How To Recall Email In Outlook

Outlookoffice workflowhow-to

Sent an email with a typo, the wrong attachment, or to the wrong person? We’ve all been there. Outlook’s ‘Recall Message’ feature can be a lifesaver, allowing you to delete an unread email from a recipient’s inbox or replace it with a corrected version. However, this tool comes with some very important caveats. This guide will walk you through the exact steps to recall an email in the Outlook desktop app, explain why it might not always work, and provide professional alternatives for when it fails.

Fast Answer

Location: Open the sent email in a new window.
Path: Go to the Message tab > Actions > Recall This Message.
Key Condition: Only works if the recipient is in your organisation and hasn't opened it yet.

2 Minutes Time needed

Beginner Difficulty

Success is not guaranteed Watch out for

Before You Start

Outlook Desktop App for Windows: This feature is only available in the classic desktop version of Outlook on a Windows PC. It is not available on Outlook for Mac, the Outlook web version, or mobile apps.
Microsoft 365 or Exchange Account: Both you and the recipient must have email accounts on the same Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 server within the same organisation.
The Sent Email: You must be able to locate the original email in your 'Sent Items' folder.

Check first: The single most important factor is speed. A recall will only work if the recipient has not yet opened or read the email. If they've already seen it, the recall will fail, and they will receive a notification that you attempted to recall it.

How to Recall an Email in Outlook

Step 1: Navigate to Your 'Sent Items' Folder

First, open your Outlook desktop application. In the folder pane on the left-hand side, find and click on the 'Sent Items' folder. This will display a list of all the emails you have successfully sent. Scroll through the list to find the specific email you wish to recall. If you send a lot of emails, you can use the search bar at the top to find it by recipient, subject, or keywords.

Step 2: Open the Email in a New Window

This is a critical step that many people miss. You cannot initiate a recall from the Reading Pane view. You must double-click the email to open it in its own separate window. You'll know you've done it correctly if the email has its own set of menu options at the top (File, Message, etc.), completely separate from your main Outlook inbox window.

Tip: If you don't see the 'Actions' menu mentioned in the next step, it's almost certainly because you haven't opened the email in a new window. Close the preview and double-click the message in your Sent Items list.

Step 3: Find the 'Recall This Message' Command

With the sent email open in its own window, look at the ribbon menu at the top. Ensure you are on the 'Message' tab. In the 'Move' group of icons, you should see an icon labelled 'Actions' (it often looks like an envelope with a small letter 'p' or an arrow). Click this 'Actions' dropdown menu. In the list that appears, select 'Recall This Message...'.

If you have trouble finding it, some versions of Outlook may place it under a 'More Move Actions' button, often represented by three dots (...). The command is always in this general area of the Message tab.

Step 4: Choose Your Recall Option

After clicking 'Recall This Message...', a small dialogue box will pop up with two primary options. You must choose one:

Delete unread copies of this message: This option will attempt to simply remove the email from the recipient's inbox, as if it were never sent. This is the best choice for emails sent to the wrong person or containing a simple mistake you don't need to correct.
Delete unread copies and replace with a new message: This option will first try to delete the original email and then immediately open a new compose window containing the text of your original message. This allows you to fix a typo, add a missing attachment, or amend the information before sending the corrected version.

Step 5: Confirm and Track the Recall

Below the two main options in the dialogue box, there is a crucial checkbox: 'Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient'. It is highly recommended that you tick this box. This will ensure Outlook sends you a notification email letting you know the outcome of your recall attempt for every single person you sent the original email to. Without this, you'll be left wondering if it worked.

Once you've made your selections, click the 'OK' button. The recall process will begin in the background.

Step 6: (If Replacing) Edit and Send the New Email

If you chose to 'Delete unread copies and replace with a new message', Outlook will immediately open the original email for you to edit. Make your necessary corrections – fix the spelling error, attach the correct file, or change the recipients. Once you are satisfied with the new version, click the 'Send' button just as you would with any normal email. Outlook will handle the recall of the old message and the delivery of the new one.

Step 7: Monitor Your Inbox for Status Reports

If you ticked the notification box in Step 5, keep an eye on your inbox. You will start to receive automated messages from Outlook with subjects like "Message Recall Success" or "Message Recall Failure". These are your confirmation reports. If you sent the email to a group of people, you will get a separate report for each recipient, as the recall might succeed for some and fail for others (for example, if one person had already opened it).

Important: A "Message Recall Failure" report is your cue to take alternative action, such as sending a follow-up apology or correction email manually. Don't assume the original message wasn't seen.

Common Problems When You Recall an Email in Outlook

The recall feature is notoriously temperamental. Here are the most common reasons it fails and what to do about them.

