How to Unsend an Email

How to Unsend an Email.

You can unsend an email for a limited amount of time in both Gmail and Outlook, but you must first enable the feature “Undo Send.”

Once enabled, “Undo Send” will provide you with a small window of opportunity to effectively retract your message before it reaches its intended recipient.

How to Unsend an Email in Gmail

The “Undo Send” feature in Gmail is switched on by default, but you may change the time that emails are held from the default of five seconds to 30 seconds.

Steps for adjusting your timeframe;

  1. Gmail Settings (cogwheel icon) > See all settings > and choose the General tab.
  2. Scroll down to “Undo Send.”
  3. Set the “Send cancellation period” to what works best for you – 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds.

Look for “Undo” in the “Message Sent” box and click it to send an email again. The email you just sent will be reopened and saved to your “Drafts” folder.

“Undo Send” is also available in the Gmail apps for Android and iOS. Find and click the “Cancel” button at the bottom of the screen.

How to Unsend an Email on Outlook

Outlook, just like Gmail, stores emails for a period of time before sending them providing you with the option to resend an email you’ve already sent.  
However, “Undo Send” is not enabled by default in Outlook. 

How to enable “Undo Send.”

  1. Click on “Settings” (the cogwheel icon).
  2. Click “View all Outlook Settings.”
  3. Click “Mail.”
  4. Scroll to “Undo send.”
  5. Move the slider from 0 up to 10 seconds.

When you decide to unsend an email, find the “undo” box in the “sending” box at the bottom of the Outlook window and click on it. The email you just sent will open up and be saved in your drafts.

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