To mark messages as read

To mark an individual message as read or unread, select the message. On the Edit menu, click Mark as Read or Mark as Unread.

To mark all newsgroup messages as read when you quit Outlook Express or go to another newsgroup, on the Tools menu, click Options. On the Read tab, select Mark all messages as read when exiting a newsgroup.

To mark all messages in a selected newsgroup as read, including messages not yet downloaded, select the newsgroup in the Folders list. On the Edit menu, click Catch Up.

This is handy, for example, when you return from vacation and don't want to download all unread messages, but want to start reading the current ones.

To mark all the messages in a given newsgroup conversation as read, select either the original message or any of its replies. On the Edit menu, click Mark Conversation as Read.

A conversation is an original message and all its posted replies. Conversations are sorted and grouped according to the title of the original message. For example, a conversation that starts with a message titled "Ideas for Labrador owners" includes all of the replies, titled "RE: Ideas for Labrador owners."

E-mail and newsgroup messages are automatically marked as read after they are open for a certain length of time. If you don't want messages automatically marked, on the Tools menu, click Options, click the Read tab, and then clear the Mark message read after displaying for x seconds(s) check box.

View only unread newsgroup messages