We have all experienced that sudden moment of panic immediately after hitting the send button. Perhaps you forgot to attach a file, spotted a glaring typo, or accidentally sent a sensitive message to the wrong recipient. If you are using an Exchange account, learning how to recall an email in Outlook can save you from a potentially embarrassing situation.
How to Recall a Message in Outlook Desktop
The message recall feature allows you to retrieve an email from the recipient’s inbox before they have opened it. Note that this feature is generally only available if both you and the recipient are using Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange within the same organisation.
- Open the Microsoft Outlook desktop client and navigate to your Sent Items folder.
- Double-click the specific email you want to recall so that it opens in its own separate window. (The feature will not appear if you just view it in the reading pane).
- Ensure you are on the Message tab at the top of the window.
- In the Move group, click on Actions (which may look like a small letter icon with a dropdown arrow), and select Recall This Message…
- A pop-up box will appear. Select either Delete unread copies of this message or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message.
- Ensure the box next to Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient is ticked, then click OK.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my email recall fail?
A recall will fail if the recipient has already opened and read the email. Furthermore, it will not work if you are sending an email to a non-Microsoft account (such as a Gmail or Yahoo address), or if the recipient has set up rules to automatically move incoming mail out of their main inbox.
Is there an alternative to recalling emails?
Yes. If you frequently make mistakes, it is highly recommended to set up a “send delay” rule. This forces Outlook to hold all outgoing emails in your outbox for a few minutes before actually dispatching them, giving you a safety buffer to cancel the send.
