How to Recall an Email in Outlook (and When You Can't)

You can recall an email in Outlook, but only when certain conditions are met.

If you’ve ever sent an email and then realize that it was missing key details, contained too many details, or was a little too emotional, you’ve surely longed for a way to delete it from the recipient’s inbox before they could ever see it. Fortunately, you can recall an email when you’re using Microsoft Outlook, but you first have to know how to recall it—and when it’s even possible, since it’s not an all-the-time option. 

How to recall an email in Outlook

How you recall the email in Outlook depends on if you’re using a newer version of Microsoft’s classic Outlook. In a newer version, look for “Sent Items” in the left folder pane, then double-click the message you want to recall. You’ll see “Recall Message” in the toolbar (you’ll recognize it by the big letter symbol, which has two arrows pointing to the left superimposed on it). Hit that, then “OK,” and wait for a message recall report to hit your inbox, which will function as a confirmation. That message will include a link and clicking it will tell you whether your recall worked, failed, or is still pending. 

If you’re using a classic version of Outlook, the steps are similar. You’ll still go to “Sent Items” and open the message by double-clicking it, but then you’ll look to your Classic Ribbon, find the “Messages” tab, and select “Actions,” then “Recall This Message.” (If you’re using a simplified ribbon, it’ll be under “More commands…” when you open the “Message” tab.)

When recalling an Outlook message should work (and when it won’t)

The cool thing about recalled messages in Outlook is that if your recipient hasn’t opened it, they won’t see it. It’ll just disappear from their inbox. But there are some uncool things at play here, too. For it to work, you have to be sending (and recalling) an email to someone with a Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange email account, you have to have one of those, and you need to be in the same organization. You can’t recall a message to or from a Gmail account, for instance. 

You’ll also need to pay attention to that message recall report, which should be emailed to you within about a minute of your recalling. While the recall itself is fast, it can take a while for Microsoft to confirm it was done, especially if you’re recalling a message from a bunch of people. In the event there’s some kind of issue, Outlook will keep trying to recall the message for up to 24 hours, so keep checking on your recall status.