What is Pixel Tracking?
Did you know that email marketers use a dirty little, nearly invisible trick to track you and to keep tracking you?
It is called ‘Pixel Tracking,’ and it is when they insert a microscopic pixel or image into the email code, which is embedded into the email body and has a unique tracking code assigned to it. Now, when we say microscopic, it isn’t that small. It is normally 1 pixel by 1 pixel, but that is tiny, and most people would not see it in the email. And if the email marketer is slick, they can make it transparent so you can’t see it. But when you open the email for the very first time, that pixel is rendered, the code is sent to the server, and it is used to track you. Here is a black page with a 1×1-pixel white dot in the middle so you can see how small this actually is.
This does several things for the email marketer, the most important being that there is a living, breathing person on the other end of the email. If the email isn’t opened and the code isn’t tracking someone, then there is a reason to track that email address. It will also provide them with some demographic information, such as your operating system, the date and time you opened the email, your IP address, and the type of device you are using.
Armed with this information, they can better target emails to you, hopefully sending the right one that will get you to purchase something from them.
Don’t worry, there is a way to stop this from happening: turn off the automatic downloading of images in your email program. Lifewire has a great article on how to do this in many popular email applications. However, there is a downside to not being able to see the images: they are very dull and unappealing. But you aren’t being tracked, which is a bonus.
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FAQs
Your inbox is being watched — here's how to fight back.
Pixel tracking is just one of the tactics email marketers use to collect data on you. At Simply Web Services, we help small businesses and their clients stay informed about digital privacy, email security, and online best practices. Have questions about email security for your business?
A tracking pixel is a tiny, usually invisible 1x1 image embedded in an email. When you open the email, the image loads from a remote server, which silently records that the email was opened along with details like your IP address, device type, and the time and date you opened it.
In most cases, no — tracking pixels are designed to be invisible. They are often made transparent and sized at just 1x1 pixel, making them impossible to spot with the naked eye. Some email clients and browser extensions can detect and block them automatically, but without those tools, there is no visual indicator.
The most effective method is to turn off automatic image downloading in your email program. When images don't load automatically, the tracking pixel never fires and the marketer receives no data. The downside is that legitimate images in emails won't display either. Apps like Apple Mail also offer built-in tracking pixel protection that masks your activity automatically.
In most countries, pixel tracking by email marketers is legal as long as it is disclosed in a privacy policy. However, privacy regulations such as GDPR in Europe place stricter requirements on how that data can be collected and used. As a consumer, you have the right to opt out of marketing emails entirely, which also eliminates the tracking.
Not all, but most bulk marketing emails sent through platforms like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or HubSpot include tracking pixels by default. They are used to measure open rates and campaign effectiveness. Transactional emails (receipts, confirmations) sometimes include them as well, though they are less common in personal or small-business correspondence.