There are various reasons why you might have to recall an email. Perhaps you addressed it to the wrong recipient, you forgot to include an attachment, or left out an important detail. If you spend a huge chunk of your job in your inbox, chances are that one of these things has happened to you.
The good news is that if you and the recipient both have Office 365 or Microsoft Exchange in the same organization, then you’re able to recall the message after you’ve clicked the Send button. Recalling an email enables you to retrieve and replace a message that was erroneously sent.
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How to recall your email in Outlook 2019
- Go to your Sent Items folder which you can access in the folder pane of the left side of the Outlook window.
- Open the email that you want to recall. Make sure you double-click the message so that it opens as simply having the message on the reading won’t allow you to recall it.
- When you have the email opened, go to the Message tab and select Actions. A menu will appear which you then have to select the Recall This Message option.
- You’ll then be presented with two options: Delete unread copies of this message and Delete unread copies and replace with a new message. Choose which option best applies to your situation and then hit OK.
- If you’ve selected the latter option, write your replacement message and then Send once you’re happy with your new message.
- Note that if you’re trying to recall a message that you’ve accidentally sent to multiple recipients, then you’ll be recalling to all the recipients. You don’t have the option to select recipients, it’s either all or nothing.
Tips on how to prevent recalls
Sometimes, your recall attempt may not work. This is because there are several conditions that must be in place in order for it to work. But if you find you can’t guarantee the requirements, then it’s better to put measurements in place to prevent recalls from happening. Here are some tips on how you could do it:
- Create a rule in Outlook that delays messages being sent. By setting up this rule, you can defer your message from being actually sent for one minute up to two hours.
- Get into the habit of reading through your emails before sending them. Professional emails should always be proofread before being sent, especially if the recipients are stakeholders or an important client.
- Ensure all details are correct before writing the text. As most people are prone to hitting the subject line right after writing the text, ensure all details are added before you construct the message. Check that the attachments are added, the subject line is legible, and recipient(s) email address are correct.
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