Outlook enables its users to recall mails. Provided that, the receiver hasn’t opened the email yet, one could use message recall to retrieve it from their inbox. It is ideal for those times when we inadvertently misspell someone’s name or fail to attach wanted file. Keep reading if speculating how to recall mail in Outlook.  In order to recall an email in Outlook, both the sender and recipient must be Outlook users. Otherwise, this feature won’t work. 

Easy steps to recall mail in Outlook

In the left sidebar of the inbox, click on the Sent Items tab. Choose the mail you want to recall. Go to the top of message window and select Message. A dropdown menu will appear. Click on Actions. 

Now, tap on Recall This Message. A popup window with Delete unread copies of this message/ Delete unread copies and replace with a new message will appear. 

Lastly, click on OK button. 

Conditions to recall mail in Outlook 

here are some other facts to keep in mind when recalling an email. 

Sender and recipient should be using Outlook email service. When attempting a recall, inbox should be open. The message sent must be unread. The message sent initially should not be tempered in the process. 

Please be aware that sending a recall message does not completely remove the old email. To make the original communication vanish, the receiver may need to first open the recall message.  One easy solution for that is to write email title in a way that it is opened before any other one. When an email is recalled, the recipient is informed. So we recommend to notify the recipient. 

Potential outcomes of recalling mail in Outlook 

The consequences are based on the recipient’s email settings. One may fail to recall an email if it has been opened.  Notification of both the mails (original and recalled) will be sent to the recipient. If the message was not opened, recipient will receive notification that a message was deleted. 

Alternative solutions 

This article covered how to recall mail in Outlook. However, it is possible that the mail doen not get recalled. We have alternative solutions for such situations. 

  1. Send an email of apology. This is the easiest solution. If you mistakenly sent an email to the wrong person or organisation,  just apologise and move on. An honest apology is usually well-received and can develop trust. 
  2. Delay sending emails. While you’re frequently responding to emails, possibility of transmitting private info, or making mistakes increased. Follow the following instructions to set set up Outlook emails.

In the upper left corner of Outlook, click on File.Scroll down and tap on Manage Rules & Alerts.A window called Rules and Alerts will appear on your screen.Here, click on the New Rule button.Just click Next to move on. After this, a screen for confirmation will show up. Choose Yes to make sure.Choose Delay Delivery by a Few Minutes. Pick the link that says many. A pop-up screen will ask you to choose a duration. Enter the time (120 minutes is the maximum) and click OK. Then click Next.Choose exceptions, if any. Now press the Next button. Name your rule and turn it on if available. Lastly, press Finish. 

Conclusion Now you know how to recall mail in Outlook. Along with that, we have mentioned other details regarding recalling. Outlook’s recall feature lets you delete emails before they’re read. However, you certainly shouldn’t depend on this feature.  The best thing to do is to take your time, check your emails for mistakes, and try not to send quick messages that you haven’t thought about. To sum up all that has been stated, best way to deal with regrettable emails is to avoid sending them.

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