{"id":2746,"date":"2026-09-03T09:43:58","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T23:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dynamicwebtraining.com.au\/blog\/?p=2746"},"modified":"2026-09-03T09:44:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T23:44:00","slug":"how-to-recall-an-email-in-outlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dynamicwebtraining.com.au\/blog\/how-to-recall-an-email-in-outlook","title":{"rendered":"How to Recall an Email in Outlook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To recall an email in Outlook, open Sent Items, open the message, and choose Recall Message (new Outlook) or Actions > Recall This Message (classic Outlook). Recall only works if you and the recipient are on Microsoft 365 accounts in the same organisation; it cannot recall emails sent to external addresses like Gmail.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

We have all felt it: the split-second of dread after clicking Send. The good news is that Outlook can sometimes pull a message back. The important news is that it only works in specific conditions, so this guide covers both the steps and the limits, plus what to do when recall isn\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Can you recall an email in Outlook?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, but with conditions. Microsoft rebuilt message recall in 2023 as a cloud-based feature, which made it far more reliable than the old version, around a 90% success rate, and it can now pull back a message even after the recipient has opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The catch is that recall only works inside your own organisation<\/strong>: both you and the recipient must be using Microsoft 365 work or school accounts on the same Exchange\/Microsoft 365 tenant. If you emailed someone outside your organisation, on Gmail, Outlook.com, or any other provider, recall will not work, because Outlook has no control over their inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you recall an email in new Outlook?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the new Outlook for Windows (and Outlook on the web):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Go to Sent Items<\/strong> in the folder list.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Double-click the message<\/strong> you want to recall to open it in its own window.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. On the ribbon, select Recall Message<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Confirm. Outlook attempts to remove the message from the recipient\u2019s mailbox and emails you a Message Recall Report<\/strong> showing whether it succeeded.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    How do you recall an email in classic Outlook?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In classic Outlook for Windows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Open Sent Items<\/strong> and double-click<\/strong> the message to open it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. On the Message<\/strong> tab, go to the Move<\/strong> group and select Actions > Recall This Message<\/strong> (in some versions it is directly on the ribbon).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Choose either Delete unread copies<\/strong> of the message, or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message<\/strong> if you want to send a corrected version.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Tick Tell me if recall succeeds or fails<\/strong> to get a status notification, then select OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Recall can also be started from Outlook for Mac and the Outlook mobile apps, but the classic client-side method is less reliable (roughly 40% success) than the modern cloud-based recall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      When does Outlook recall work, and when does it fail?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Recall works best<\/strong> when all of these are true:<\/p>\n\n\n\n