Guide
How to Recall an Email in Outlook
Open the message from Sent Items, select Recall Message (or Recall This Message in classic Outlook) and select OK. It only works when you and the recipient are on Microsoft 365 work or school accounts in the same organization and they haven't opened it yet.
Recall This Message
Delete unread copies of this message
Delete unread copies and replace with a new message
OKMessage Recall Report
- [email protected]Succeeded
- [email protected]Pending
- [email protected]Failed
Requirements
When recalling an email works, and when it doesn't
Recall isn't an unsend button. Outlook asks Exchange Online to delete the copy from each recipient's mailbox, which is only possible for mailboxes Microsoft controls inside your organization.
Will my recall work?
Based on Microsoft's stated requirements.
| Situation | Can you recall it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Colleague in your Microsoft 365 org, unopened | Yes | The case recall is built for. |
| Colleague already opened it | Usually not | Microsoft requires unread. Admins can allow read-message recall, but they've seen it. |
| External recipient (Gmail, Yahoo, another company) | No | Outside your organization. Only allow-listed Microsoft 365 tenants can be reached. |
| Sent from Outlook.com, Hotmail or Gmail | No | Personal accounts have no recall. Use Undo send. |
| Recipient forwarded it, or an inbox rule did | Copy stays | Manual and rule-based forwards can't be recalled. |
| Classic Outlook in Online mode or with several Exchange accounts | Not from there | Known limitation. Recall from Outlook on the web instead. |
| From new Outlook, the web, Mac or mobile | Yes | All support recall for work and school accounts. |
Step by step
How to recall a message in each version of Outlook
New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web
- Open Sent Items and double-click the message to open it in its own window.
- Select Recall Message on the ribbon, then OK.
- Watch your inbox for the Message Recall Report.
Classic Outlook for Windows
- Open Sent Items and double-click the message. Selecting it in the Reading Pane isn't enough.
- Classic ribbon: Message → More Move Actions → Recall This Message. Simplified ribbon: Message → More commands (…) → Actions → Recall This Message.
- Choose Delete unread copies of this message, or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message to send a corrected version, then select OK.
Outlook for Mac
- Needs version 16.94 or later. Select Sent and double-click the message.
- Select Recall on the ribbon (or Control-click the message → Recall), then OK.
Outlook for iOS and Android
- Open your Sent folder and select the message.
- Tap the three dots (More options) at the top right, then Recall.
Don't see the button? You're likely on a personal account or a non-Exchange account, or your IT team has switched recall off.
After you recall
What the recipient sees, and how to read the recall report
With Microsoft 365's cloud-based recall, Exchange deletes the original from the recipient's mailbox and then quietly drops the recall request. By default the recipient gets no notice. Admins can turn on recall alerts, either for every recalled message or only for ones that were already read. If you chose to replace the message, the corrected version arrives as a normal new email.
| Recall report status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Succeeded | The original was deleted from that recipient's mailbox. |
| Pending | Still trying. Exchange keeps retrying for up to 24 hours. |
| Failed | Already opened, outside your organization, or otherwise out of reach. Send a short correction. |
The report email (“Message Recall Report for message [subject]”) usually arrives within a few minutes. Open its link and sign in to see a status per recipient. Big sends take longer: status for tens of thousands of recipients can take up to 30 minutes.
Prevention
Better than recall: undo send and delayed delivery
A short delay before sending catches most mistakes, and it works for every recipient, inside or outside your company.
Step 1
Select Send
Outlook holds the message instead of sending it immediately.
Step 2
Delay window
Seconds with Undo send, or minutes with a classic Outlook rule.
Step 3
Spot a mistake?
Select Undo, or open the Outbox and edit the message.
Step 4
Delivered
After the window, the email sends normally.
| Version | Option | Where | Delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlook on the web / Outlook.com | Undo send | Settings → Mail → Compose and reply → Undo send | Up to 30 seconds |
| Outlook for Mac | Undo Send | Outlook → Settings → Composing | 5 to 120 seconds |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | Defer delivery rule | File → Manage Rules & Alerts → New Rule → Apply rule on messages I send | Up to 120 minutes |
Recall can't reach a single prospect's inbox
Want a message to go out later on purpose? See how to schedule an email in Outlook. Also useful: how to BCC in Outlook.
Sources: Microsoft: How to recall an email in Outlook, Work with Cloud-based Message Recall, Recall in Outlook for Mac, Recall in Outlook mobile, Undo Send for Mac, Delay or schedule sending.
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How do I recall an email in Outlook?
Open Sent Items and double-click the message so it opens in its own window. In new Outlook or Outlook on the web select Recall Message, then OK. In classic Outlook, on the Message tab choose More Move Actions (or More commands → Actions) → Recall This Message, pick delete or replace, and select OK.
Can I recall an email after it has been read?
Microsoft's guidance is that the recipient must not have opened it. Exchange Online admins can allow recall of read messages, but by then the person has already seen it, so treat a read message as delivered.
Does the recipient know when I recall an email?
With Microsoft 365's cloud-based recall, the original message is deleted from their mailbox and the recall request itself is dropped, so by default they get no notice. Admins can turn on recall notifications for recipients, and anyone who already saw the message will notice it is gone.
Why can't I recall an email in Outlook?
The usual reasons: the recipient is outside your Microsoft 365 organization, you're on a personal Outlook.com, Hotmail or Gmail account, the message was already opened, your admin turned recall off, or classic Outlook is in Online mode or has several Exchange accounts in one profile.
Can I recall an email sent to a Gmail address?
No. Recall can't reach mailboxes outside Exchange Online, so Gmail, Yahoo and other companies' inboxes are out of reach. Once it's sent, the only fix is a short follow-up correction.
How long do I have to recall an email in Outlook?
Exchange Online lets admins cap how old a recallable message can be, with a default of 365 days. In practice the window is however long it takes the recipient to open it, which is often minutes.