How to Recall an Email in Outlook Successfully

We’ve all been there—sending an email only to realize moments later that it contained a typo, was sent to the wrong recipient, or lacked critical information. The good news is that if you’re using Microsoft Outlook, there’s a feature that can save the day: email recall. In this guide, we’ll explain how to recall an email in Outlook, covering the process step by step, the conditions under which recall works, and alternative strategies for managing email mistakes.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to recall an email in Outlook successfully and what to do if recalling isn’t an option.

Understanding Email Recall in Outlook

The email recall feature in Microsoft Outlook allows users to retrieve a sent email and, optionally, replace it with an updated version. However, it’s important to note that email recall isn’t foolproof. Its success depends on several factors, which we’ll explore later in this guide.

Before diving into how to recall an email in Outlook, let’s look at the basics:

• Compatibility: The recall feature is only available in Microsoft Outlook for Windows. It doesn’t work on the Outlook web app or on a Mac.
• Recipients’ Email Settings: Recall will only work if the recipient uses Outlook and is on the same Microsoft Exchange server as the sender.
• Unread Messages: For recall to be successful, the recipient hasn’t opened the original message.

How to Recall an Email in Outlook: Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you have a general idea of what the feature does, let’s go over how to recall an email in Outlook:

1. Open Sent Items

• Open up your Outlook account and look for the “Sent Items” folder.
• Locate the email you want to recall.

2. Open the Email

• Double-click on the email to open it. Note: Recall is not possible from within the reading pane. Be sure you are opening up the entire email.

3. Click Access the Recall Option

• Open up the window of email. Next, click on “File” on the upper left.
• Then proceed to select “Info,” then “Message Resend and Recall,” and “Recall This Message.”

4. Choose Recall Options

Following the click of Recall This Message, you can choose between two options, namely:

• Delete unread copies of this message: It attempts to remove this email from the inbox of the recipient if the recipient hasn’t opened this particular email yet.
• Delete unread copies and replace them with a new message: This option allows you to replace the email with a corrected version.
  Select the option that best suits your situation.

5. Confirm the Recall

• Click OK to initiate the recall.
• If you want to replace the message, you will be allowed to compose a corrected version of the email before sending it.

6. Track the Recall Status

• You will get a notification by email whether the recall was successful or not. The status will indicate to you whether the sent email is removed from the recipient’s inbox.

Determinants of Successful Email Recall

As you learn to recall an email in Outlook, you should note that success cannot be guaranteed. Several things influence whether a recall attempt will succeed:

1. The settings of the recipient’s email

• Recall works only if the recipient is using Outlook with an exchange account.
• If the recipient’s email is on another platform, say Gmail, or Yahoo, then the recall won’t work.

2. Email Status

• Recall works only if the recipient hasn’t opened the original email
• If the email has already been read, the attempt to recall it will be ineffective and the recipient will receive a notification that the recall has been attempted for that email.

3. Folder Placement

• If the recipient’s email has been placed in a folder perhaps because of an email rule, the recall action might not work.

4. Network Conditions

• Both parties must be online and logged onto the same Microsoft Exchange server. If either party is offline or is logged onto a non-Exchange account, the recall action will not work.

What to Do If Recall Fails

If the recall fails, don’t panic. There are some alternative strategies to reduce the impact of an errant email:

1. Follow-Up Email

• Acknowledge the mistake and provide the correct information in a follow-up email.
• Be brief and professional. For example:
  ”  Please disregard my previous email. Here is the updated information…”

2. Use the Delay Send Feature

• Avoid repeating mistakes by permitting “Delay Send” in Outlook to delay the sending of emails for a specific time.
• To turn it on, open File > Options > Mail in Outlook. Click on Send messages, check “Delay delivery,” and then input the number of minutes you would want to allow reviewing the emails before they are sent (for example, 5 minutes).

3. Activate Undo Send in Outlook

• Some versions of Outlook, such as Outlook for Web, have an “Undo Send” feature, where you get a few minutes after sending an email to recall it.

Best Practices to Avoid Email Mistakes

Mistakes are inevitable, but if you keep the following best practices, you will minimize your chance of needing to recall an email:

1. Make sure you double-check the recipients

• Check that you’re including the correct recipient(s) by looking at the fields “To,” “Cc,” and “Bcc.”

2. Proofread Your Email

• Review the content for typos, errors, or missing attachments before hitting “Send.”

3. Template Mail

• Make use of predetermined templates so that repetition makes less chances of committing blunders in writing the same email type.

4. Use Test Email

• If the email has many attachments or links, then a test email should be done first on one’s self.

Conclusion

Knowing how to recall an email in Outlook can save one from embarrassment or miscommunication in professional and personal settings. However, it is equally important to know the limitations of this feature. Following the above steps and best practices on email management will help in minimizing mistakes and handling errors in the proper way.

And, if you find that an email can’t be recalled, follow-up emails and Outlook’s “Delay Send” allow you to still have control and be sure of the situation with an email.