Outlook & Email
Recalling or Undoing a Sent Email
This guide explains how to recall an email you have already sent, and how to set up the undo-send delay so you have a window to catch mistakes before an email is delivered.
Time needed
5 minutes to configure; recall takes a few minutes
Platform
Microsoft 365
Guide steps
2 clear sections
Before you begin
You are signed in to Outlook. Important: recall only works reliably when both you and the recipient are on the same Microsoft 365 organisation. Emails sent to Gmail, Yahoo, or external organisations may not be recalled — the recipient may still see the original message.
Follow along
Step-by-step guide
Recall a sent message in Outlook desktop
- Instruction 1: Open the Outlook desktop app and go to your Sent Items folder.
- Instruction 2: Double-click the email you want to recall to open it.
- Instruction 3: On Windows, click the three-dot menu (More options) or the Message tab in the ribbon, then click Actions > Recall This Message.
- Instruction 4: On Mac, click Message in the menu bar, then click Recall This Message.
- Instruction 5: Choose Delete unread copies of this message, then click OK.
- Instruction 6: Outlook will attempt to recall the message. You will receive a notification for each recipient indicating whether the recall succeeded or failed.
- Instruction 7: Recall only works if the recipient has not yet opened the email. If they have already read it, recall will fail.
Action map
Recall a sent message in Outlook desktop
- 01
Open the Outlook desktop app and go to your Sent Items folder.
- 02
Double-click the email you want to recall to open it.
- 03
On Windows, click the three-dot menu (More options) or the Message tab in the ribbon,…
Visual guide
Use this visual action map alongside the written instructions above.
Open Outlook help & learning for Recalling or Undoing a Sent EmailUse the undo-send delay in Outlook on the web
- Instruction 1: Go to portal.office.com and open Outlook on the web.
- Instruction 2: Click the Settings cog and then View all Outlook settings > Mail > Compose and reply.
- Instruction 3: Scroll down to Undo send. Set the cancellation period to 5, 10, or 20 seconds.
- Instruction 4: Click Save.
- Instruction 5: Now when you click Send, a small Undo bar appears at the bottom of the screen for those few seconds — click it immediately if you spot a mistake.
Quick fixes
Troubleshooting
The recall option is greyed out or not available
Message recall is only available in the Outlook desktop app, not in Outlook on the web. If you are using the web, your only option is the undo-send delay (set it up before you need it).
I got a notification that the recall failed
The recipient has likely already opened the email. You cannot unsend it at this point. Consider sending a follow-up email explaining the error and providing the correct information.
Still need a hand?
Our support team can help with Microsoft 365.
Tell us where you got stuck and what you see on screen.