How do I recall an email?

Question

How do I "unsend" an email that went to the wrong address?

Answer 1

Recall requires Exchange Online / Microsoft 365 business accounts. Email recall only works when the sender has an Exchange mailbox or Microsoft 365 business mailbox. It does not work with Outlook.com personal accounts, even if you set it up in Classic Outlook.

Microsoft does talk about the limitations here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-to-recall-an-email-in-outlook-requirements-limitations-steps-35027f88-d655-4554-b4f8-6c0729a723a0

Answer 2

In Classic Outlook for Windows, the message recall feature can pull back or replace an email, but only under specific conditions.

Message recall requirements:

• Both sender and recipient must have Microsoft 365 work or school accounts.
• Both accounts must be in the same organization.
• Recall does not work for personal Outlook.com/Hotmail/MSN/Live accounts or for external recipients.

To recall an email in Classic Outlook (when the above conditions are met):

1. Go to Sent Items and open the email that was sent to the wrong address.
2. Press F6 or Shift+F6 until the ribbon tab is focused.
3. Press Tab until “More command” is selected, then press Enter.
4. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to go to Actions, then press Enter.
5. Use Up/Down arrow until “Recall this message” is selected, then press Enter.
6. In the Recall dialog, choose one of:
   • Delete unread copies of this message – to try to pull it back.
   • Delete unread copies and replace with a new message – to send a corrected version.
7. Press Tab until “OK button” is selected, then press Enter.
8. If replacing, edit the new message and press Ctrl+Enter to send.

After submitting a recall request, an email titled “message recall report” is sent with a link showing whether the recall succeeded, is pending, or failed.

If the recipient is outside the organization or using a non‑Microsoft 365 work/school account, recall cannot “unsend” the message. In that case, send a follow‑up email explaining the mistake and, if needed, ask the recipient to delete the original message.

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References:

• Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook
• Customize your calendar in Outlook on the web