Can you unsend an email? How to undo, recall or delete a sent email
You can take an email back, but only for a few seconds in most apps. After that, it belongs to the recipient. Here is how each app handles it.
Quick answer
In Gmail, select Undo right after sending: you get 5 to 30 seconds, depending on your settings. Outlook.com and new Outlook offer the same Undo button. Classic Outlook can try to recall a message, but only within the same Microsoft 365 or Exchange organization. Once an email is delivered, deleting it from your Sent folder does not remove it from the recipient's inbox.
Gmail
- Right after you send, select Undo in the box at the bottom left (or at the bottom of the app).
- Set how long you have in Settings → See all settings → General → Undo Send: 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds.
- After that window, Gmail can't recall the email.
Outlook
- Outlook.com and new Outlook: select Undo after sending. Set the delay in Settings → Mail → Compose and reply → Undo send.
- Recall (Microsoft 365 work and school accounts): open the message in Sent Items and choose Recall message. It generally only works for recipients in your own organization, and Outlook sends you a report on whether it worked.
- Delay all messages: in classic Outlook, a rule can hold every email for a minute or two before sending.
Apple Mail
On iPhone, iPad and Mac, tap Undo Send at the bottom of the screen right after sending. Choose the delay, up to 30 seconds, in Mail settings under Undo Send Delay.
After the window closes
- Deleting it from Sent only removes your copy.
- Send a short follow-up if it matters: see what to do about a typo in an email.
- Sent to the wrong person? Ask them to delete it, and tell your IT team if it contained private information.
- Need to resend it? Open it in Sent, then use Forward or copy the content into a new email.
Make it less likely next time
- Set the longest undo delay your app offers.
- Schedule important emails a few minutes ahead so you can still edit them.
- Add recipients last, after the email is written.
Questions people ask
- Can emails be recalled in Gmail?
- Only during the Undo Send window, up to 30 seconds after sending. After that, Gmail has no recall.
- If I delete an email I sent, does the recipient still have it?
- Yes. Deleting it only removes your copy.
- How do I unsend a Gmail on my phone?
- Tap Undo at the bottom of the screen right after sending.
- Does Outlook recall work for Gmail recipients?
- No. Recall generally only works for recipients in your own Microsoft 365 or Exchange organization.