High traffic mailing lists and vacations are good reasons not to read every single message in a mailbox. In most cases, it won't be necessary either.
More Email Quick Tips
To give yourself the impression that you did indeed catch up and read everything, you can mark all messages read in an Opera mailbox:
- Highlight the mailbox.
- Click on the mailbox with the right mouse button.
- Select Mark all as read from the menu.
Alternatively:
- Highlight the desired mailbox.
- Press Ctrl-Shift-A.

