlook, will that mark a message as Read when you delete the message above it?  If so, I think webmail should do the same thing.
Just tested this using Microsoft Outlook, version: 1.2026.908.200.
  • When you Delete a message from the Inbox, it marks it as Read before going to Deleted folder.
  • If you click on another message, it marks the message you were on as Read.
  • If you do just about anything else (like click on a folder and come back), the message you were on is marked as Read.
SmarterMail webmail should do the same as Outlook.
Shay Jacobs Replied
10/1/2026 at 4:01 PM
Employee Post
Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that I submitted a request for the addition of a "Mark Deleted or Junk messages as read" option. Unfortunately, I can't give an estimate as to how long it may take for the developers to review and potentially implement the feature. I encourage you to be on the lookout for the addition in future release notes and keep your installation up-to-date to ensure you always have the latest features and fixes.
Shay Jacobs
System/Network Administrator
SmarterTools Inc.
Sounds good!  This will be a good fix to webmail so it works more like desktop clients.

Thanks!
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