How a tracking pixel works
- The sender adds an image to the email. It is typically 1 pixel by 1 pixel, transparent, or hidden with styling, so you never see it. Email marketing tools add it for the sender.2
- The image address is unique to you. It carries a code that stands for your email address and that particular message.
- You open the email and your mail app fetches the images in it, including this one.
- The sender’s server logs the request, along with everything that comes with any web request.
| What the server sees | What the sender learns |
|---|---|
| That the image was requested | You opened the email, and your address is in use |
| The time of each request | When you opened it, and how many times |
| Your IP address | Your internet provider and rough location, usually your city |
| Your device details | The kind of device and mail app you use |
Why tracking pixels matter
You are never asked. Opening an email is enough, and nothing on screen shows it happened. Senders use the data to measure newsletters, salespeople use it to time a follow-up call, and spammers use it to confirm an address is live and worth more spam.
It is also not limited to the sender. A Princeton University study of email tracking found that about 30% of the emails it examined leaked the recipient’s email address to one or more third parties when viewed.1
How to block tracking pixels
- Don’t load remote images. A pixel is an image, so a mail app that doesn’t load images automatically doesn’t trigger it. Most mail apps have this setting.
- Use a mail service that handles it for you. Some remove known trackers or load images through their own servers, so the sender never gets your IP address.
- Remember links. Blocking pixels doesn’t stop tracked links, which record your click when you follow them.
Where you’ll see tracking pixels
You won’t see them, which is the point. They are in most marketing email and newsletters, in “read receipt” add-ons used for sales email, and on websites, where advertising platforms use the same technique to follow visitors from page to page. To find one in an email, look at the message’s original source for an image tag with a width and height of 1, or one loaded from a tracking service.
Tracking pixels in Secria Mail
In Secria Mail, tracking pixels are removed automatically and senders never see your IP address. There is nothing to switch on.
Related terms
Sources
- Steven Englehardt, Jeffrey Han and Arvind Narayanan, I never signed up for this! Privacy implications of email tracking, Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (2018).
- Mailchimp, Use open tracking in emails.
Checked October 2026. Secria facts are from our Mail and VPN pages and the whitepaper.
Questions about tracking pixels
How can I tell if an email has a tracking pixel?
You can’t tell by looking at it. Open the email’s original source and look for a tiny or hidden image loaded from another server. A tracker checker does the looking for you.
Does blocking images stop tracking pixels?
Yes. A tracking pixel is an image, so it only works if your mail app loads it. Blocking images doesn’t stop tracked links, which report your click when you follow them.
Can a tracking pixel see my location?
Roughly. The sender’s server sees your IP address when the pixel loads, which usually reveals your city and internet provider. It doesn’t reveal your street address.
Is a tracking pixel dangerous?
It isn’t malware. It is an ordinary image and it doesn’t install anything on your device. The harm is to your privacy: it reports when and where you read your mail without asking you.