Recall feature in the new Microsoft Outlook

🔹 What is the Recall feature in Outlook?

The Recall feature in Outlook allows you to recall a sent email, provided that:
✔️ The recipient is using a Microsoft 365 or Exchange e-mail account within the same organization.
✔️ The e-mail has not yet been opened by the recipient.
✔️ You are using Outlook on the desktop (the feature does not work in Outlook Web or mobile apps).

 

 

🔹 How do you retract an email with the new Outlook?

Want to retract or replace a sent email? Then follow these steps:

1️⃣ Open Outlook and go to “Sent items” 📂
2️⃣ Double-click on the email you want to recall.
3️⃣ Click “File” > “Withdraw message” (or “Recall this message” in English).
4️⃣ Choose one of the options:

• 🔄 Delete unread copies of this message
• ✏️ Replace the message with a new version
  5️⃣ Check the option to receive a notification whether the Recall request was successful.
  6️⃣ Click OK and wait for confirmation.

💡 Note: If the recipient has already opened the email, it cannot be recalled!

 

 

🔹 What’s new in the new Outlook?

Microsoft has improved the Recall feature in the latest version of Outlook, including:

🚀 Better reliability – The likelihood of success is increased, especially within Microsoft 365 organizations.
🔎 More insight – You now get a more detailed status update on message retractions.
📲 Less reliance on the desktop app – While not yet available in Outlook Web, this is expected in the future.

 

 

🔹 Alternatives if Recall does not work

If you find that the Recall function is not working, consider these alternative solutions:

⚡ Send a correction e-mail with a clear subject line such as: “Correction: [Onderwerp]“
🔒 Use “Delayed Send” in Outlook to give yourself a buffer before an email is actually sent.
📢 Immediately ask the recipient to ignore or delete the email if it is an urgent error.

 

 

🔹 Conclusion

The Recall feature in the new Microsoft Outlook is a useful tool, but it works only under specific conditions. Make sure you are familiar with the limitations and consider alternatives to minimize errors in sent e-mails. 💡

Have you used this feature before?

 

 

References

¹https://support.microsoft.com/office/een-e-mailbericht-intrekken-dat-u-in-outlook-hebt-verzonden-35027f88-d655-4554-b4f8-6c0729a723a0

²https://outlook.office.com/mail/options/mail/messageContent

 

 

About the author

My name is Alta Martes, a specialist in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with a focus on modern workplace management, cloud security and identity & access management. With years of experience, I help organizations optimize their IT infrastructure and create a secure, efficient digital workplace.

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