Recalling an email in Outlook can save you from mistakes like sending to the wrong recipient or forgetting an attachment. This step-by-step guide for 2024 will show you how to recall an email easily.
For tips on managing your inbox, check out our article on how to delete multiple emails in Outlook.
Recall an Email in Outlook For Desktop
- Open Microsoft Outlook: Launch the Outlook application on your computer. Make sure you are logged in with the email account from which you sent the email you want to unsend.
2. Navigate to the “Sent Items” folder: Click on the “Folder” tab in the top menu bar. Then, locate and select the “Sent Items” folder in the sidebar. This will display a list of all the emails you have sent.
3. Open the sent email: Find the email you want to unsend and double-click on it to open it in a separate window.
4. Access the “File” Tab to the left of the section “message”
5. Then click on Recall the email: Within the “Message” tab, you will find the “Actions” group. Click on the dropdown arrow next to “Actions” to expand the menu, and then select “Recall This Message.”
6. Then choose the recall options. A dialog box will appear with two options :
Select either “Delete unread copies of this message” or “Delete unread copies and replace with a new message.”
The first option will simply delete the email, while the second option will allow you to compose a new email to replace the original.
What we want to do is to click on the first option in order to unsend an email in outlook.
After choosing the first option, click “OK” to confirm and initiate the process.
and that’s it ! your done.
If you want to recover an email recently deleted in outlook, then you can click here to check out the full guide.
We also suggest you visit the official microsoft website if you have any questions.
Recall an Email in the Outlook mobile app
- Open Outlook: Launch the Outlook app and sign in with your email account.
- Access “Sent” Folder: Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner and select the “Sent” folder.
- Select the Email: Scroll through the sent emails and tap the one you want to unsend.
- Tap Three-Dot Menu: Tap the three-dot menu icon (top-right or bottom-right corner) to see more options.
- Choose “Recall This Message”: Select “Recall This Message” from the menu.
- Confirm Recall: In the confirmation dialog, choose either “Delete unread copies of this message” or “Delete unread copies and replace with a new message.” Tap “OK” or “Confirm” to initiate the recall.
Note: The success of the recall depends on factors like the recipient’s email settings and whether they’ve read the message. If the email has been opened, the recall may not be successful.
Tip: Always double-check your emails before sending to avoid the need for a recall.
FAQs - Recall an Email in Outlook
When you recall an email, can the recipient still read it?
It depends. If the recipient has already opened the email, recalling it won’t remove it from their inbox. They’ll likely see a notification that you tried to recall it, and they may still be able to access the content.
How do I recall old emails?
Unfortunately, you can only recall emails that you haven’t received a reply to and haven’t been opened by the recipient yet. Outlook’s recall feature works best for catching mistakes shortly after sending.
Can you recall an email that has been replied to?
No. Once a recipient replies to your email, the recall function is no longer available. This is because replies create a new email thread, making it impossible to retrieve the original message.
How can I recall an email in Outlook without the recipient knowing?
There’s a caveat here. While recalling an email offers an option to “Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient,” unchecking this box won’t guarantee the recipient remains completely unaware. If they haven’t opened the email yet, the recall might simply remove it from their inbox without any notification. However, if they’ve already seen it, they might still notice it’s missing or receive a delivery interruption message from their email provider.