Problem	Likely Cause	Solution
The 'Recall This Message' option is missing.	You are likely viewing the email in the Outlook Reading Pane, not in its own window. This feature is also not available in Outlook for Web, Mac, or mobile.	Go back to your 'Sent Items' folder and double-click the email to ensure it opens in a completely separate window. Use the Windows desktop app.
The recall failed for an external recipient.	Recall only works for recipients within your organisation's Microsoft 365 or Exchange environment. It cannot work for external addresses like @gmail.com or @yahoo.co.uk.	Do not attempt to recall. Instead, immediately send a polite and professional follow-up email apologising for the error and providing the correct information.
The recall failed for an internal colleague.	They most likely already opened the email. It can also fail if they have an Outlook rule that automatically moved your message from their inbox to another folder.	Send a brief follow-up message via email or instant messenger saying, "Apologies, please disregard my previous email and refer to the new one."
The recipient got a confusing notification.	When a recall fails (e.g., because the message was already read), the recipient often gets a notification saying, "[Your Name] would like to recall the message..." This can draw more attention to the mistake.	This is a key risk of using the recall feature. For sensitive situations, sending a manual correction is often a more professional and less awkward approach.

Advanced Tips for Email Recalls

Beyond the basic recall function, a few proactive strategies can save you from future email mishaps.

Set Up a 'Delay Send' Rule

The best way to handle email mistakes is to prevent them from happening in the first place. You can create a rule in Outlook that holds all outgoing messages in your Outbox for a set period (e.g., one or two minutes) before they are actually sent. This gives you a crucial window to catch an error, open your Outbox, and delete or edit the email before it ever leaves your computer.

To set this up:

Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
Click 'New Rule...' and select 'Apply rule on messages I send' under the 'Start from a blank rule' section. Click 'Next'.
Don't select any conditions on the next screen; just click 'Next' again. A pop-up will ask if you want to apply this rule to every message you send. Click 'Yes'.
On the actions screen, tick the box for 'defer delivery by a number of minutes'.
Click the underlined 'a number of' link in the bottom box and enter your desired delay (e.g., 2 minutes). Click 'OK', then 'Next', and finish the rule setup.

Use 'Undo Send' in Outlook on the Web

While the full recall feature isn't available on the web version of Outlook, it does have a handy 'Undo Send' function. This works similarly to the delay rule, holding your email for a short period (up to 10 seconds) after you click 'Send', giving you a chance to cancel it. To enable this, go to Settings (cog icon) > Mail > Compose and reply, and find the 'Undo send' option to set your cancellation time.

Know When to Apologise, Not Recall

For important clients, senior management, or anyone outside your organisation, a failed recall attempt can look unprofessional and draw unwanted attention. In these situations, transparency is often the better policy. Sending a swift, concise, and professional follow-up email shows you are accountable and in control. A simple, "My apologies, I've just sent an email with an incorrect figure. Please disregard it. A corrected version will follow shortly," is often far more effective than a cryptic recall notification.

How To Recall Email In Outlook FAQ

Can I recall an email in Outlook for Mac?

No. The message recall feature is a long-standing function exclusive to the Outlook for Windows desktop application and is not available on Outlook for Mac.

How long do I have to recall an email?

There is no technical time limit, but there is a practical one. The recall is only possible as long as the recipient has not opened the email. Your window of opportunity closes the second they read it, so you must act as quickly as possible.

Does recall work if the email has attachments?

Yes. If the recall is successful, it removes the entire email from the recipient's inbox, including all attachments.

What happens if I recall an email sent to a group of people?

The recall is attempted for each recipient individually. It may succeed for colleagues who haven't checked their email yet but fail for those who have. If you select the tracking option, you will receive a separate success or failure report for each person on the list.

Is it better to just send a follow-up email instead of recalling?

Often, yes. For any email sent outside your company, a manual follow-up is almost always the better choice. It's guaranteed to work, it's more transparent, and it avoids the risk of the recipient getting a confusing "recall attempt" notification. For internal, low-stakes errors, a recall can be a quick and clean fix.

Final Checklist for Recalling an Email

Act Fast: Did you initiate the recall as soon as you noticed the mistake?
Check Your App: Are you using the Outlook desktop application on a Windows computer?
Check Your Recipient: Is the person you're emailing inside your own company's Microsoft 365 or Exchange system?
Open in New Window: Did you double-click the sent message to open it fully before trying to recall?
Enable Tracking: Did you tick the box to be notified about the success or failure of the recall?
Prepare a Backup Plan: Are you ready to send a manual correction email if you receive a recall failure notification?
Consider Future Prevention: Have you set up a "delay send" rule to give yourself a safety buffer for future emails?

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