Mastering Email Recall: A Step-by-Step Guide for Outlook and Gmail in 2025

Sending emails is a routine part of our daily communication, whether we’re chatting with coworkers or messaging friends and relatives. Many marketing automation tools incorporate email templates to streamline content delivery and simplify our workflows. Additionally, Gmail add-ons, extensions, and apps support a wide array of productivity tasks—from managing to-do lists to scheduling emails to send later.

Despite being cautious about what we include in our messages, mistakes happen, or we can send an email too quickly without proofreading. Chances are, you’ve sent an email you’d love to retract at least once. Fortunately, both Outlook and Gmail offer options to recall sent messages. In this article, I’ll explain how to do it on both platforms. While these methods are generally effective, they won’t always work—recall attempts can occasionally fail. Let’s dive into the details.

First, keep in mind these recall techniques are only applicable if you’re using the Outlook desktop application. They won’t work via the web version. Additionally, both you and the recipient need to be using the same organizational email system—either Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 within the same company. You cannot recall emails sent from your work account to external recipients outside your organization.

Here are the steps to follow:

If you’ve sent the email recently, check your Sent Items folder at the top of the list. If it’s not visible, use the search bar to find it quickly.

Clicking on the message will expand it. Look for the Move section at the top toolbar, where you’ll see a letter icon and an envelope. Click on this icon to access more options.

A menu will appear with additional choices. Choose Recall This Message.

A notification window will appear with two options:

If you choose to replace the message, Outlook will open a new window for you to compose the replacement. The original message will stay visible to help compose the new one and will be removed once you send the updated email. When you’re ready, click send to complete the process.

It’s also possible to recall an email sent via the Outlook mobile app. Although the process differs slightly, it remains user-friendly: open the email you wish to recall and follow the prompts specific to your mobile experience.

Regrettably, Gmail offers only limited options for recalling or undoing a sent message. The most effective workaround is to enable a delay before emails are actually sent. This provides you with a short window of time to review your message before it leaves your outbox. When you hit send, Gmail displays a small notification at the bottom left of your screen with an undo button, giving you a chance to cancel the email. To activate this feature, follow these steps: ensure you’re logged into your Gmail on a web browser, click on your profile icon in the top right, select Settings, then see all settings. Locate the “Undo Send” section and choose your preferred undo period—5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds. This setup allows you up to half a minute to cancel an email after pressing send. If you don’t click undo within that timeframe, Gmail will automatically send the email as usual. While this isn’t a true recall function, it offers a valuable opportunity to prevent accidental dispatches by giving you a few extra seconds to reconsider.

Here are some common scenarios where recalling an email might be necessary.

Recall is especially useful if you’ve accidentally sent an email to the wrong recipient—for example, if you have two contacts named John Smith and mistook the intended one.

If the original message contained confidential or sensitive data that shouldn’t be shared, attempting a recall is a wise move.

If you’ve accidentally included someone in CC or BCC who shouldn’t see the message, trying to recall the email could be beneficial.

In cases where the message contains inappropriate or offensive material, quick action to recall can prevent potential embarrassment or conflicts, especially in professional settings.

If a typo significantly changes the phrase or message intent, recalling and correcting the mistake can save face.

It’s common to forget an attachment after mentioning it in the message. If this happens, recalling the email to attach the file is often the best solution.

Sometimes, you might click send before completing your message. If you realize this immediately, recalling can help make necessary revisions.

Even if you manage to retract an email, the recipient might have already seen its content through notifications or email previews, especially in corporate environments. Recall isn’t foolproof and may not always prevent the recipient from viewing the message. It’s wise to think carefully before sending sensitive or critical information, as sometimes alternative actions like follow-up emails or direct communication may be more effective for correcting mistakes or addressing issues promptly.

Even if you can’t undo the sent email, writing an apology email is a good way to address the mistake and maintain professionalism. You can draft a new message expressing your remorse and hope for understanding. Be sure to review your email carefully beforehand to prevent further misunderstandings or errors.

Scheduling your emails for later can help you avoid embarrassing typos and mistakes. This feature lets you set a specific time for your message to be sent, giving you additional time to review and edit. To do this in Outlook, follow these steps:

This setup will delay all outgoing emails, providing a buffer period for review.

A recall can replace or delete an email if several key conditions are met.

This is the most critical requirement. A recall only works if both parties are using Microsoft Outlook connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server within the same organization. If the recipient is using another email platform like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Apple Mail, the recall feature will not function.

Simply put, a recall only succeeds if the recipient hasn’t opened the email. Once it has been read, you can’t retrieve or delete the message.

Recall won’t work if the email has already been moved to a shared or public folder accessible to many people, like a company-wide mailing list or listserv.

Lastly, if the recipient has set up filters or rules that automatically redirect emails from you to another folder—such as a specific folder for certain senders—the recall might fail because the email isn’t in their primary inbox.

While the ability to undo sends is convenient, recalls often don’t succeed due to various limitations. If your email can’t be recalled, the most effective step is to send a sincere follow-up apology explaining the mistake.

For more information on email management and marketing tools, visit StepThroughThePortal.com. You can explore the top email marketing software options or learn about cold outreach tools to help you engage potential clients effectively with links to resources about the best available software platforms.