Everyone’s hit “Send” too soon. Maybe the attachment was missing, the tone wasn’t right, or the wrong name auto-filled in the “To” field. Most of the time, the best you can do is follow up with an apology, but in some cases, your email platform can give you a short window to unsend or recall a message before it reaches the recipient.
Every inbox has its own safety net. Gmail lets you undo a message for a few seconds, Outlook can recall one if the setup allows it, and Apple Mail gives you a short grace period. A few quick settings can make the difference between sending with confidence and scrambling to fix a slip-up.
Why would you need to unsend an email?
In busy workplaces, mistakes in email happen more often than most people think. Professionals send more than 40 emails a day on average, and with that pace, even a small lapse in focus can lead to the wrong message landing in the wrong inbox. A mistyped address or an autocomplete error is all it takes to turn a routine update into a potential problem.
According to a Tessian report, 2 in 5 employees have sent an email to the wrong person, and nearly the same number have shared the wrong attachment. Another survey found that almost 4 in 5 professionals misaddress at least one email every year, while 1 in 10 do so monthly. For businesses, those numbers have consequences. Nearly a third of companies have lost a client or customer after an email mistake, and many have had to report these incidents to regulators. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office recorded a 32% increase in data breaches caused by misdirected emails in 2021 compared to the previous year.
These statistics show why the ability to unsend an email matters. It protects sensitive information, reduces compliance risk, and preserves trust with clients and colleagues. A few seconds to retract or delay a message can prevent hours of follow-up, escalation, and unnecessary stress.
How to unsend an email in Gmail
Gmail includes one of the simplest and most reliable “unsend” tools available. Google introduced this feature to reduce sender error and boost workplace communication accuracy, and it works in both desktop and mobile versions. Here’s how:
- After sending an email, look for the “Message sent” pop-up in the lower-left corner of your screen.
- You’ll see an Undo button next to it. Click Undo immediately.
- Gmail will reopen your message in the Compose window, giving you the chance to review, edit, or delete it.
The action must happen within your selected Undo Send window. By default, Gmail sets this at 5 seconds.
Read more: How to unsend an email in Gmail
How to extend the Undo Send time limit for Gmail
- Go to Settings → See all settings → General.
- Find the Undo Send option.
- From the drop-down menu, choose 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
To avoid rushed mistakes, always keep Undo Send set to 30 seconds, the maximum allowed by Gmail.
Note: Once the “Undo” timer expires, the email is permanently delivered, and you cannot retract it, even if the recipient hasn’t opened it.
How to unsend an email in Outlook
Microsoft Outlook offers a “Recall This Message” option for some users, but it comes with important limitations. The recall function works only when both you and your recipient use Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts in the same organization.
- Open Outlook and go to your Sent Items folder.
- Double-click the message you want to recall to open it in its own window.
- Select File → Info → Message Resend and Recall → Recall This Message.
- Choose one of the following options:
- Delete unread copies of this message, or
- Delete unread copies and replace with a new message.
- Click OK.
If your recall is successful, Outlook will notify you via email confirmation.
Read more: How to recall an email in Outlook
Why Outlook recalls sometimes fail
According to Microsoft Support, recalls fail when:
- The recipient already opened the email.
- The recipient uses Gmail, Yahoo, or another non-Exchange account.
- The email was moved out of the Inbox (for example, by a rule).
- The sender or recipient is on different servers.
When that happens, the best course is to send a follow-up correction. Keep it short, factual, and polite, for example:
“Apologies, please ignore my previous message. Here’s the correct version for your reference.”
Tip: If you often send sensitive or time-critical information, enable “Delay Delivery” in Outlook to hold messages for 1–2 minutes before sending. That small buffer can prevent big problems.
How to unsend an email in Yahoo Mail
Yahoo Mail doesn’t currently offer an official unsend or recall feature. Once an email leaves your outbox, it’s permanently delivered to the recipient’s server. However, you can still protect yourself from future errors by adding review steps or using third-party tools.
Best practices for safer sending in Yahoo Mail
Since there isn’t an unsend option for Yahoo (yet), here are some tips to help prevent any accidental mis-sends:
- Save drafts before sending: Revisit your message after a few minutes to catch errors with a fresh eye.
