How to Go Back and Read an Outlook Email!

Most people have had that heartbreaking experience of sending the wrong message to the wrong person.

Unlike email clients, most smartphone communication applications feature “Unsend” or “Delete for everyone” buttons.

Fortunately, the Outlook recall email feature enables users to resend emails in the event that they accidentally send one to the incorrect recipient. So, if you’re seeking for detailed instructions on how to recall an email in Outlook, keep reading.

Outlook recalling a forwarded email

In case you’re having second thoughts about the email you just sent, here’s how to undo it in Outlook:

1. Locate the Sent Mail folder in the left menu bar. A drop-down menu might need to be opened in order for you to view it.

2. Find the email you wish to remember.

3. To open the original message in a new window, double-click it. (If you only click once, this phase will become stuck.)

4. Select File > Info from the menu at the top right of the message.

5. Choose Message Send the message again, recall it, and then send it again.

6. Ensure that this message’s unread copies are deleted.

7. Moreover pick Tell me if each recipient’s recollection is successful or unsuccessful.

8. Press OK.

Caution: Your old email might not be deleted.

The outlook may not automatically delete your old emails when you recall them. Your message recall may be unsuccessful for the following reasons:

It is already open with the receiver.

Outlook won’t be able to recall the email if the recipient(s) have already read it. They’ve already read it at this time, and the damage is already done. You’ll get an email letting you know who read and who didn’t if you checked the box for Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient.

Your email was forwarded to a different folder.

Because your recipient’s email filters separate incoming emails into multiple categories, you may occasionally forget an Outlook email you sent. Outlook cannot recall or delete an email that has been placed in a project folder or the spam folder, for instance.

In a public folder, that is.

You won’t be able to recollect an email that somehow ended up in a public folder. This can occur if the recipient’s email address is public or if a filter routed your email to a public folder.

The addressee makes use of a different email client than Outlook.

You can always go back and retrieve emails that you sent to Outlook accounts. Outlook cannot, however, undo a message that was sent to a Gmail or Yahoo account. You can’t remember sending the email if your recipient’s Outlook account is configured to forward mail to a different email client.

What to do if the Outlook email recall doesn’t work

Sending a new email to apologize is your best option if you can’t remember your Outlook email for one of the aforementioned reasons. Although no one likes this choice, it frequently works. It’s simple to apologize for mistakes or files that were not sent, and most people will accept that you’re only human.

When emotions get in the way, things become a little more challenging. If you can’t remember the email you sent but had a George Costanza moment and said something you really, really shouldn’t have, you should apologize immediately. Even though you might still have to cope with the effects of your error, a heartfelt apology will help to lessen the harm.

last thoughts

The recall message and the original email will both remain in the recipient’s inbox if the original email has been opened and read.

The original message will be erased or replaced, depending on the option you selected, if the recipient opens the recall message first and they have the option under Tracking to automatically process requests and responses to meeting requests and polls checked.

Additionally, Outlook cannot recall the message and the recall request will fail if the recipient has a filter configured to transfer messages out of the inbox and into other folders. Additionally, if the recipient doesn’t use Outlook as their email client, this won’t function.

All of this is to imply that you shouldn’t just rely on Outlook to save you if you accidentally send a crucial email to the wrong recipient or say something you later wish you hadn’t said for work-related reasons. The best way to avoid getting into that predicament is to never put yourself in that scenario in the first place.

Even though you now understand how to recall an email in Outlook, always proofread your emails, check attachments, and double-check recipients before pressing the send button. The internet isn’t said to exist eternally for anything.