How to Recall an Email in Outlook

Have you ever sent an email that you regretted immediately after hitting the send button? Maybe you forgot to attach a file, made a typo, or sent it to the wrong person. If you use Outlook as your email client, you may be able to recall or replace the email before it’s too late.

Recalling an email in Outlook means that you can delete the email from the recipient’s inbox, as long as they haven’t opened it yet. Replacing an email in Outlook means that you can send a revised version of the email to the recipient, as long as they haven’t opened the original one yet.

Here’s how to recall or replace an email in Outlook in a few easy steps:

For Outlook Desktop App

If you use the Outlook desktop app on your Windows or Mac computer, follow these steps:

1. Open the Sent Items folder and double-click on the email that you want to recall or replace.
2. Click on the Message tab and then click on Actions in the Move group.
3. Select Recall This Message from the drop-down menu.
4. A dialog box will appear with two options: Delete unread copies of this message or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message. Choose the option that suits your needs and check the box for Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient if you want to receive a notification.
5. If you choose to replace the message, a new window will open with your original message. You can edit the message as you wish and then click on Send.
6. Wait for the confirmation or failure messages from Outlook.

For Outlook Web App

If you use the Outlook web app on your browser, follow these steps:

1. Open the Sent Items folder and click on the email that you want to recall or replace.
2. Click on the three dots icon at the top right corner and select Recall message from the menu.
3. A dialog box will appear with two options: I want to delete this message or I want to replace this message with a new one. Choose the option that suits your needs and check the box for Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient if you want to receive a notification.
4. If you choose to replace the message, a new window will open with your original message. You can edit the message as you wish and then click on Send.
5. Wait for the confirmation or failure messages from Outlook.

Things to Consider

Recalling or replacing an email in Outlook is not guaranteed to work in all situations. There are some factors that can affect the success or failure of your attempt, such as:

• The recipient must be using an Exchange account within the same organization as you. You cannot recall or replace an email that is sent to an external email address, such as Gmail or Yahoo.
• The recipient must have Outlook open and running when you try to recall or replace the email. If they have already read, moved, or deleted the email, you cannot recall or replace it.
• The recipient must have enabled the option to automatically process requests and responses in their Outlook settings. If they have disabled this option, they will receive a request to approve or deny your recall or replace request, which may alert them to your mistake.

Conclusion

Recalling or replacing an email in Outlook can be a handy feature if you make a mistake while sending an email. However, it is not foolproof and it may not work in every case. Therefore, it is always better to double-check your email before sending it and avoid any errors or regrets.