If you’ve ever sent an email by mistake, then you probably know the feeling of scrambling around, desperately searching for any button that resembles the word “unsend.” Knowing how to unsend an email is incredibly important because, well, mistakes happen.
Whether you use Gmail, Outlook, or Apple Mail, there are ways to unsend an email before the recipient views it. So, let’s learn how to unsend an email so you avoid unfortunate accidents in the future!
How to Unsend an Email in Gmail
In Gmail, there is a short delay before the email gets sent to the recipient’s inbox. During that delay, you have a few seconds to unsend the email. After sending it, you will see “Message sent” in the bottom left corner and the option to either unsend or view the message. Simply click “undo” and the message will be recalled.
Gmail gives you the option to control the amount of time you have to retract the message. To choose the timeframe, follow these steps:
- Go to Gmail and sign in.
- Click the gear icon on the top right.
- Go to “See all settings.”
- Go to “Undo send.”
- Select a send cancellation period. You can choose 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds.
- Click “Save changes” at the bottom.
Depending on what you choose, it will take a couple of seconds for the email to officially send, giving you enough time to recall it should you change your mind. Remember, once the email is sent, you will not be able to unsend it.
How to Unsend an Email in Outlook (Online and Microsoft 365)
There are two versions of Outlook, the free browser version called Outlook Live or Outlook.com, and the paid desktop version that comes with Microsoft 365.
In the free version, you can set a delay that gives you either 5 or 10 seconds to unsend the email before it gets delivered to the recipient’s inbox. Once the email is sent, it cannot be unsent. Here’s how you set up the delay:
- Go to Outlook.com and log into your account.
- Click the gear icon at the top right corner.
- Click “View all Outlook settings.”
- Go to “Mail.”
- Go to “Compose and reply.”
- Find the “Undo send” section and set the time limit. You can choose either 5 or 10 seconds.
- Click “Save” at the bottom right corner.
In Outlook 365, you can recall the email. Recall is a feature that allows you to retrieve an email you’ve already sent so long as the recipient hasn’t opened the email. If the email has been opened, it cannot be recalled. Here’s how recall is done:
- Open Outlook and sign in.
- Go to ‘Sent Items.’
- Double-left click the email you want to unsend and it will open a new window.
- Click the three horizontal dots on the far right corner of your toolbar.
- Hover over ‘Actions.’
- Click ‘Recall This Message.’
- Click “Delete unread copies of this message.”
- (OPTIONAL) Check the box that says “Tell me if this recall succeeds or fails for each recipient.”
- Click “OK.”
How to Unsend an Email in Apple Mail (Mac)
Apple gives users a 10-second delay to unsend an email. Once you’ve sent the email, simply look to the bottom of the sidebar and click “Undo Send.” If you want to change the delay time, follow these steps:
- Hover over “Mail” at the top left on the menu bar.
- Click “Settings…”
- Go to the “Composing” tab.
- Under “Sending”, choose the delay window. You can choose 10, 20, and 30 seconds.
- Close the settings window to save your changes automatically.
