How to Unsend an Email in Outlook: Undo Send in Seconds

Ever hit “Send” and instantly regretted it? Don’t worry-you’re not alone. Whether it’s a typo, forgotten attachment, or wrong recipient, knowing how to unsend an email in Outlook can be a lifesaver. Fortunately, Outlook offers a few built-in tools that give you a second chance-if you act fast.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to unsend an email in Outlook, covering different versions (desktop, web, mobile), using features like “Recall,” “Undo Send,” and “delay delivery” to prevent mistakes before they happen.

1. Use Undo Send in Outlook Web (Outlook.com)

Outlook on the web now includes an “Undo Send” feature-similar to Gmail. This lets you delay sending an email by a few seconds after hitting “Send.”

How to enable Undo Send:

1. Open Outlook.com
2. Click the gear icon > View all Outlook settings
3. Go to Mail > Compose and reply
4. Scroll down to Undo send
5. Choose a delay time (up to 10 seconds)
6. Click Save

Now, after hitting “Send,” you’ll see an Undo option appear briefly at the bottom-click it to stop the message from sending.

2. Recall Sent Email in Outlook Desktop App

For Outlook desktop (Windows), you may be able to recall a sent message-but only under specific conditions.

Requirements for email recall:

• Both sender and recipient must use Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 within the same organization
• Recipient must not have read the email yet

Steps to recall an Outlook email:

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to Sent Items
3. Double-click the email you want to recall
4. Click File > Info > Resend or Recall > Recall This Message
5. Choose:
   • “Delete unread copies of this message”
   • Or “Delete and replace with a new message”
6. Click OK

You’ll get a confirmation email about the success or failure of the recall.

3. Use Delayed Delivery to Prevent Mistakes

Another proactive approach is to delay all outgoing emails by a few minutes, giving yourself a chance to fix or cancel them.

How to set delay rules in Outlook (desktop):

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts
2. Click New Rule
3. Choose “Apply rule on messages I send”
4. Set conditions (or leave blank for all emails)
5. Under Step 2, choose “defer delivery by a number of minutes”
6. Set the delay (1–120 minutes)
7. Click Finish

This rule holds your email in the Outbox, so you can unsend or edit it before it leaves.

Bonus: Mobile Outlook Apps Don’t Support Undo Yet

Unfortunately, the Outlook mobile app (iOS/Android) does not currently support Undo Send or message recall. So double-check everything before hitting Send on your phone!

Pro Tip for Better Email Habits

Learning how to unsend an email in Outlook is essential, but it’s just one part of mastering email communication. For more ways to stay productive, avoid inbox overload, and write better emails, check out our full guide on Email Management.

Conclusion

Mistakes happen-but now that you know how to unsend an email in Outlook, you can take action fast. Whether using recall, undo send, or delay rules, Outlook offers several smart ways to avoid email disasters. Make these tools part of your workflow and email smarter from now on.

FAQs About How to Unsend an Email in Outlook