How to Recall an Email in Outlook (and When It Won't Work)

To recall an email in Outlook, open the message in your Sent Items folder, then use Message > Actions > Recall This Message (or File > Info > Recall in new Outlook) to delete or replace it. Recall only works if you and the recipient are both on Microsoft 365 or Exchange in the same organisation, and only if they have not opened the email yet. For anyone you email outside your organisation - Gmail, Yahoo, or any other provider - recall will not work at all.

That limitation catches most people out. Below is how to run a recall, exactly when it succeeds, and what to do when it is not an option. If you want a safeguard that works every time, the better fix is a send delay, which we cover at the end.

Can you recall an email in Outlook?

Sometimes - but the conditions are narrow. Outlook's Message Recall is a best-effort feature, not a guarantee. It only works when all of these are true:

• You and every recipient are on Microsoft 365 or Exchange, in the same organisation (the same tenant).
• The recipient has not opened the email yet. Once it is read, recall cannot pull it back.
• The recipient is using a client that supports recall, with no inbox rules that have already moved the message.

If you sent the email to an external address, or the person has already read it, recall will fail. There is no version of Outlook recall that retrieves an email from someone at another company or on a personal account.

How to recall an email in Outlook (step by step)

The steps differ slightly between classic Outlook and the new Outlook or web app.

Classic Outlook (Windows)

1. Open the Sent Items folder.
2. Double-click the email you want to recall to open it in its own window.
3. On the Message tab, click the Actions dropdown.
4. Select Recall This Message.
5. Choose one of two options:
   • Delete unread copies of this message - removes the email from recipients' inboxes if they have not opened it.
   • Delete unread copies and replace with a new message - removes the original and lets you send a corrected version.
6. Tick Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient to get a status report.
7. Click OK.

New Outlook and Outlook on the web

1. Open the Sent Items folder and open the message.
2. Select File > Info, then choose Recall (in new Outlook) or use the Recall Message option in the toolbar.
3. Confirm the recall.

Microsoft rebuilt recall for Microsoft 365 across 2023 and 2024. The newer version works server-side rather than relying on the recipient's Outlook client to honour the request, so it is more reliable and works across web, mobile, and desktop - as long as everyone is in the same Microsoft 365 organisation.

When Outlook recall works and when it fails

It helps to be clear-eyed about the odds before you rely on it.

Recall usually works when:

• Everyone is in the same Microsoft 365 or Exchange organisation.
• The email is still unread.
• You act within a few minutes of sending.

Recall fails when:

• The recipient is outside your organisation - a different company, or any non-Microsoft address like Gmail or Yahoo.
• The recipient has already opened the email.
• The recipient uses a client that does not support the recall protocol.
• The message is older than 30 days, or an inbox rule has already filed it.

Because recall only works on unread mail, speed is everything. The faster you start the recall after sending, the better your chances.

What to do when recall is not an option

For most everyday email - anything sent to a customer, a client, or anyone outside your company - recall simply will not help. Here is what actually works instead.

Send a quick correction

If the message has gone to someone you cannot recall from, the honest move is a short follow-up. Own the mistake, send the corrected information, and keep it brief. For wording you can adapt, see our apology email templates.

Set up a send delay so it never happens again

The most reliable fix is to stop the email before it leaves. A send delay holds every outgoing message in your Outbox for a set window - usually 30 seconds to a few minutes - giving you time to catch a mistake and cancel before it sends. Unlike recall, it works 100% of the time, on every recipient, internal or external.

This is the closest Outlook equivalent to Gmail's Undo Send, and it is far more dependable than recall. Our full guide on how to delay send or unsend an email in Outlook walks through setting it up in classic Outlook, new Outlook, the web app, and Mac.

Recall vs undo send vs delay send

These three get mixed up, so here is the difference:

• Recall tries to retrieve an email after it has been delivered. Best-effort, Microsoft 365 only, same organisation only.
• Undo send cancels an email in the first few seconds before it actually leaves. Gmail has this built in; Outlook does not, by default.
• Delay send holds every email in the Outbox for a chosen window so you can cancel it before it sends. This is what you set up in Outlook to get an undo-send-style buffer.

For a team handling shared support email, building a short delay into your workflow prevents far more mistakes than recall ever fixes. A shared inbox with clear ownership also means a second set of eyes catches errors before they reach the customer.

Frequently asked questions

Can you recall an email in Outlook after it has been read?

No. Recall only works on unread messages. Once the recipient has opened the email, Outlook cannot pull it back, even within the same organisation.

Can I recall an email sent to Gmail or an external address?

No. Recall only works between Microsoft 365 or Exchange accounts in the same organisation. Any email sent to Gmail, Yahoo, or another company cannot be recalled. A short correction email is your only option.

Why is the Recall option missing or not working?

Recall is only available on Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts. If you are on a personal Outlook.com account, or your account is not Exchange-based, the option will not appear or will fail. The recipient also has to be in your organisation.

What is the difference between recall and undo send in Outlook?

Undo send cancels a message in the first seconds before it leaves, while recall tries to retrieve a message that has already been delivered. Outlook has no built-in undo send, but you can create the same effect with a delay-send rule.

How long do I have to recall an email in Outlook?

There is no fixed countdown, but recall only works while the email is unread, and not on messages older than 30 days. In practice, the sooner you act after sending, the better your chances.