How to recall / unsend email message in Outlook app and Gmail

What does it mean to recall an email in Outlook?

Recalling an email in Outlook refers to the ability to retrieve an email that you have sent by mistake, before the intended recipient reads it. This feature is particularly useful when you have sent an incomplete message, forgotten to attach a file, or accidentally sent an email to the wrong person. Microsoft Outlook provides two ways to perform the recall:

• Delete the message from the recipient's Inbox. When you choose this option, the original email will be removed from the recipient's inbox, and they will no longer see it.
• Replace the original message with a new one. This option allows you to send a revised message in place of the original one, correcting any errors or omissions.

It's essential to note that successful email recall is limited to Microsoft Exchange accounts and Office 365 users. The feature is supported in Outlook versions 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and Outlook 365.

While Outlook offers this convenient feature, other email clients may provide a similar function with different names. For instance, Gmail offers the Undo Send option, which works slightly differently. Rather than recalling the message, Gmail delays the email sending for a brief period, allowing users to undo the sending process within that time frame. For more details, refer to Undo email sending in Gmail.

How to recall an email in Outlook

To recall an email message sent in error, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Sent Items folder and locate the email you wish to unsend.
2. Double-click on the message to open it in a new window. The recall option is not available in the Reading Pane.
3. On the Message tab, in the Move group, click Actions > Recall This Message.
4. Select the appropriate option. In the Recall This Message dialog box, select the Delete unread copies of this message option and click OK. To be notified about the result, make sure the Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient option is selected.

How to recall and replace an email in Outlook

If the sent message contains errors or sensitive information, and you want to replace it with a corrected version, you can use the Outlook Recall Email feature in a slightly different way:

1. In the Sent Items folder, locate the email you wish to unsend and replace.
2. Double-click on the message to have it open in a separate window.
3. Initiate the recall process by clicking Message tab > Actions > Recall This Message.
4. In the dialog box that opens, choose the Delete unread copies and replace with a new message option.
5. Outlook will automatically open a copy of your original message in a new window. Here, you can make the necessary modifications to the email, such as fixing errors, adding missing information, or attaching files that were omitted in the initial version. After modifying the message as you desire, click Send.

Keep in mind that the ability to recall and replace an email is subject to certain limitations, which are described in the next section.

Outlook recall requirements and limitations

Although the recall process in Outlook is generally straightforward, certain conditions must be met for the feature to work successfully. Here are the essential requirements and limitations to be aware of:

1. Office 365 or Microsoft Exchange account. Both you, as the sender, and your recipient must have either a Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange account. If either party is using a different email service, the recall attempt will not be effective.
2. Windows clients only. The recall feature is limited to Windows clients of Microsoft Outlook. It is not available in Outlook for Mac or Outlook on the web.
3. Exclusions for Azure Information Protection. Messages that are protected by Azure Information Protection cannot be unsent. If the email has been encrypted or falls under specific security restrictions, the recall attempt will not succeed.
4. Message should be in Inbox and unread. For the recall process to be successful, the original email must be present in the recipient's Inbox and must remain unread. Once the recipient opens or moves the message to another folder, or if it has been processed by any rule, spam filter, or an add-in, the recall function will not be effective.

If these four requirements are met, there is a reasonable chance that you can prevent an embarrassing email from being read by the recipient. However, it's crucial to understand that certain factors can lead to a recall failure. In the next section, we will explore the key reasons why a recall attempt might fail.

Why can I not recall an email in Outlook?

While initiating the recall process might seem promising, it does not guarantee a successful outcome. Several factors can complicate or render the recall ineffective. Here are some common reasons why you may not be able to unsend an email in Outlook:

What happens when you recall an email in Outlook

Whether a recall succeeds or fails is determined by a number of different factors. The outcomes of success and failure may also be different depending on Outlook settings and the specific circumstances.

How do I know if a recalled message was successful?

Once you have initiated the message recall in Outlook, how do you know if a recalled email was successful or not? Easily! Microsoft will automatically generate a report for you.

To check the status of the recall email attempt, follow these steps:

1. In your Inbox, look for the Message Recall Report from Office 365.
2. In the report, click on the link labeled View Message Recall Report. This will open the report in your web browser.
3. Review the recall status. The report will display the number of recalled, pending, and failed messages and provide specific details for each message recall attempt.

How to recover a recalled email in Outlook

You noticed a new mail notification in the system tray but do not see that email in your Inbox? Chances are that the sender has recalled it. However, since the message was stored in your mailbox for a little while, it did leave a trace, and it is possible to recover it. Here's how:

1. On the Folder tab, in the Clean Up group, click the Recover Deleted Items button. Or open the Deleted Items folder and click the Recover items recently removed from this folder link at the top.
2. In the dialog box that appears, search for a "Recall" message, and you will see the original message above it.
3. Select the original message, choose the Restore Selected Items option, and click OK.

The selected message will be restored to either the Deleted Items folder or the Inbox folder, depending on your Outlook settings. Because Outlook needs some time for synchronization, it may take a couple of minutes for the restored message to show up.

What does it mean when you get a recall message?

When you get a recall notification like shown below, that means that the sender does not want you to read their original message and has attempted to unsend it.

Most often, a recall message is received when the recipient uses a desktop version of Outlook that is not on Exchange Server. In that event, the recipient only receives a note that a recall attempt has been made. The original message won't be deleted from their inbox in any case.

How to unsend email in new Outlook and web

Unfortunately, the new outlook and Outlook on the web, also known as Outlook Online, lacks a recall option similar to the desktop Outlook app. However, it does offer an Undo Send feature that allows you to undo the sending of an email within a short window of time. Here's how to configure and use this option:

1. Access settings. In the new Outlook, switch to the View tab and click View Settings on the top toolbar. In the web app, click on the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
2. Navigate to Undo Send. In the Settings menu that opens, select Mail > Compose and Reply, and scroll down to find the Undo send option.
3. Set cancellation period. Under the Undo send section, adjust the slider to set the desired duration. Currently, the maximum limit for the cancellation period is 10 seconds.

Using the Undo Send feature

After sending a message, a small pop-up window labeled Sending will appear at the bottom of the email pane. If you need to unsend the email, follow these steps promptly:

1. Click the Undo button. Within the cancellation period you set, click on the Undo button to stop the message from being sent.
2. Edit or delete the message. After clicking Undo, Outlook will open the message in the compose mode, allowing you to make necessary edits or delete the email entirely.

Please note that the Undo send feature in Outlook on the web gives you a brief opportunity to correct any mistakes or omissions in your messages. Once the cancellation period elapses, you won't be able to unsend the email through this feature. Therefore, it's crucial to act quickly within the cancellation period.

How to undo Send in Gmail

Undo Send is a default feature in Gmail that allows you to retract an email shortly after sending it. Unlike in Outlook on the web, there is no need to configure this feature specifically in Gmail.

Here's how to use Undo Send in Gmail:

1. Compose your email and hit the Send button as usual.
2. After sending the message, the Undo option will automatically pop up in the bottom left corner of the screen.
3. You will have approximately 30 seconds to make your decision before the Undo option disappears. During this brief period, you can choose to undo sending the email.

Alternatives to recalling a message

As message recall can be unpredictable due to various factors, one of the following workarounds may come in handy.