Sent an Outlook email to the wrong person, with the wrong attachment, or before it was ready? Outlook can recall a sent message, but only when the account and recipient match Microsoft’s supported conditions.
Start by checking eligibility, then use the exact recall path for your version of Outlook. If recall is unavailable, use the closest supported option instead.
1. Check whether recall can work
Outlook recall works for Microsoft 365 work or school mailboxes in the same organization. That is the first thing to check before hunting for the button.
- The sender and recipient must both use Microsoft 365 work or school accounts in the same tenant.
- Unread status matters for older recall behavior. Exchange Online cloud recall can also recall read messages when the organization allows it, so use the recall report for the actual result.
- Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Gmail, IMAP, POP, and outside recipients cannot use true message recall.
- Messages sent across organizations or over the internet cannot be pulled back with recall.
- Manually forwarded messages and messages forwarded by an Inbox Rule cannot be recalled.
If your message fails those checks, send a corrected follow-up or use one of the prevention tools near the end.
2. Recall it in new Outlook or on the web
- 1.Open Sent Items.
- 2.Double-click the sent message so it opens in a separate window.
- 3.On the ribbon, select Recall Message.
- 4.Select OK.
- 5.Go back to your inbox and open the Message Recall Report email.
- 6.Select the report link to see whether the recall succeeded, is pending, or failed.
Use this path in new Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the web with an eligible Microsoft 365 work or school account. Personal Microsoft accounts do not get true message recall.
3. Use classic Outlook for Windows
Classic Outlook has more than one supported route to the same recall command. Use the path that matches the ribbon you see.
Classic Ribbon: Open Sent Items, double-click the message, choose Message, select Actions, then choose Recall This Message. Pick the recall option shown in the dialog and select OK.
Simplified Ribbon: Open Sent Items, double-click the message, choose Message, select More commands, then choose Actions and Recall This Message. Pick the recall option shown and select OK.
File menu: Open the sent message in its own window, then choose File, Info, Resend or Recall, and Recall This Message. Select Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient, then choose OK.
The command is unavailable for MAPI or POP accounts. It can also be missing when your organization does not make recall available.
4. Pull it back on Outlook for Mac
Outlook for Mac supports recall in version 16.94 or later when both people use eligible Microsoft 365 work or school accounts in the same organization.
- 1.Open Sent.
- 2.Double-click the sent message so it opens in a separate window.
- 3.Choose Recall Message on the ribbon.
- 4.Select OK.
- 5.Open the Message Recall Report email and select its link to check the result.
You can also use the shortcut menu: open Sent, double-click the message, Control-click it, choose Recall, then select OK.
5. Confirm the result in the recall report
Starting recall is not the same as confirming it worked. Outlook sends a Message Recall Report email to the sender’s inbox after the recall attempt begins.
- 1.Open the report email from [email protected].
- 2.Select the report link.
- 3.Review each recipient status as succeeded, pending, or failed.
Microsoft says recall can keep trying for up to 24 hours. In a managed Microsoft 365 environment, an Exchange admin can use Message trace if the report is missing or stale.
6. Fix a missing Recall Message button
A missing recall button means the current mailbox, recipient, Outlook setup, or organization policy does not support the feature. Check these blockers first:
- You are using Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Gmail, IMAP, POP, or MAPI.
- The recipient is outside your Microsoft 365 organization.
- The message was manually forwarded or forwarded by an Inbox Rule.
- Your organization has disabled or limited the recall experience.
- The message falls into a protected, encrypted, hybrid, or multiple-Exchange-account case that Microsoft limits.
For work or school mail, your organization controls recall availability. You cannot turn it on from your own Outlook settings.
7. Use Undo Send for personal accounts
Undo Send is the right option for Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, and MSN accounts. It is not recall; it delays sending so you can stop the message before it leaves.
In Outlook.com, open Settings, choose Mail, select Compose and reply, then use Undo send to choose a 5 or 10 second delay. Select Save. After sending, choose the Undo send prompt before the delay expires.
In new Outlook for Mac, Undo Send requires a supported Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account and a Microsoft 365 subscription license. Choose Outlook, Settings, and Composing. Use the minus or plus controls to set the delay to 5, 10, 15, or up to 120 seconds. After sending, select Undo before the prompt disappears.
8. Prevent the next bad send
When recall is unavailable, Outlook’s safest tools are delay, schedule, resend, and receipts.
Schedule Send: In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, compose the message, open the dropdown next to Send, choose Schedule send, pick a time, then select Send. New Outlook does not offer Schedule send for IMAP or POP accounts. Before delivery, open the scheduled message from Draft, select the Edit pencil, then edit it, cancel it, or send it immediately.
Delay one classic Outlook message: While composing, use the More options arrow in the Tags group. Under Delivery options, select Do not deliver before, choose a date and time, select Close, then select Send. Outlook must be online and connected at delivery time.
Delay every classic Outlook message: Go to File, choose Manage Rules & Alerts, select New Rule, choose Apply rule on messages I send, then select defer delivery by a number of minutes. Set the delay up to two hours and finish the rule.
Resend a corrected message: In new Outlook, Resend requires a Microsoft 365 work account as the primary account. In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, open Sent Items, select the message, choose More, select Advanced actions, then choose Resend message. In classic Outlook, open the sent message, choose Message, select Actions, then choose Resend This Message. This sends a corrected copy; it does not remove the first email.
Request receipts: In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, use Options, Tracking, then request a Delivery Receipt or Read Receipt. Receipts do not recall a message, but they show whether Outlook reports delivery or viewing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recall an Outlook email on iPhone or Android?
Mobile availability can vary by account and app release. If Outlook for iOS or Android does not show Recall Message for the sent item, use Outlook on the web or desktop Outlook, or send a corrected follow-up.
Can my admin make Outlook recall work again?
In Exchange Online, an admin can control cloud-based Message Recall and read-message recall settings for the organization. Individual users cannot change those tenant settings from Outlook.
How long can Outlook keep trying to recall a message?
Microsoft says recall can keep trying for up to 24 hours. Use the Message Recall Report to check the current result for each recipient.
Can I recall an encrypted or protected Outlook email?
Microsoft limits recall for protected and encrypted messages. Some OME or MIP-labeled messages require Premium Encryption and recall from Outlook on the web or new Outlook.
