It’s easy to find an email (or message, as the app calls them) in Outlook. The desktop app, which works on both Windows and Mac, has a helpful feature that lets you undo or replace a message you didn’t want to send or want to change. We’ll show you how to remember an email in Outlook. It’s easy, but you might need to learn how to do it right away.

Do keep in mind that you can only recall a letter in the desktop client, not the web-based version of Outlook. They will also only work if both you and the receiver have a Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 account from the same company. Outlook won’t let you recall messages sent to email addresses that aren’t in the sender’s company.

How to recall an email in Outlook

It’s too bad that you can’t remember emails with the desktop Outlook client since it’s one of the best email clients you can get.

Open the app and choose “Home” to begin with the most recent version.

• Step 1: To see the emails you’ve already sent, use the menu on the left to choose “Sent items.”

• Step 2: Double-click the Outlook letter you want to read again. The email will show up in a new window.
• Step 3: In the email window, make sure the Message tab is chosen. To recall this message, click on the three dots on the right side of the menu, move your mouse over Actions, and then click on that.

• Step 4: If you don’t see the three dots, choose Move from the toolbar, then Actions and then Recall this message.

• Step 5: Your screen will be greeted by a window. After all, you have two options: either remove all unread copies of this message or replace them with a fresh one. You’ll also see a choice to have Outlook let you know if the process works or not. Pick one or more options, then click the OK button to move on. Good job if you got rid of the message! Keep going if you want to change it.
• Step 6: Now, If you choose to make a new copy, Outlook will show you a second screen where you can change the message. Outlook remembers your old message and shows you a notification (if you made that choice) when you write your new email. When you’re done making changes to the message, click the Send button.

Note: Sending a return message doesn’t really get rid of your old email. People who get the original message might have to open the return message first in order for the first message to go away. That’s why you should put “URGENT” or something similar in the title of the return message so that it gets opened before the first rude email.

Adding an email delay to Outlook

You can set Outlook to delay your emails so they don’t go out right away. If you often delete emails without reading them, send private information back and forth, or make mistakes, you might want to start delaying or even arranging your emails in Outlook. By taking these easy steps, you can make this work for all of your Outlook emails:

• Step 1: Navigate to the top left corner of Outlook and click on File.
• Step 2: Scroll down slightly and select Manage Rules & Alerts.

• Step 3: Upon the appearance of the Rules and Alerts box, opt for “New rule.”
• Step 4: This action prompts a new window to open; click the button indicating use on texts you send, then proceed by starting from scratch and continuing with the “Next” button.

• Step 5: Disregard other conditions and click Next to proceed to a confirmation screen, then affirm by selecting “Yes.”
• Step 6: Choose “Defer delivery by a certain number of minutes” and select the appropriate duration, keeping in mind the limit of 120 minutes, and click OK. Continue by clicking Next.

• Step 7: Select the relevant cases, if applicable, and proceed by clicking the Next button.
• Step 8: Assign a name to your rule, tick the box if applicable, indicating “Turn on this rule,” and conclude by pressing the Finish button.

Why can’t I recall a message in Outlook?

It’s too bad that you can only sometimes remember a message in Outlook. This could happen for a number of reasons:

• You’re not using the Outlook app on your computer.
• The person you sent the message to has already read it
• The receiver works for a Microsoft group that is different from yours.

Finally, going back and reading an Outlook letter is just a safety measure in case you forget something vital after you hit “send.” Please don’t use it as an excuse to send rude or angry texts when you’re angry. Giving yourself time to breathe and think about it is essential before telling your boss, “I quit!”

FAQs about recalling Outlook messages

After an hour, can you remember an email?

After an hour, you can always take back an email. You can remember an email in Outlook as long as the other person still needs to open it. But it would help if you moved quickly because the return won’t work after the email is opened.

Does the person who got the email know if Outlook can bring it back?

Yes, Outlook may sometimes let the receiver know that an email has been brought back from the inbox.

Remembering Outlook messages that were opened:

• You can’t get back to the original email once someone opens it. The first message stays in the recipient’s Outlook email, but they can still get and read the second message. That’s one reason you need to move quickly.

Sends you to other folders:

• If the first message you sent set off a filter, and Outlook sent it to a different folder, then your return won’t work. The recall choice only changes emails that are still in your inbox. The first message won’t go away if it waits somewhere else.

Other email programs:

In Outlook, the recall feature can be used with messages. Let’s say you email someone who uses Gmail. The recall won’t work for them.

It’s not always possible to recall Outlook messages, and the person who received them can still read them. You can still delete an Outlook email before it does any damage, though, if you act quickly.

The first step to becoming a power user of Outlook is to learn how to pull up old emails. Take a look at this list of seven Outlook tools you probably need to learn about if you want to learn more. We also have three tips for keeping your Outlook inbox clean, one of which is setting Outlook to send your emails immediately to specific folders.