Unsend a Message in Outlook: Easily Recall & Replace Email

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Unsend email messages with ease in Microsoft Outlook

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: November 29, 2024

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• Recall in Current Outlook Versions
|
• Check the Status of a Recall
|
• Create a Delay for Future Emails
|
• Recall in Outlook 2007
|
• Video
|
• Q&A
|
• Tips

|Show more |Show less

Did you hit the Send button too soon? If you're using Outlook to send email within your organization, you may be able to recall and replace the message. The "Recall This Message" option is available in the Microsoft Outlook desktop client for Windows and Mac for 120 minutes after sending. As long as the recipient hasn't opened the message, recalling will remove the email from their inbox. This wikiHow guide will show you how to recall an email message in Outlook 365, Outlook 2019, and earlier versions. We'll also show you how you can delay sent messages in the future to avoid embarrassing mistakes.

Things You Should Know

• To recall a message, open your Sent Items, select the message, and go to Actions > Recall This Message.
• The "Recall This Message" option is only available if you're using the desktop version (not web), an Exchange account, and/or your organization has enabled the feature.
• If the recipient hasn't opened the message, you can delete the message from their mailbox or replace it with an updated version.
• If the recipient has already opened or automatically filtered the message, doesn't use the same Exchange, doesn't use Outlook, or isn't part of your organization, you won't be able to recall it.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Recall in Current Outlook Versions

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1. 1
   Click Sent Items in the left panel of Outlook. Selecting this folder displays all of your recent sent messages.

   • It's not possible to recall Outlook messages on the web.
   • This method will work on Outlook 365, Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010. If you're using Outlook 2007, see this method instead.
   • If the recipient has already opened the message, has an email filter that instantly moved your message to another folder, or it's been longer than 120 minutes since you sent the message, you won't be able to recall it.
2. 2
   Click the message you want to recall. The message will expand in the reading panel.
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3. 3
   Click the Message tab. You'll see this at the top of Outlook.
4. 4
   Click the Actions or ••• menu. If you're using the Classic ribbon, you'll see an Actions button in the toolbar. On the Simplified ribbon, you'll see three horizontal dots instead.
5. 5
   Click Recall This Message. As long as your organization uses Exchange and the message is not protected by Azure Information Protection, you'll have the option to recall the message.
6. 6
   Choose what to do with the message. When you recall a message, you can choose to Delete unread copies of this message or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message.

   • If you don't want to compose a replacement message, choose the first option.
   • To write a new message that replaces the previous message, choose the latter option.
7. 7
   Choose whether to receive a confirmation. If you want to know whether the message was successfully recalled from all recipients' mailboxes, check the box next to "Tell me if a recall succeeds or fails for each recipient."
8. 8
   Click OK. If you're not sending a replacement message, this last action will recall the message from all mailboxes.

   • If you do want to compose a message, compose your replacement message now and click Send.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Check the Status of a Recall

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1. 1
   Click the Sent Items folder in Outlook. Whether you're using a current version of Outlook or an older version, you can check to see if a recall was successful in your outbox.
2. 2
   Select the recalled message. It should be near the top of your Sent Items.

   • If you choose the option to notify you if a message was successfully recalled, you'll see "Recall Success" in the subject line.
   • If the message was not recalled successfully, you'll see "Recall Failure" in the subject line.
3. 3
   Click the Tracking button. It'll be at the top of the message. You can use this option whether you asked to be notified about recalled messages or not. If the message was successfully recalled, you'll see "Succeeded" in the recall column for each recipient. If the message couldn't be recalled, you'll see "Failed" instead.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Create a Delay for Future Emails

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1. 1
   Click the File tab at the top of Outlook. If you find yourself frequently recalling sent messages, you can create a rule that delays sending messages in case you change your mind.
2. 2
   Click Manage Rules & Alerts. You'll see this option in the middle panel.
3. 3
   Click New Rule. A list of email rules will appear.
4. 4
   Select "Apply rule on messages I send" and click Next. Another set of options will appear.
5. 5
   Click Next. Now you'll see several sending rules.
6. 6
   Check the box next to "defer delivery by a number of minutes." This option is at the bottom of the list.
7. 7
   Choose the number of minutes to delay the message. To do this, click the blue text link in "defer delivery by a number of minutes," enter the number of minutes to delay before sending, and then click OK.

   • You can delay messages up to 120 minutes (two hours).
8. 8
   Click Next and then Finish. Now that you've created this rule, you'll have extra time to return to your Sent Items folder and edit your message before it's ever sent to the recipient(s).
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Recall in Outlook 2007

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1. 1
   Click Sent Items in the left panel. This displays all of your recent sent email messages.

   • You can only recall a message you've sent in the Outlook desktop application for Windows and macOS. It's not possible recall Outlook messages on the web.
   • If the recipient has already opened the message, has an email filter that instantly moved your message to another folder, or it's been longer than 120 minutes since you sent the message, you won't be able to recall the it.
2. 2
   Click the message you want to recall. The message will expand in the reading panel.
3. 3
   Click the Message tab. You'll see this at the top of Outlook.
4. 4
   Click Other Actions. This icon is in the Actions group in the toolbar at the top of Outlook.
5. 5
   Click Recall This Message…. A pop-up window with a few options will appear.

   • This option will not be available if your organization does not use Exchange and/or the email is protected by Azure Information Protection.
6. 6
   Choose what to do with the message. When you recall a message, you can choose to Delete unread copies of this message or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message.

   • If you don't want to compose a replacement message, choose the first option. Once you select this option, the message will be recalled.
   • To write a new message that replaces the previous message, choose the latter option. If you choose this option, type your replacement response and click Send.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How do I recall an email in my MSN email?

  

  Community Answer

  Once the email has been sent, the recipient will definitely receive it.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 1 Helpful 25
• Question

  How long does it take to know if an email recall has been successful?

  

  Community Answer

  You will know immediately if the recall worked, since the email will cease to send and will open in a new window as a draft.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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Tips

• If the recipient is using the tracking feature and enabled "Automatically process requests and responses to meeting requests and polls," the recipient will receive both the original and recalled message.
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• If the recipient has already opened the message before you recall it, they'll receive a message that lets them know you've tried to recall it.
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• You can also use Outlook rules to set up an Out of Office email message.
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