How to Recall an Email in Outlook

Email sending has become integral to modern communication, whether for business or personal purposes. However, we’ve all experienced that moment of panic after hitting the “Send” button, only to realize that the email contained an embarrassing typo, sensitive information, or was sent to the wrong recipient.

Fortunately, if you are an Outlook user, there’s a lifeline to rescue you from such predicaments – the email recall feature. In this article, we will guide you through the simple yet crucial process of how to recall an email in Outlook, ensuring you maintain your professionalism and minimize the consequences of a hastily sent message.

Table of Contents

Explain What Email Recall Means and Its Purpose

Email recall is a functionality in email clients that allows users to attempt to retract or retrieve an email message after it has been sent, to rectify potential mistakes or unintended actions. Email recall aims to provide a safety net for users who may have hastily sent an email without reviewing its content or realizing that the information they shared was inaccurate, sensitive, or improperly addressed.

By initiating the recall process, the sender hopes to prevent the recipient from reading the original email and replace it with a corrected version or remove it altogether. While email recall can be a valuable feature in certain situations, it is essential to recognize its limitations and understand that its success is contingent upon several factors, such as the recipient’s email settings and the time elapsed since the initial message was sent.

Despite its constraints, mastering the art of email recall can significantly contribute to maintaining professionalism and ensuring effective communication in the fast-paced digital world.

Enabling Email Recall in Outlook

Enabling the email recall feature in Outlook is a straightforward process that requires a few simple steps. Before proceeding, ensure you have the desktop version of Microsoft Outlook installed on your computer. Follow the steps below to enable email recall:

Launch Microsoft Outlook: Open the Outlook application on your computer by clicking the Outlook icon in the taskbar or searching for it in the Start menu.
Access the File Menu: Once Outlook is open, locate and click on the “File” option in the window’s top-left corner. This will take you to the Outlook File menu.
Choose “Options”: In the File menu, find and click “Options” near the bottom of the left-hand sidebar. This action will open the Outlook Options window.
Navigate to the “Mail” Settings: Within the Outlook Options window, click “Mail” from the left-side menu. This will display the general email settings for your Outlook account.
Locate the “Undo Send” Option: Scroll down the Mail settings until you find the “Undo Send” section. This feature is what enables the recall functionality.
Check the “Enable Undo Send” Box: In the “Undo Send” section, you’ll see a checkbox labeled “Enable Undo Send.” Check this box to activate the email recall feature in Outlook.
Set the Recall Time (Optional): Outlook allows you to set a time interval during which you can recall an email after sending it. By default, this interval is set to 10 seconds, but you can adjust it to a maximum of 60 seconds to give yourself more time to realize any mistakes.
Click “OK” to Save Changes: After enabling the “Undo Send” feature and adjusting the recall time if necessary, click the “OK” button at the bottom of the Outlook Options window to save your changes.

Recalling an email in Outlook is a handy feature that can help you rectify mistakes or prevent unintended recipients from reading your message. However, it’s essential to know that email recall may not always work, especially if the recipient has already opened the email or is using a different email client. Nevertheless, here are the steps to recall an email in Outlook:

Open Outlook: Launch the Outlook application on your computer.

Go to the “Sent Items” Folder: Locate and access the “Sent Items” folder from the navigation pane on the left side of the Outlook window. This folder contains all the emails you have sent.

Double-Click the Email to Recall: Find the email you want to recall in the “Sent Items” folder and double-click on it to open it in a new window.

Look for the “Actions” Tab: In the email window, navigate to the “Message” tab on the top toolbar. Under the “Message” tab, you should see an “Actions” group with a drop-down menu.

Click on “Actions” and Select “Recall This Message”: Click on the “Actions” drop-down menu, and from the options that appear, select “Recall This Message.” A new dialog box will pop up with recall options.

