# How To Recall an Email in Outlook: A Complete Guide | Capterra > Sent an email to the wrong person or before it’s complete? You need to know how to recall an email in Outlook. Our step-by-step guide explains all. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-to-recall-an-email-in-outlook --- IT & Software Development # How To Recall an Email in Outlook: A Complete Guide Written by: Mabh Savage Mabh SavageAuthor Mabh is a writer specializing in human resources, digital transformation, and small-to-midsize business management and marketing. She's worked with companies... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/mabh-savage-guest-contributor/) Published November 27, 2023 4 min read Table of Contents - [What is email recall?](#what-is-email-recall) - [When can I recall an email?](#when-can-i-recall-an-email) - [Why would you want to use email recall?](#why-would-you-want-to-use-email-recall)  - [How to recall an email in Outlook](#how-to-recall-an-email-in-outlook) ## Sent an email to the wrong person? Our step-by-step guide will teach you how to recall an email. Everyone has been there at least once. Perhaps you were sending a follow-up report about a team member you supervise, and you accidentally sent it to the employee instead of HR.  Or maybe you  mistakenly included an in-progress attachment instead of the client-ready version in an email. Either way, if you send an email using Microsoft Outlook and want to recall it, you have options. ## What is email recall? Email recall in Microsoft Outlook is a feature that lets users retrieve or delete an email message they have already sent to one or more recipients. This feature is designed to help users correct mistakes, retrieve sensitive information, or prevent unintended distribution.  Recalling an email typically involves sending a recall request to the recipient's mailbox. This request asks the recipient's email client to delete or replace the original email with a new one. If the recall is successful, the recipient will not see the original email—it will be as if it was never sent. However, if the recall fails, the original email remains in the recipient's inbox. ## When can I recall an email? Wondering when you can unsend an email in Outlook? You can generally recall an email if all of the following is true: - The recipient hasn’t opened the email  - The email was sent to somebody on the same email server in the same organization - Both users have the same email client and version  If these aren’t all true, it doesn’t necessarily prevent you from recalling the email—but it can mean that the email recall is more likely to fail. One additional factor is that the email recall must be timely—it’s less likely to work if time has passed. ## Why would you want to use email recall?  You might need to use email recall in the workplace for many reasons: - Correct an error, such as a typo or broken link - Protect confidential information  - Update an attachment - Change the recipient  - Perform reputation management ## How to recall an email in Outlook Using the recall function in Outlook is simple as long as you follow these steps: 1\. Open the “Sent Items” folder. _Source: All screenshots provided by the author_ 2\. Double-click on the email you want to recall. This makes it “pop out” from the main Outlook window and provides options solely for that email. 3\. Select the “File” tab at the top of the sent message. 4\. There are four main boxes on this screen. Click on the one titled “Message Resend and Recall.” 5\. Here you’re given two options—"Recall This Message" or "Resend This Message." Resend allows you to send a duplicate or amended version of the same email. However, in this situation, you want to choose the Recall option. 6\. Now you will see an additional dialogue box. This gives you the choice to delete only, or delete and replace with a different message. Make your choice, then tick the box to ensure you get a notification whether the recall works or fails. **_Note:_** _Recall only works if the recipient hasn’t read the message._ 7\. Now it’s just about waiting. If your email remains unread, you should shortly get a notification that your message recall was successful. However, if your email was read or if the recall wasn’t done quickly enough, you’ll get the following failure notification: ## Use Outlook to its fullest potential  You'll get the most out of using Microsoft Outlook for your organization if you take advantage of these Capterra resources: - [How To Set Out of Office in Outlook: A Step-by-Step Guide](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-to-set-out-of-office-in-outlook/) - [How To Add a Signature in Outlook: A Step-by-Step Guide](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-to-add-signature-in-outlook/) - [How To Share a Calendar in Outlook](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-to-share-a-calendar-in-outlook/) * * * ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Author [### Mabh Savage](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/mabh-savage-guest-contributor/) Mabh is a writer specializing in human resources, digital transformation, and small-to-midsize business management and marketing. 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