We’ve all been there — you hit Send and immediately realize you made a mistake. Maybe you sent an email to the wrong person, forgot an attachment, or included confidential information by accident. Microsoft Outlook’s Message Recall feature lets you attempt to unsend and retrieve emails from recipients’ inboxes before they read them. This guide explains how recall works, when it succeeds, and how to do it.
What Is Outlook Message Recall?
The Outlook Recall feature attempts to delete a message from the recipient’s inbox before they open it. You can also replace the recalled message with a corrected version. The key word is “attempt” — recall has several limitations and does not always succeed. Understanding when recall works versus when it fails is essential to using it effectively.
When Does Message Recall Work?
Outlook message recall works only when: both sender and recipient use Microsoft Exchange/Microsoft 365 email accounts on the same organization, the recipient has not yet opened the message, the recipient’s Outlook is set to process recall requests (the default setting), and you initiate the recall before the recipient reads or moves the email. Recall does NOT work for emails sent to Gmail, Yahoo, external addresses, or different organizations using their own mail servers.
How to Recall an Email in Outlook (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Open the Sent Email
Go to your Sent Items folder and double-click the email you want to recall to open it in its own window (not in the reading pane — you must fully open it).
Step 2: Access Message Recall
With the email open, go to the Message tab in the ribbon and click Actions → Recall This Message (in older Outlook versions) or in the new Outlook, click the three-dot menu (⋮) → Recall Message. If you don’t see these options, your email account doesn’t support recall (typically because you’re not using an Exchange/Microsoft 365 account).
Step 3: Choose Recall Options
A dialog appears with two options: “Delete unread copies of this message” — simply deletes the email from the recipient’s inbox (if unread). “Delete unread copies and replace with a new message” — deletes the original and opens a compose window so you can write and send a corrected version. Check “Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient” to receive a notification about the recall outcome. Click OK.
What Happens After You Recall an Email?
Outlook sends a recall request to the recipient’s mail server. If the recall succeeds, the original email disappears from the recipient’s inbox. You’ll receive an email notification confirming “Recall Success: [Subject].” If the recall fails (the email was already read, or the recipient is on a different mail server), you’ll receive a “Recall Failure” notification. The recipient will also receive a notification that you attempted to recall the message, which may itself draw attention to the original email.
How to Use the “Undo Send” Feature in Outlook
The most reliable way to “recall” an email is to prevent it from sending in the first place. Both Outlook Web (OWA) and the new Outlook for Windows offer an Undo Send feature — a brief window (5-30 seconds) immediately after clicking Send where you can cancel the message before it leaves your outbox. In OWA: go to Settings → View all Outlook settings → Mail → Compose and reply → Undo send → set a delay of up to 30 seconds. In the new Outlook for Windows, this option is also in Settings → Mail → Compose and reply.
Alternatives When Recall Won’t Work
- Send an immediate follow-up email apologizing and providing the correction
- Call the recipient directly to explain the mistake before they read the email
- Use the delayed send feature going forward to create a buffer for second thoughts
- Set up a default send delay rule (1-5 minutes) to all outgoing emails
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Will the recipient know I tried to recall an email?
Yes. If you use Outlook’s recall feature, the recipient usually receives a notification in their inbox saying “[Your Name] would like to recall the message [Subject].” If the recall fails (they already read the email), they can see you attempted to recall it. This is one reason why simply sending a follow-up correction email is often the better choice — it’s more transparent and professional.
Can I recall an email sent to a Gmail user?
No. Outlook message recall only works within the same Microsoft Exchange/Microsoft 365 organization. Emails sent to Gmail, Yahoo, or any external email address cannot be recalled through Outlook — once the email reaches Gmail’s servers, Outlook has no control over it. Your only option for external recipients is to send a follow-up correction email.
Accidentally sent an email you want to take back? Leave a comment with your situation and we’ll suggest the best approach for your specific email service.