Recall or Replace a Sent Email in Outlook

Hit Send too soon? Forgot an attachment or picked the wrong recipient? With Recall message you pull a sent email back from your colleagues' mailboxes. In classic Outlook you can also replace the message with a new version. Exchange Online now uses cloud-based recall, which works in classic Outlook, the new Outlook and Outlook on the web.

When does recall work?

You and the recipient have a mailbox in the same Microsoft 365 organization.
It doesn't work for recipients outside your organization. They keep the message.
By default, recall no longer works once the recipient has read the message. Your admin can change this behavior in the Exchange admin center.
If the recipient already forwarded the message, the forwarded copy stays.

Recall in classic Outlook

Open the Sent Items folder.
Double-click the message to open it.
Choose File > Info > Message Resend and Recall > Recall This Message. In older versions you find this under Actions.
Choose Delete unread copies of this message, or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message.
Select OK. If you chose replace, a copy opens that you can edit and send again.

Choosing between delete or replace when recalling

Recall in the new Outlook and Outlook on the web

Open Sent Items and open the message.
Select More actions (...) and choose Recall message.
Confirm with OK.

Here you can't replace the message directly. Recall it, then send a new version. After a few minutes you get an email with the recall report, showing per recipient whether it worked.

Even better: undo send

With Undo send you get a few extra seconds to change your mind. The message only leaves after that time, so it also works for external recipients.