How to Recall an Email in Outlook 2010

Recalling an email allows you to rectify an error you made when composing an email. Whether you were distracted or simply remembered an important bit of information too late, there are many reasons why you would need to recall an email.

Luckily, if both you and the recipient are using Office 365 or Microsoft Exchange in the same organization, then recalling the message after hitting the send button is doable.

Steps to recalling an email in Outlook 2010

1. Go to your Sent Items folder. You can access this in the folder pane on the left side of the Outlook window.
2. Open the email that you wish to recall. Ensure you double-click on the message and that it opens. Simply having the message on the reading pane won’t enable you to recall it.
3. Once you have the email open, head to the Message tab and select Actions. A menu will pop up and you will then have to select the Recall This Message option.
4. Two options will appear, “Delete unread copies of this message” and “Delete unread copies and replace with a new message”. Select which option applies to your situation and then click OK.
5. If you’re replacing a message, write the message and hit Send once you’re satisfied with it.
6. You should receive a message from Outlook notifying you if the recall was a success.

Please note that this only applies to messages that haven’t been read by the recipient, so swift action is important!