How to recall an email in outlook

Table of contents

• What is the Outlook recall feature
• Requirements to recall an email in Outlook
• How to recall an email in Outlook (desktop)
• How to recall an email in Outlook web version
• How to recall an email in Outlook Microsoft 365 (desktop version)
• What happens after you recall an email
• Limits and alternatives to recall
• Tips to avoid future mistakes

Have you ever sent an email too quickly and immediately realized you made a mistake? Maybe you forgot an attachment, sent it to the wrong person, or included text you weren’t ready to share yet. In these situations, knowing how to recall an email in Outlook can save you from an embarrassing situation or from sending incorrect information.

The email recall feature is available to users of Microsoft Outlook on Windows, macOS, or through Microsoft 365. Not all email services support it, but if both you and the recipient use Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts within the same organization, it is possible to recall the message and replace it with a corrected version.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how to recall an email in Outlook, the necessary requirements, the limits of this feature, and the exact steps to delete or replace an already sent email.

What is the Outlook recall feature

Outlook’s Recall This Message feature allows you to attempt to delete unread copies of an email from the Sent Items folder, or replace them with an updated version.

This tool doesn’t always guarantee success: if the recipient has already opened the message or uses a different email provider (like Gmail or Yahoo), the message cannot be recalled. However, when the right conditions are met, it’s a quick and effective way to correct sending errors.

In practice, Outlook sends a request to the Exchange server asking it to remove the unread copy from the recipient’s inbox. If the operation is successful, you’ll receive an automatic notification confirming that the recall was completed.

Requirements to recall an email in Outlook

Before proceeding, it’s important to understand that not all sent emails can be recalled. The recall function works only under specific conditions:

• Both sender and recipient must use Outlook and be part of the same Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 organization.
• The recipient must not have opened the email yet. Once it’s been read, it cannot be deleted.
• The feature is not available for IMAP or POP accounts, so it won’t work with services like Gmail or Yahoo configured in Outlook.
• The recall can only be performed from the Outlook desktop app for Windows, not from mobile versions.

If all these requirements are met, you can move on to the practical steps.

How to recall an email in Outlook (desktop)

Here’s how to recall an email in Outlook using the Windows desktop version — the most complete and widely used one in business environments.

• Open Outlook and go to your Sent Items folder.
• Locate the email you want to recall and double-click to open it in a new window.
• On the Message tab, select the More Actions menu (three dots icon).
• Click Recall This Message. A dialog box will appear with two options:
  • Delete unread copies of this message
  • Delete unread copies and replace with a new message
• If you choose the second option, you can edit the message and resend the corrected version.
• Check the box Tell me if recall succeeds or fails to receive a notification.
• Click OK to confirm.

Outlook will start the recall process, and if it’s successful, you’ll receive an automatic confirmation email.

How to recall an email in Outlook web version

The Outlook Web App (Outlook.com) doesn’t include the full recall feature found in the desktop client. However, there are a few useful alternatives.

If you’re using Microsoft 365 online, you can cancel sending within a few seconds using the Undo Send feature:

• Open Outlook Web and go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Compose and reply.
• Scroll down to Undo send and set a delay between 5 and 10 seconds.
• After sending an email, you’ll see an Undo button at the bottom click it to stop the message from being sent.

This feature is useful before the email is actually sent, but it doesn’t allow you to recall a message once it’s been delivered.

How to recall an email in Outlook Microsoft 365 (desktop version)

For users of Microsoft 365 on Windows or macOS, the process is very similar:

• Open Outlook and go to your Sent Items folder.
• Double-click the message you want to modify.
• On the top ribbon, go to the Message tab and select More Actions > Recall This Message.
• Choose whether to delete unread copies or replace the message with a new one.
• If you want to receive confirmation, select Tell me if recall succeeds or fails.
• After selecting your option, click OK and follow the prompts to finish the process.

Again, Outlook will notify you automatically whether the recall was successful or if the recipient had already opened the email.

What happens after you recall an email

Once the recall is initiated, Outlook automatically sends a notification to the sender with the result.
There are two possible outcomes:

• Recall successful
  If the recipient hasn’t opened the message yet, the original email is deleted from their inbox and replaced with the new one.
• Recall failed
  If the email was already read or the recipient doesn’t use Exchange, you’ll receive an error message explaining why the recall didn’t work.

In both cases, you’ll find a confirmation message in your Inbox, so you’ll know exactly what happened.

Limits and alternatives to recall

The Outlook recall feature is not foolproof. There are several reasons why a message cannot be recalled:

• The recipient has already opened the email.
• The message was moved to another folder (like Inbox or Junk).
• The recipient uses an external (IMAP/POP) account.
• The message was caught by automated email rules.

To reduce the risk of such mistakes, you can enable delayed sending in Outlook:

• Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts > New Rule.
• Select Apply rule on messages I send.
• Set a delay of a few minutes.

This gives you time to fix any issues before the message is actually sent.

Tips to avoid future mistakes

• Double-check recipients
  A typo could send your email to the wrong person.
• Attach files before writing the message, so you won’t forget them.
• Use automatic drafts to review important emails before sending.
• Enable delayed sending, as described above, to create a safety buffer.

Summary

Knowing how to recall an email in Outlook is a valuable skill for anyone who uses email daily. While success isn’t always guaranteed, understanding how the Recall This Message feature works can help you prevent embarrassing mistakes and improve your professional communication.

Remember: the best way to avoid problems is to double-check before sending. Taking a few extra seconds to review your message is often more effective than trying to recall it later.

Questions and answers

1. Can I recall an email sent to Gmail from Outlook?
   No. The recall feature works only between Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts within the same organization.
2. What happens if the recipient has already read the email?
   The recall fails, and you’ll receive a notification confirming it.
3. Can I recall an email from Outlook Web?
   No, the full recall option is only in the desktop version, but you can undo sending within a few seconds.
4. Where can I find the “Recall This Message” option?
   Under the Message tab, select More Actions when you open an email from the Sent Items folder.
5. Will I receive a notification if the recall works?
   Yes, if you check the “Tell me if recall succeeds or fails” box, Outlook will notify you.
6. Can I replace a sent email with a new one?
   Yes, choose “Delete unread copies and replace with a new message.”
7. Does it work on Outlook for Mac?
   Only if your organization uses compatible Microsoft 365 or Exchange servers.
8. Can I recall emails sent days ago?
   Yes, but only if they haven’t been opened and the network conditions allow it.
9. How do I enable delayed sending in Outlook?
   Go to Rules > New Rule > Apply rule on messages I send and set a custom delay.
10. Can I cancel an email right after sending it?
    Yes, in the web version you can enable “Undo Send” for 5–10 seconds.