Here's How to Undo an Email Sent Too Quickly by Mistake
Did you just hit send on an email full of typos, missing attachments, or even send it to the wrong recipient? Don't worry, you can still fix it, if you act fast!
You've hit "Send" too soon, an email went to the wrong person, or worse, to an entire group instead of just one recipient. Sound familiar? It's happened to all of us. Then comes the follow up: "Oops, here's the attachment!" Or maybe it's a rushed email, full of typos, sent without a second look. These moments are at best awkward, and at worst look unprofessional.
It's surprisingly easy to make this mistake. One quick click, and your email is speeding into someone's inbox. Email is fast and convenient, but it can be unforgiving if you're not careful. Luckily, some email services let you undo a sent message, but only if you act quickly and use a platform that offers this feature.
Take Gmail, for example. Its "Undo Send" feature is built in and turned on by default. You can set a delay of 5 to 30 seconds to retract your email after hitting "Send." Just adjust this in Gmail's settings. After sending, a small notification will appear at the bottom left of your screen, letting you click "Undo Send" to stop delivery. The mobile app has the same feature, with a default delay of under 10 seconds.
What about Yahoo Mail? That's a bit tougher. The browser version doesn't have an undo option, but the Yahoo app for iPhone or Android does. Once you enable "Undo Send" in the app's settings, you'll get a 5 second window to take back your email.
Apple's Mail app on iPhones also has an undo feature. It gives you about 10 seconds to reverse a sent email, no matter which email provider you use. This is one of the best options.
What about Microsoft Outlook? Things get tricky here. The web version, Outlook.com, and the free desktop apps don't include an "Undo Send" feature. However, with Microsoft 365 and the paid Outlook app, you can recall an email after it's been sent. This works by retrieving the message from the recipient's inbox but only if they also use Outlook, haven't opened the email yet, and meet a few other requirements. Keep in mind, the recipient will still know you sent and recalled the message.