How To Recall a Message in Outlook | Tips and Tricks
Recalling a message in Microsoft Outlook can save you if you’ve sent an email too early, made a mistake, or forgot an attachment — but it only works under specific conditions.
Here’s how to do it and what to expect.
Conditions for a Successful Recall
-
You and the recipient must both be using Microsoft Outlook (not Gmail, Apple Mail, etc.).
-
Both must be on the same Microsoft Exchange server or organization (usually applies to workplace environments).
-
The recipient must not have opened the email yet.
-
Recalling won’t work if the email was sent to someone outside your org or to a non-Outlook client.
How to Recall an Email in Outlook (Windows Desktop App)
-
Go to your Sent Items folder.
-
Double-click to open the message you want to recall (don’t preview — open it in its own window).
-
Click on the “Message” tab at the top.
-
Click Actions > Recall This Message.
-
If you don’t see “Actions,” look for a “More Move Actions” button or the ellipsis (
...).
-
-
You’ll get two options:
-
Delete unread copies of this message
-
Delete unread copies and replace with a new message
-
-
Choose your option and click OK.
-
(Optional) If replacing: Outlook opens a copy of your message for you to edit and re-send.
Also read : Palm Sunday Message from Bible
How to Know If It Worked
-
Outlook may send you a “recall success” or “recall failure” notification for each recipient (if enabled).
-
But even if you don’t get a message, no guarantee — if the original was read, it’s game over.
Instead of relying on recall (which is flaky), you can enable “Undo Send” in Outlook Web or add a delay to all outgoing emails (like 1–2 minutes) in the desktop app.