The decisions we take should be tempered by logic and reason rather than impulse. But even after knowing this, we sometimes send strongly worded emails to our colleagues we should have never written in the first place. Fortunately, Microsoft email client – Outlook has a built-in solution for situations like this: The option to recall email in Outlook. Read along to know how to recall an email in Outlook.
How to recall email in Outlook 365 app without installing add-ins
The option to recall an email can stop a recipient from viewing a high-tempered or bad email sent by you, impulsively. Follow this trick to know how to recall email in Outlook 365 webmail.
- Choose the Sent Items folder from the folder pane of the Outlook window.
- Select the message you would like to recall.
- Go to the Messages tab and select it.
- Click the Actions drop-down menu.
- Choose the Recall This Message option.
- Click Delete unread copies of this message or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message, and then click OK.
- In case of the latter option, compose a new mail, and then hit the Send button.
It is important to note that the Message recall in the Outlook function appears after you click the Send button and is available only if both you and the recipient have a Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange email account in the same organization.
How to recall email in Outlook?
To recall Outlook 365 message, Launch the Microsoft Outlook app. From the Folder pane of the Outlook window, select the Sent Items folder.

Next, select the message you want to recall by double-clicking it. If you open the sent email in the reading pane, you’ll be stopped from initiating the recall mail action.
When the message opens, click the Actions drop-down menu visible under the Move block.

From the list of options displayed, select the Recall This Message option.

Finally, check the Delete unread copies of this message option and hit the Ok button to complete the process.
Can you take back a sent email?
Yes, but there are some conditions to be met. For example,
- Both, the sender as well as the recipient should have either Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange email account.
- The recipient must not have opened or read the mail sent to him by you.
- The recipient must have Outlook 365/Outlook 2016 or Outlook Web App in use during the recall action.
What happens when you recall an email in Outlook?
The original message is deleted and removed permanently. So, when the recipient of the message opens it, a message alerts him saying, the sender, deleted the message from his/her mailbox. However, if the recipient opens the original message first, the recall actions fail, and the old, as well as the new messages, are available for his viewing.
Can I recall a sent email in Outlook for Mac?
Currently, there’s no way to recall sent email messages in any version of Outlook for Mac.
Hope it helps!
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