How to Recall an Email in Outlook? A Step-by-Step Guide
by Pooja
Updated May 11, 2023
Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is a software system developed by Microsoft, is a comprehensive personal information manager which is available as part of the Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 software suites. While it is widely recognized as an email client, Outlook offers a range of additional features, including calendar management, task organization, contact management, note-taking, journal logging, and web browsing capabilities. As a result, it has gained popularity as an essential email client for numerous businesses.
How To Recall An Email In Outlook?
When both the sender and recipients of an email are part of the same organization and have Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts, it is possible to recall or replace a sent email message. However, it is important to note that this feature is not available for MAPI or POP accounts.
To recall or replace a sent email message in Microsoft Outlook, follow these steps:
It's worth noting that the success of the recall depends on various factors, such as the recipients' email settings and whether they have read the message or not.
Please note that if you choose the option "Delete unread copies and replace with a new message," the original message will open in an editable format. Once you make the necessary changes, selecting the Send button will result in the original email being removed from the recipient's mailbox and replaced with the newly edited version.
What Does Recall An Email In Outlook 365 Mean?
If you have mistakenly sent an incomplete or incorrect email, Microsoft Outlook provides a feature called "Recall email" that allows you to retrieve the message from the recipient's inbox before they read it. This feature can be accomplished through two methods: deleting the message from the recipient's inbox or replacing the original message with a new one.
When an email is successfully recalled, the recipients will no longer see it in their inbox. However, it's important to note that this capability is available only for Microsoft Exchange email accounts and Office 365 users. Outlook versions such as Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2016, and Outlook 2019 support this feature.
It's worth mentioning that other email clients may have similar functionalities, although they might be named differently. For instance, Gmail offers the "Undo Send" option, which delays the sending of an email for a short period of time, allowing the sender to retract it. Please refer to the "Undo email sending in Gmail" feature for further details if you are using Gmail.
Recalling A Sent Email In Outlook
To recall a sent email in Outlook, it is essential that both the sender and recipient have Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange email accounts within the same organization. It is not possible to recall messages sent to email clients like Gmail, Yahoo, or other platforms. Additionally, the email recall feature is not available in Outlook on the Web.
Recalling an email is not applicable to messages protected by Azure Information Protection. It is important to note that you cannot recall messages that have already been opened by the recipients.
How To Recall An Email In Outlook: FAQs
When both the sender and recipients of an email are part of the same organization and have Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts, it is possible to recall or replace a sent email message. However, it is important to note that this feature is not available for MAPI or POP accounts.
- Open the Sent Items folder.
- Locate the specific email you want to recall or replace and double-click to open it in a new window.
- In the new window, go to the File tab and select Info.
- Click on Message Resend and Recall, then choose Recall This Message from the drop-down menu, presenting two options.
- To recall the sent message, select "Delete unread copies of this message."
- To replace the sent message with a new one, select "Delete unread copies and replace with a new message."
- If desired, check the "Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient" box.
- Click OK to initiate the recall or replacement process.
If you have mistakenly sent an incomplete or incorrect email, Microsoft Outlook provides a feature called "Recall email" that allows you to retrieve the message from the recipient's inbox before they read it. This feature can be accomplished through two methods: deleting the message from the recipient's inbox or replacing the original message with a new one.