Can you unsend an email in Outlook? Retracting an email can be done through the system, but it’s up to the developer. Email service is part of my life, where I conduct most of the professional conversations. I’m not perfect and I do make mistakes in the messages, and it could lead to an embarrassment. Email retraction is an important feature for those, who make minor mistakes and edit that part.
Is it possible to unsend the email in Outlook?
Microsoft did add an option to recall the email and it is limited in many ways. It is available in Microsoft Exchange Account only.
The regular Outlook account doesn’t have the advanced feature because Microsoft is selling it in the professional package.
Your company or school will subscribe to a premium service called Microsoft Exchange Server. You will be given an email account on the exchange server. The retract option is available in the company and school network only and it is connected to the Microsoft Exchange Server.
Also, it won’t work on servers that have “Azure Information Protection” enabled. Nonetheless, you can take a roundabout method to remove the email from the Outlook inbox.
How to retract an email in Outlook on PC?
The world has switched to online work, and it has moved millions to use desktops or laptops daily. It is very common to send and receive emails from a PC because it is convenient and maximum support. Outlook is a web-based client, and that’s how it started in the initial days.
- Go to the official site and click on the “sign-in” button.
- Enter your email address and enter the password and then click on “Next” to continue.
- Let the dashboard load and click on “sent items” to continue.
- Tap on the three-dot settings and then tap on the “Delete” button.
- The email will end up in junk.
The Outlook email is removed from the account. Make sure to delete what’s left in the junk folder, if you don’t plan to recover it.
How to recall the email in Outlook on the smartphone?
I always found dedicated email apps useful to quickly read the new messages from clients or customers. Replying to them on the smartphone is a different story, but it is indeed a comfort.
- Open the app and tap on “Add Account.”
- Enter the email address, and then tap on “Add Account.”
- Enter the password and then tap on “sign in.”
- You are redirected to the dashboard and tap on your profile icon.
- Choose the “Sent” folder from the menu.
- Choose the email that you wish to remove.
- Tap on the trash can button located at the top right side.
- The email is dumped in the “deleted” folder.
In case, if you do not wish to leave traces or backup, then you can permanently delete the email from the “deleted” folder. Outlook will automatically delete the remnants after 14-days, so you can leave them to the Microsoft service.
How to unsend the email in Microsoft Exchange Account?
If you have an organization account with Microsoft Exchange Account, then you can recall the email and make changes to it. The Redmond-based company is offering the service to premium users only and it is available in MS Exchange service only.
- Open Microsoft Outlook dedicated program in Windows or Mac.
- Click on the “Sent Items” folder located in the main menu.
- Double-click to open the email.
- Click on “File” to reveal more options.
- Tap on the “Resend and Recall” option.
- Choose the “Recall This Message” option.
- You will have two options on the screen and choose one.
- Delete unread copies of this message,
- Delete unread copies and replace them with a new message.
- Click on “Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient”, so you can keep a track of it.
- Click on “OK” to finish the process.
Unfortunately, regular Outlook doesn’t have this feature in the app and web-based application. Only paying Exchange and 365 users can use this recall feature and that’s one of the selling points of the service.
What do you need to know about unsending emails in Outlook?
You have to know a couple of things before getting started.
- There is no feature from Microsoft that can recall an email in regular Outlook.
- You need Exchange or 365 accounts to retract the email because it is a premium feature.
- There is no way to retract a read email, and that is why Microsoft notifies, whether the operation has succeeded or failed.
- I have double-checked in the dedicated email app, and I did find any recall or retract option.
It would have been a blessing if Microsoft added an option to retract the email, but it is what it is. We cannot blame the company for not offering such an option because it is not available on other platforms.
Bottom Line
You can unsent messages or emails in Outlook with Exchange or 365 accounts. Microsoft bundles a dedicated Outlook program for Windows and macOS, and that’s where you can access the feature and recall the email. The advanced feature may work and may not work because it requires support from other email service providers as well.
