How to Politely Ask if Someone Received Your Email

You’ve sent out an important email but have received no response. So, what’s the best way to check whether the intended recipient has received your email and encourage a reply?

In this article, we’ll show you how to politely follow up on an unanswered email.

Below, you’ll find 9 examples of how to ask someone if they received your email or to remind them to read it:

Did you receive my email?
Did you get my message?
Have you read the email?
Did you get an opportunity to look at my email?
Have you had a chance to look at my email?
I just wanted to make sure you received my email
Have you looked at what I sent?
I was wondering whether you had any thoughts on the email
I sent an email
Did you see the email I sent?

1. Did You Receive My Email?

The most straightforward way to ask if someone received your email is to say did you receive my email?

This phrase has the benefit of being clear and to the point, which is ideal in a busy office setting. In addition, it has a suitably formal tone to include in a professional email to a colleague, regardless of the nature of your relationship.

Have a look at the email sample below:

Dear Bree,

Did you receive my email regarding the Dartman file?

I’d be keen to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Regards,
Shyla

2. Did You Get My Message?

If you have a friendly dynamic with your colleague, you can ask the above less formally by saying did you get my message?

This phrase works well in a casual exchange with a colleague you are close to. However, we would recommend a slightly more formal alternative when you’re emailing a client or superior.

Nevertheless, let’s see an email example that includes this phrase:

Hi Gil,

Did you get my message about the meeting this morning?

In case you didn’t, it’s been moved to Room 3.

See you then,
Georgia

3. Have You Read the Email?

You can use have you read the email in your response to a colleague, especially if you believe that the content of your previous email is relevant and pertinent to their inquiry.

This phrase is rather tonally neutral, so you can use it with a colleague you aren’t particularly close to. But you should use it with caution, as it may sound a tad impatient depending on your surrounding message. However, you can avoid this by keeping the remainder of the email polite.

For example:

Dear Morgan,

Have you read the email I sent yesterday afternoon on this topic?

I think it will be very helpful.

Kind regards,
Xolani

4. Did You Get an Opportunity to Look at My Email?

You can use the phrase did you get an opportunity to look at my email in a follow-up to your boss. In particular, you can use this phrase if they have failed to respond to an email you sent prior.

This phrase comes across as a tad casual, so you should only use it if you work at a smaller business or tend to have a friendly rapport with your employer. Nevertheless, it has the benefit of being rather tentative and undemanding.

After all, the inclusion of “did you get the opportunity” implies that you would understand if your employer didn’t have time to prioritize your email. This makes it a safe option for an email to a superior.

Check out the following sample email:

Dear Daphne,

Did you get an opportunity to look at my email from Wednesday?

I only ask because the client is requesting a response.

Sincerely,
Liam

5. Have You Had a Chance to Look at My Email?

The phrase have you had a chance to look at my email is a slightly more formal synonym for the phrase above. Therefore, you can use this one if you prefer to maintain a formal register in your emails to your boss.

Like the previous phrase, this comes across as unhurried and tentative since it includes “have you had a chance.” Therefore, it shows that you are aware that your boss is busy and respect that they may not have had the time to read what you sent.

For instance:

Dear Mr. Lyle,

Have you had the chance to look at my email regarding the Beverly account?

I would appreciate your confirmation that we can proceed with Mrs. Beverly’s transfer.

Kind regards,
Rachel Moore

6. I Just Wanted to Make Sure You Received My Email

If you’re a student and you’re looking for a good way to ask your professor if they received your email, you can try the phrase I just wanted to make sure you received my email in your follow-up.

This phrase is clear and polite without being overly formal and stuffy. After all, the point of emailing your professor is to create clarity regarding your classes. So, there’s no need to be overly flowery in your correspondence.

Let’s see this phrase in a follow-up email example:

Dear Professor Adichie,

I just wanted to make sure you received my email regarding the essay due next week.

I would greatly appreciate any insight you can provide on the questions I posed.

Kind regards,
Grace Mullaney

7. Have You Looked at What I Sent?

You can use the phrase have you looked at what I sent in an email to a colleague with whom you are close.

This phrase is rather informal and can come across as a tad abrupt. Therefore, we would urge against using it in an email to your boss or a client.

However, you may not always have time for formalities or politeness in your work emails, especially if you work in a busy corporate setting. As such, your colleague will undoubtedly understand your need to be quick and clear in your messages.

See the email sample below:

Hi Luke,

Have you looked at what I sent regarding Miss Gyle’s complaint this morning?

Let me know what you think of it.

Best,
Martha

8. I Was Wondering Whether You Had Any Thoughts on the Email

If you want to ask for a reply from your employer regarding an email you’ve sent, you can use the phrase I was wondering whether you had any thoughts on the email in your follow-up.

This phrase makes it clear that you’re looking for feedback or comments in respect of your previous email, and it does so without sounding impatient.

Moreover, it’s phrased in a very polite and respectful way. Therefore, it’s a great option when you’re requesting assistance from a superior.

Check out how we’ve used this phrase in a follow-up email example:

Dear Oscar,

I apologize for reaching out again, but I was wondering whether you had any thoughts on the email I sent regarding my secondment.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,
Cassidy Mouton

9. I Sent an Email

In a fast-paced office environment, there isn’t always time for flowery email etiquette and formal phrasing. Thus, when you’re writing a follow-up to a co-worker, you can use a straightforward and to-the-point phrase like I sent an email.

This phrase is simply a quick way to remind your colleague that you wrote them an email and to hopefully prompt a response from them.

You can use it if you tend to keep your inter-office correspondence more casual at your workplace, but it wouldn’t suit an email to a client or a superior.

Have a look at the email sample below:

Dear Jalen,

I sent an email this morning that contained Mr. Auburn’s files in the attachments.

Were you able to access it?

Regards,
Adrian

10. Did You See the Email I Sent?

Another quick and informal way to ask a colleague whether they have received your email is to say did you see the email I sent?

Essentially, you can use this phrase to check whether they have received and read your email, especially if the content of that email is relevant to a present discussion.

As this phrase is rather casual, you should only use it if you have a friendly rapport with the receiving colleague.