I accidentally sent the wrong email in Outlook and panicked. Fortunately, the steps to recall an email in Outlook are simple. If you’re using the new Outlook,[送信済みアイテム]Go to the folder, click on the email you want to recall,[ファイル]>[メッセージの取り消し]Click. If you’re using classic Outlook,[送信済みアイテム]Open the email in the folder,[アクション]>[このメッセージを取り消す]Click.
Note that you can only recall emails sent to Outlook accounts on the same domain as you. You cannot recall an email in the following situations:
- Sent to Gmail, Yahoo, or other free email service account (including email addresses ending in @outlook.com).
- Your email was sent to someone on a different domain (the part after the “at” symbol).
If you accidentally send an email in one of these situations, the only way to revoke the email is to[送信]Immediately after clicking[元に戻す]It’s about clicking a button. This button only appears for a few seconds depending on the version of Outlook you are using. Use your email program’s undo settings.
“Classic Outlook” is an older version of Microsoft’s business email that has been around since the 1990s and is probably the one most people are familiar with. Starting in 2024, Microsoft will roll out a new version of Outlook (called “New Outlook”) that will be supported on Windows 11 and part of the Office 365 suite. This version reportedly includes better configuration, more streamlined accounts, and other new features.
Keep reading for a step-by-step guide on how to revoke Outlook emails (on Mac or Windows), both new and classic versions.
1. Find the email in your Sent Items folder
Learning how to recall emails in Outlook 365 is very easy. This is just one of the many useful features Outlook has for small businesses. With just a few clicks from your Sent Items folder, your emails will automatically disappear from recipients who haven’t seen them yet.
Within your Outlook account, from the left menu[送信済みアイテム]Open the folder. Next, find the email you want to cancel and double-click it. This applies to both new and legacy versions of Outlook. Check out the interface for each version below.
2. Select Resend or Cancel
This step is where the process of how to unsend an email in Outlook differs the most between the new version and the old version. This is mainly due to the latter’s hectic interface. However, both use the same commands and buttons. The only difference is where they are placed. Here are the steps to cancel Outlook email in each version:
- In new Outlook: [送信済みアイテム]When you open the email you want to unsend in a folder, click[ファイル]Click[再送信]or[取り消し]Click.
- In classic Outlook: Double-click the email you want to unsend to open it in a new window, then click the top left corner ([ファイル](next to the tab)[メッセージ]Go to tab. Then click Actions > Cancel this message. If you are using the simplified toolbar, you must first click the ellipsis button (also known as the three dots button) on the right side of the toolbar to see these options.
3. Delete or replace emails
In both the new and classic versions, when you select the undo option, a pop-up window will appear with two options: simply delete the email, or delete it and replace it with a new email. The latter option allows you to edit the original email before resending it.
This pop-up window also includes a check box to choose whether you want to monitor how e-mail recall occurs. If you check this, Microsoft will send you a Message Revocation Report email within one minute that will notify you if the email recall was successful. We recommend that you always select this option so that you can track how emails are recalled.
Edit email (optional)
If you choose to edit the email before resending in the pop-up window, another window will pop up where you can edit the original email. You can edit the text, add attachments or images, and change recipients before clicking Send again.
4. Receive a message cancellation report
If you selected the Track email recall checkbox in the previous step, you will receive a message recall report email from Microsoft within a minute or two. This email will indicate whether the email recall was successful, failed, or is still pending.
As mentioned earlier, the most likely reasons why email recall fails are:
- If you send an email to an address in a different business domain (that is, a recipient in another organization)
- If you sent it to someone using another email provider (such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail)
- If the recipient has already read the email
Microsoft does not allow e-mail recall under any of these circumstances. However, in most other cases, you should be able to remember the email. You can check the final status of your email recall in the Message Revocation Report sent by Microsoft.
Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft 365: Microsoft 365 is Microsoft’s entire workspace productivity suite (previously known as “Microsoft Office”), which includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. Microsoft Outlook specifically refers to Microsoft’s email software. It’s also part of the Microsoft 365 suite.
These are the steps on how to unsend an email in Outlook, whether you are using the new or classic version. This is just one of the many useful tools that make Outlook one of the best email apps to use throughout your workday. In addition to the ability to recall emails, Microsoft Outlook also offers rich storage, advanced automation features, and instant access to the coveted Microsoft productivity suite.
Microsoft Outlook has been one of the most recommended email providers for small businesses for many years. We offer reliable email software with plenty of storage, access to a productivity suite with the Microsoft 365 suite (also known as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more), as well as advanced security and support. Check out our other guides for more information.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Yes, but only under certain conditions. First, you need to have a business Outlook account. Also, you can only unsend emails from recipients who share the same domain name as you if they haven’t opened your email yet. Outside of these conditions, you can unsend an email in Outlook.
To recall an email you accidentally sent in Outlook, first find the email you want to recall in your Sent Items folder. If you’re using the new Outlook,[ファイル]>[再送信または取り消し]Choose.If you use classic Outlook, open the email you want to recall and click[メッセージ]Click on the tab[アクション]>[このメッセージを取り消す]Click. In either case, you have the option to edit the email again before resending it or deleting it permanently.
It depends. If the recipient hasn’t opened the email yet, they won’t see your email and won’t know that you recalled it. However, if the recipient has already opened the email, you won’t be able to recall it at all, and Microsoft will send a notification to the recipient indicating that they attempted to recall the email.
conclusion
Business email recall is a life-saving feature on any business email platform. Thankfully, learning how to recall emails in Outlook is easy, whether you’re using the newer version or the classic version. All you need to do is find the email in your Sent Items folder and unsend from there. As long as the email meets Outlook’s cancellation criteria, the email is stored in plain text.