Settings for Subscription Tracking

Question

Settings for Subscription Tracking

Joshua Cuellar 41

This is the second time posting this. It was autodeleted by an algorithm.

How do I turn off subscription tracking under settings, mail, subscriptions?

A toggle showing on/off at the top of the settings page would work.

Its tracking personal information and direct emails from organizations that are not their newsletter email and appear to be of interest to the platform developers. There needs to be a way to export and delete this list and turn the setting on/off.

Accepted answer

2 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Diane P 4,000 Independent Advisor

but if I delete all the emails from the server, why is there a list of all the subscriptions I've received at that address?

It's a historical list created as emails arrive, not a list of subscriptions currently in your mailbox. If you unsubscribe from the newsletter's website (so Microsoft doesn't know you unsubbed), it may eventually drop off the list but will take a long time (months).

Your example indicates that the email client or webmail would need a button to indicate something is a newsletter.

It's in the message header. The sending server marks it as a subscription (as well as bulk mail). This is something all bulk senders are supposed to do per CANSPAM laws.

As for the ones you say are not newsletters, check the message headers to see if there are properties identifying it as a newsletter or bulk mail.

Joshua Cuellar 41 Reputation points

2025-08-11T00:20:46.8866667+00:00

This seems like an unfinished project. As the email arrives, messages with a subscription header are cataloged and correlated to an account. The account holder should be able to export and delete this list or turn this setting off. Example, if they are no longer getting SPAM.

A separate use case is that messages with suscription headers are cataloged by Microsoft and these have an indefinite retention period. Which has been further defined since 2015. This would be an opt-in feature or a statistical requirement that does not scan the actual message. The sender would be required to keep copies of messages sent from their newsletter email and lists of who they were sent to during the retention period. They may not want to provide this list and they wont have to if they are in compliance with CANSPAM laws.

The recipient may have some of these messages anyway, especially if they are reporting message based harassment or psychological duress from losing their email due to SPAM.

I'll check the message headers on the ones that aren't SPAM. Really, its considered their IT Dept. responsibility to configure their outbound server correctly.

I'm going to print out this thread. Do you mind if I delete the thread afterward?
Diane P 4,000 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-11T03:49:42.0033333+00:00

The forum management would prefer you not delete it as it can help others. You can change your display name or delete your account though.
Joshua Cuellar 41 Reputation points

2025-08-11T05:38:38.9066667+00:00

It seems like I can edit and delete my content from the posts but not the thread. I think that deleting it is better. The internet was not really meant to have permanent content. Its more of a messaging network. Everyone is trying to scrub their data and go back to short data retention messages.
Diane P 4,000 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-11T18:57:48.6933333+00:00

This forum was designed to be permanent, with the hope that users with the same question could find the answer by searching. Sorry.
Joshua Cuellar 41 Reputation points

2025-08-11T20:51:35.46+00:00

Most of these support forums fall under professional negligence or unfinished goods. They are being retrofitted for professionals.

Most of my posts over the years have been deleted. These threads are likely long lasting, until a decision is made on the configuration. I think long term this is going to be for Microsoft Partners, Advisors, and Authorized Technicians only.

Customers are being asked to start their support request here instead: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us
Diane P 4,000 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-12T04:02:56.1166667+00:00

The contact us form is hit or miss, especially if you don't have an office subscription on the consumer side.

Answer 2

Diane P 4,000 Independent Advisor

Sorry., the subscription feature cannot be turned off. It is there for your convenience, so you can view the newsletters you subscribe to and easily unsubscribe.

Microsoft does not use subscription data, they only display it to you. They retrieve the subscription information from the message header, specifically the unsubscribe information in the message header.

Here:

User's image

And here: User's image

Microsoft article on the feature:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-to-manage-email-subscriptions-in-outlook-com-26c8f447-2141-4bff-8781-80a4e6b7f0c8

Joshua Cuellar 41 Reputation points

2025-08-10T21:45:44.68+00:00
I understand your explanation but there are several issues.

I've deleted all of the emails from the server or webmail.

There are direct emails in the unsubscribe list, that means either their email is configured as a newsletter or Microsoft is tracking random emails.

This has done nothing to reduce SPAM or ensure that approved and requested emails are arriving at the inbox and not in junk or SPAM. They are deleted after 30 days.

Your example indicates that the email client or webmail would need a button to indicate something is a newsletter. Or, the header would be modified on send if there is an unsubscribe button. But if I delete all the emails from the server, why is there a list of all the subscriptions I've received at that address?

There are 3 newsletter providers in the US and Microsoft might want to track which organizations send newsletters but that shouldn't require that a list be kept of all the email senders who have the sent mail to me.

My inclination is that this is supposed to scan emails that are still on the server only and keep statistics for organizations that have been unsubscribed from the settings.

Answer 3

Diane P 4,000 Independent Advisor

Please leave feedback on this in Help > Feedback. That is the best way to share your suggestions with the Outlook product group.

Joshua Cuellar 41 Reputation points

2025-08-11T05:40:09.0066667+00:00

I've had various success with this. Sometimes its not available, sometimes it results in chat or email with Microsoft Support. I think this is an essential feature and I will communicate with support.

Share via

Settings for Subscription Tracking

2 additional answers

Your answer