Between babies that giddily play with touchscreens, forgotten attachments, and reckless moments when you decide to just-get-it-all-off-your-chest, we”ve all sent at least one email we”d do anything to get back.
Watching: How can i unsend the email after sending one day ago?
The great news is, you actually can recall messages on two of the leading email platforms. Here”s how:
Outlook Exchange Server – “Message Recall”
To “recall a message” that”s already been sent:
Open your “Sent Items” folder Open the email message you”d like to recall/forget/douse in kerosene and light on fire On the ribbon up top, go to the “Move” group Click on “Actions” Select “Recall This Message” Click “Delete unread copies of this message” (or “Replace…,” which is also great)
The best use of Outlook”s “Message Recall” is right after you”ve sent the message since it will move the unopened email right into the recipient”s Deleted folder.
One BIG note – a recall request doesn”t always work! For instance, if the recipient already opened the message, it”s going to stay put in their inbox (AND they”ll be notified you tried to recall). See the full functionality and limitations of this feature on Office.com.
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One MORE note – If you use a desktop Outlook application that is not on Exchange Server, you still will see this option, but it won”t delete email from a third party”s email inbox. Instead, your recipient may only receive a note that you attempted a recall:
Gmail – “Undo Send”
This is a new option in Gmail! Important: you must first ENABLE this feature (it isn”t available by default!). To enable Gmail”s “Undo Send”:
Click the Google gear icon in the top right of your screen Select “Settings” On that first/main tab, scroll down to “Undo Send” and click “Enable” Set your cancellation window (the VERY SHORT amount of time you have to decide if you want to unsend an email) Click “Save Changes“ at the bottom of the page
You also can visit Google.com for these instructions.
Now that it”s enabled, to “undo send” of a sent Gmail:
First, click “send” on that potentially career-limiting/relationship-ending email You will immediately see the “Undo” option in the sent email notification bar Click “Undo” before the seconds run out on your VERY SHORT cancellation period (as a nice touch, it returns you to the unsent email to complete/update/destroy it)
Unlike Outlook Exchange Server, Google is not recalling the message. It is delaying actually sending the message, and only within the VERY SHORT window of time you”ve established. If you miss clicking “Undo,” perhaps because you are high-fiving colleagues, yelling “Booya!” or experiencing an almost Jerry Maguire-like euphoria over having disseminated your “mission statement”…then the email is a goner.
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The best use of “Undo Send” is when you still have at least one finger on your touchpad, mouse or screen and all of your wits about you.
If you recall messages on other email service provider platforms, please share the steps and/or links to instructions below!
Categories: Mail