If you want to unsend an email you’ve already sent on Outlook, Microsoft has a dedicated feature in place to do just that. Here’s how it works on Outlook Live, the web-based version of Outlook:
- Once you’ve sent the email, a pop-up at the bottom of your screen will appear, letting you know that the email is being sent. This pop-up will appear whether you’re using the Outlook app on mobile or Outlook Live on a browser.
- Click the ‘Undo’ button to recall the email before it’s sent out.
If this undo option doesn’t appear when you send emails, you may need to set it up. Here’s how:
- Go to your Outlook and sign in.
- Click the gear icon at the top right corner.
- Click ‘View all Outlook settings’.
- Click ‘Compose and reply’.
- Scroll down until you find ‘Undo send’.
- Select how long Outlook waits to send emails. Outlook Live only gives you up to 10 seconds to unsend an email.
Can You Unsend an Outlook Email After an Hour?
After 10 seconds, you cannot unsend an email in the web-based version of Outlook. However, you can unsend it after much longer in the paid desktop version of Outlook included in Microsoft 365.
Also, both you and the recipient of the email need to use a Microsoft Exchange server from the same organization for this feature to work.
Here’s how to unsend an email in Outlook for Microsoft 365:
- In Outlook, go to your ‘Sent items’ folder.
- Open the email you want to unsend by double-clicking it.
- Select the ‘Message’ tab on the top left menu bar.
- Click the three horizontal dots at the top right on the toolbar.
- Hover over ‘Actions’.
- Click ‘Recall this message’.
Note that this feature is only available if the recipient has yet to open the email. Once the email has been opened by the person you sent it to, you cannot recall it.
