How to Unsend or Recall an Email in Microsoft Outlook

We have all experienced the sudden, sinking feeling that occurs immediately after clicking “Send” on an email that was not quite ready. Perhaps you forgot to attach the critical report, accidentally hit “Reply All” to a massive company distribution list, or noticed a glaring spelling mistake in the subject line.

If you are using Microsoft Outlook within a corporate environment (specifically a Microsoft Exchange server or Microsoft 365), you have a brief window of opportunity to recall the message before the recipient opens it.

In this guide, we will show you exactly how to recall an email in Microsoft Outlook, and explain the crucial limitations you must understand before relying on this feature.

How to Recall an Email in the Outlook Desktop App

The Message Recall feature is built directly into the classic Outlook desktop application for Windows. To recall an email, you must act quickly.

1. Open the Microsoft Outlook desktop app.
2. Look at the folder pane on the left side of your screen and click on your Sent Items folder.
3. Find the email you want to unsend and double-click it to open the message in a new, separate window. (The recall feature will not work if you only view the email in the reading pane).
4. At the top of the message window, look for the Message tab.
5. In the “Move” group on the ribbon, click the Actions button.
6. Select Recall This Message… from the dropdown menu.
7. A pop-up window will appear asking what you want to do. You have two choices:
   • Delete unread copies of this message: This completely removes the email from the recipient’s inbox.
   • Delete unread copies and replace with a new message: This removes the old email and immediately opens a fresh draft so you can attach the missing file or fix your typo before sending it again.
8. Check the box that says Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient.
9. Click OK.

If you chose to replace the message, write your corrections and click Send. Outlook will now attempt to pull the original email out of the recipient’s inbox.

Understanding the Limitations of Message Recall

While the recall feature is a lifesaver, it is not a magic undo button. It only works under very specific conditions. If any of the following apply, your recall attempt will fail, and the recipient will still see the original email.

• They have already opened it: You can only recall unread messages. If the recipient has already clicked on the email, it cannot be unsent.
• They are outside your organisation: Message recall only works if both you and the recipient are using Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts within the same company. You cannot recall an email sent to a Gmail, Yahoo, or external client address.
• They use the Outlook Mobile App: Historically, the recall feature has struggled to pull messages from the mobile version of the Outlook app if the notification has already been pushed to their phone screen.

How to Set an “Undo Send” Delay Instead

Because the classic recall feature is so restrictive, a much safer alternative is to configure a deliberate delay on all your outgoing emails. This gives you up to 10 seconds to click an “Undo” button after hitting send, regardless of what email provider the recipient uses.

If you are using the new Outlook on the Web or the New Outlook for Windows:

1. Click the Settings (gear icon) in the top right corner.
2. Navigate to Mail > Compose and reply.
3. Scroll down to the Undo send section.
4. Drag the slider to 10 seconds.
5. Click Save.

Now, every time you send an email, a small “Undo” button will appear at the bottom of your screen for 10 seconds, giving you a guaranteed safety net before the email truly leaves your outbox.