Guide to Retrieving a Sent Email in Outlook

We’ve all hit “Send” only to realize we’ve forgotten an attachment or made a cringe-worthy typo—after all, mistakes happen. Thankfully, Outlook lets you retract or “recall” messages, provided you and your recipient are on the same Microsoft 365 or Exchange environment and the email hasn’t already been read. If the recall succeeds, the original email will vanish; if not, your recipient will see a notification that you tried to pull it back (and still have access to the initial message). Unlike Gmail’s brief “Undo Send” window, Outlook’s recall feature hinges entirely on your organization’s settings and whether the recipient has opened the mail.

How to Recall an Email in Outlook (Desktop or Web)

Outlook offers two straightforward ways to recall a sent message when using the Windows app or the web interface:

Method 1: From the Ribbon

1. Open Outlook and click Sent Items in the folder list.

2. Select the message you want to retract.

3. On the top toolbar, choose Message → Actions → Recall This Message (or click Recall Message directly if it’s visible).

4. In the dialog that appears, confirm by clicking OK.

5. (Alternatively, right-click the sent email, hover over Advanced Actions, and pick Recall This Message.)

Method 2: From More Options

1. Either double-click the sent email to open it in its own window or simply select it once in the reading pane.

2. Click the … (more actions) icon.

3. Navigate to Advanced Actions and choose Recall This Message.

4. Confirm in the popup by clicking OK.

Once Outlook processes your request, you’ll receive a Recall Report indicating whether the message was successfully retrieved.

How to Recall an Email in Outlook for Android or iOS

The mobile Outlook apps include a recall feature that works nearly identically on both platforms. Here’s how to use it on Android (iOS follows the same steps):

1. Open the Outlook app and tap your profile icon (top left), then select Sent.

2. Find and open the email you want to retract.

3. Tap the … menu (top right), choose Recall, and confirm by tapping OK.

4. You’ll get a notification letting you know if the recall was successful.

A Few Final Notes

• Organization requirement: Both sender and recipient must be within the same Microsoft 365/Exchange tenant.

• Read status matters: If the recipient has already opened your email, the recall will notify them of your attempt but won’t remove the original.

• Missing feature? If you don’t see the recall option despite having Microsoft 365, double-check that you’re using an Exchange account and that both parties belong to the same organization.