Published Oct 31, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT

Dibakar Ghosh is a tech journalist at How-To Geek with over a decade of experience using and writing about open-source software, Linux, Android, AI, and personal productivity. He writes about software, operating systems, and tools that help people get more from the technology they already use.

You probably assume only employers, marketers, and big corporations can track when you open their emails. But the truth is, anyone can do it — me, your friends, your family, or even a complete stranger on the internet. Luckily, Gmail and most other email providers have a simple setting that can shut this down — at least most of it. But first, let me quickly show you how email tracking works in the first place.

This open-source app tells me exactly when you open my emails

And it’s ridiculously easy to use

Email tracking is generally a feature of expensive marketing software, but I found an open-source app that does it for free: Mailspring .…