- Enable confirmation prompts: Some browser extensions, like Boomerang or RightInbox, add a “Confirm Send” feature to Yahoo.
- Use scheduled or delayed sending: Third-party apps can hold your outgoing messages for a few seconds before they’re actually sent. If you use Yahoo Mail Pro or access Yahoo through a third-party client like Thunderbird, you can enable scheduled sends for a short delay window.
- Proof attachments and recipients carefully: Most mistakes come from typing similar names or forgetting attachments. Take a brief pause to double-check before hitting “Send.”
How to unsend an email in Apple Mail (iCloud)
Apple added an Undo Send option to Apple Mail in macOS Ventura and iOS 16 or later. It works much like Gmail’s system, letting you retract a message within a few seconds of sending:
- After sending, look for the Undo Send button at the bottom-left of your screen.
- Click Undo Send within 10 seconds of sending.
- Your email reopens as a draft, allowing you to edit or delete it.
Note: Older versions of macOS or iOS don’t include this feature. If you don’t see “Undo Send,” update your software to the latest version.
How to adjust the Undo Send delay time for Apple Mail
Want to give yourself more time to recall your emails? Here’s how to change the delay time for iCloud/Apple Mail:
- Go to Mail → Settings → Composing.
- Find the Undo send delay option.
- Choose a delay between 5 and 30 seconds.
How to unsend an email in Proton Mail
Proton Mail is built for privacy, which changes how message control works. Messages are end-to-end encrypted, meaning even Proton can’t access them after delivery, so true “recall” isn’t possible. However, Proton offers alternative ways to manage mistakes securely:
- When composing an email, click the clock icon at the bottom of the window.
- Set an expiration time, for example, 1 hour, 1 day, or 1 week.
- After that period, the message automatically disappears from the recipient’s inbox and becomes unreadable.
Unsending password-protected emails in Proton Mail
If you’re sending outside the Proton ecosystem (for example, to Gmail or Outlook), you can add password protection:
- Click the lock icon in the compose window.
- Create a secure password and share it with your recipient separately.
- If you realize there’s an error, delete the shared link or change the password to immediately block access.
Your best defense against email slip-ups
Mistakes happen, but they don’t have to define your day. Knowing how to unsend or recall an email helps you fix small errors fast, and setting up delays or undo windows protects you from bigger ones.
If you spend hours each week managing emails, following up, and correcting small details, Fyxer can help. Fyxer keeps your inbox organized, drafts replies in your tone, and flags messages that need attention, so you can focus on the work that actually moves things forward.
Unsending emails FAQs
Can I unsend an email after 30 seconds in Gmail?
No. Once Gmail’s 30-second limit passes, your email is fully delivered to the recipient’s server. You can’t delete or retract it. To reduce risk, always keep the Undo Send timer at its maximum setting. That small buffer is often the difference between sending confidently and sending in haste, especially during back-to-back conversations.
Can I enable “Undo Send” in Yahoo or Proton Mail?
Yahoo doesn’t support Undo Send directly. Proton Mail offers expiration and password-protection features instead. For both, using scheduled send tools or third-party clients can help create a similar safety buffer. These options give you time to review your message before it leaves your outbox, helping you maintain accuracy and control even when native recall isn’t available.
Does Apple Mail’s Undo Send work on older iPhones or Macs?
No. The Undo Send feature was introduced in macOS Ventura and iOS 16. Devices running earlier versions of the operating system don’t support it. If you often email from an older device, consider updating or using iCloud Mail through a web browser to access the latest sending features.
Is it possible to delete an email after the recipient opens it?
No. Once an email has been opened, you can’t delete or retract it. The most professional approach is to send a quick correction or clarification immediately. Acting quickly shows accountability and helps preserve trust, especially in client or team communications.
Can you unsend an email you sent hours ago?
In most cases, no. Recall and Undo features only work within seconds. After that, the message is considered delivered. Prevention, not correction, is your best safeguard. Enabling send delays, reviewing drafts, and double-checking recipients will do far more for accuracy than any recall tool can after the fact.