Choose the Recall Option: In the “Recall This Message” dialog box, you’ll have two options to choose from:

“Delete unread copies of this message”: Selecting this option will attempt to delete the email from the recipient’s mailbox if they haven’t opened it yet.
“Delete unread copies and replace with a new message”: This option allows you to replace the original email with a corrected version.

Click “OK”: After selecting your preferred recall option, click “OK” to initiate the recall process.

Confirmation and Outcomes: Depending on the circumstances, you’ll receive one of the following outcomes:
a. If the recall is successful, you’ll receive a notification stating that the email has been recalled.
b. If the recall fails, you’ll receive a notification explaining that the recall was unsuccessful, and the email will remain in the recipient’s mailbox.

Best Practices for Recalling

Email recall can be valuable, but its success is not guaranteed. Therefore, it’s crucial to follow best practices to minimize the need for email recall and ensure effective communication. Here are some best practices for email recall:

Double-Check Before Sending: Prevention is always better than cure. Take a moment to review your email carefully before hitting the “Send” button. Check for errors, ensure the recipients are correct, and verify that the content conveys your intended message clearly and professionally.
Use Delay Delivery: Outlook allows you to schedule email delivery later. Consider using the “Delay Delivery” option, especially when sending critical or time-sensitive messages. This will give you a brief window to recall the email if needed, before it’s sent to the recipients.
Limit the Use of Email Recall: Email recall should be reserved for genuine emergencies, such as sending an email to the wrong distribution list or containing confidential information. Avoid using it as a routine practice, as it may confuse and undermine your credibility.
Be Timely with Recall Attempts: Act quickly if an email requires a recall. The longer you wait, the higher the chances that the recipient has already read the message, making the recall attempt ineffective.
Understand Limitations: Email recall may not work in all scenarios. If the recipient’s email client doesn’t support recall or if the message has been read already, the recall attempt will fail. Accept that mistakes happen and take responsibility for your communication.
Have an Alternative Plan: Recognize that email recall is not foolproof. In situations where confidentiality is paramount, consider using encrypted communication or secure messaging platforms to protect sensitive information.
Communicate Openly: Don’t rely solely on email recall if you realize you sent incorrect or misleading information. Follow up with an apologetic email acknowledging the mistake and providing the correct information. Transparent communication builds trust with your recipients.
Educate Others: If you work in a team or organization, ensure everyone knows the email recall feature and its limitations. Encourage colleagues to take precautionary steps before sending critical emails.
Prioritize Discretion: Be mindful of the content you include in emails, especially when discussing sensitive matters or personal information. Exercise discretion to reduce the potential impact of an email being sent to unintended recipients.
Learn from Mistakes: If you need to recall emails frequently, use those experiences as learning opportunities. Analyze the reasons behind the errors and work on improving your email habits and attention to detail.
What Happens After an Email is Recalled?

After initiating an email recall in Outlook, the outcome can vary depending on several factors, such as the recipient’s email client and their actions upon receiving the original email. Here are the possible scenarios that can occur after an email is recalled:

Successful Recall:

If the recipient has not yet opened the email, and the recall is successful, the original email will be deleted from their inbox, and they will never see its content.
When selecting the option to replace the original email with a new message, the recalled email will be deleted, and the recipient will receive the updated version you sent as a replacement.

Partial Success:

If the recipient has already read the original email before attempting the recall, the process will not be successful. The recipient will not receive any notification about the recall attempt, and the email will remain in their inbox.

Failure to Recall:

If the recipient’s mailbox is not accessible or offline at the time of the recall attempt, the recall will fail. The original email will stay in their inbox until they access their mailbox.
If the recipient uses a non-Outlook email client or a different email service that doesn’t support the recall feature, the recall attempt will fail, and the email will remain in their mailbox.
Some recipients may have specific email settings that prevent recall attempts from being successful. The recall will fail in such cases, and the original email will remain in their mailbox.

