Sent Email by Mistake in Outlook? Recall It!

You just hit send on an email and realized it was a mistake, or perhaps you forgot that critical attachment. I have been there before, and I know that sinking feeling; here is how you can try to pull that message back before the recipient sees it.

Account requirements

Recall only functions on Exchange or Microsoft 365 work/school accounts. It will not work for POP, IMAP, or personal accounts like outlook.com, hotmail.com, or live.com.

Steps

1. 01
   Open your Sent Items folder and double-click the email you want to recall to open it in a new window.
2. 02
   Click the three dots icon in the top toolbar, navigate to Advanced Actions, and select Recall Message.
3. 03
   Choose between Delete unread copies of this message or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message, then click OK.
4. 04
   Wait for the recall report to arrive in your inbox, which confirms whether the attempt to remove the email was successful.

Still not working?

If the recall option is missing or fails, it is usually because the recipient is outside your organization or has already opened the email. Once a message is opened or leaves your Exchange environment, there is no technical way for Outlook to pull it back. If you sent sensitive information, you should send a follow-up email immediately to correct the mistake or notify your manager if the data breach is significant.

Frequently asked questions

Will the recipient know I tried to recall the email?

Yes, in most cases, the recipient will receive a notification that you attempted to recall or replace a message, even if the recall itself is successful.

Can I recall an email sent to a Gmail or Yahoo address?

No, the recall feature only works within the same Microsoft 365 or Exchange organization; it cannot retract emails sent to external domains.

Why is the Recall Message button grayed out?

This usually means your account type is set to POP or IMAP, or you are not using a business-grade Microsoft Exchange server.

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