Alternatives

While email recall can be helpful in certain situations, it’s not foolproof and may not always work as intended. To ensure effective communication and address potential mistakes, here are some alternatives to email recall:

Send a Follow-up Email: If you realize an error in the original email or important information was omitted, promptly email all recipients. Apologize for the oversight and provide the correct information. Transparency and timely communication can help rectify mistakes.
Phone Call or Instant Messaging: In critical situations or when immediate action is required, consider following up with a phone call or using an instant messaging platform to clarify the message. This approach ensures that the recipient receives the correct information promptly.
Edit the Original Email: If the email client allows editing after sending (some platforms have this feature), you can quickly correct the mistakes and clarify the content without needing to recall the email.
Request Read Receipts: Request read receipts from the recipients before sending important emails. Although not all email clients support read receipts, this can provide you with some confirmation that the recipient has opened the email.
Delay Email Delivery: Many email clients, including Outlook, offer the option to delay email delivery. Utilize this feature when sending critical emails, giving yourself a buffer time to review and recall the message before it reaches the recipients.
Use Secure Communication Channels: For sensitive information or confidential matters, consider using secure communication channels, such as encrypted emails or secure messaging platforms. These provide an extra layer of protection for your messages.
Establish Clear Communication Protocols: In a professional environment, set clear communication protocols and guidelines for important emails. Implement a review process or have a colleague double-check critical emails before sending them out.
Double-Check Recipients: Be cautious when selecting recipients from your contact list. Take a moment to ensure that the email addresses are accurate and that you are sending the message to the right individuals.
Be Mindful of Reply All: Avoid using the “Reply All” option unless necessary. Unintended recipients may receive unnecessary information or irrelevant replies, leading to confusion.
Verify Attachments: Double-check that the correct files are attached before sending emails with attachments. This will prevent sending sensitive or incorrect documents to unintended recipients.

Outlook Recall vs. Other Email Clients

Outlook’s email recall feature is a unique functionality provided by Microsoft’s email client. While it can be helpful in certain situations, it’s essential to understand how it compares to the recall or similar features offered by other email clients. Let’s explore the differences:

Outlook Recall:

The email recall feature is exclusive to Microsoft Outlook. It is available in the desktop version of Outlook and certain versions for the web (Outlook on the web). However, it may not be supported in older versions or third-party email clients.
The success of email recall in Outlook depends on various factors, such as the recipient’s email settings and the time that has elapsed since the email was sent. If the recipient has already read the email or uses a different email client that doesn’t support recall, the recall attempt will fail.
Outlook offers two recall options: deleting the unread email from the recipient’s mailbox or replacing it with a new message. The success of both options depends on the recipient’s actions and email-client compatibility.

Other Email Clients:

Many email clients, especially web-based ones and third-party applications, do not have an official email recall feature like Outlook. Users of these clients typically do not have the option to recall sent emails.
Some email clients may have third-party plugins or extensions that claim to offer recall functionality. However, their success rate and reliability might be limited, similar to Outlook’s recall.
Other email clients may provide alternative features to help users avoid sending erroneous emails, such as delayed sending, read receipts, or the ability to edit sent emails.
The recall feature may not be fully compatible with all email services if available in an email client. Recall attempts may work best when the sender and recipient use the same email provider.

Conclusion:

Outlook’s email recall feature is a unique capability that can be useful for users who rely on Microsoft’s email client. However, its success is not guaranteed and is subject to various limitations. For users of other email clients, the lack of an official recall feature should encourage them to prioritize careful and thoughtful email composition, using alternatives such as delayed sending, read receipts, or other secure communication methods to minimize the need for email recalls. Regardless of the email client, being attentive and vigilant while composing emails is essential for maintaining professional communication and minimizing potential mistakes.

Brendan Hesse

I’m a writer, artist, and designer working in the gaming and tech industries. I have held staff and freelance positions at large publications including Digital Trends, Lifehacker, Popular Science Magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly, IGN, The Xplore Tech, and others, primarily covering gaming criticism, A/V and mobile tech reviews, and data security advocacy.