Recall works only if you and the recipient both have a Microsoft 365 work or school account in the same organization, and the recipient hasn't opened the message yet. Personal accounts (Gmail, Hotmail, Live, MSN, @outlook.com) can't recall at all. Microsoft says those services hand the message off the moment it's sent, so it's "gone from your email server and out of your control." Its fallback is Undo Send in new Outlook or Outlook.com, which has to be on before you send.
Does your setup get a recall button?
| Where you send from | Recall |
|---|---|
| New Outlook for Windows, work or school account | Yes |
| Classic Outlook for Windows, Exchange account | Yes |
| Outlook on the web, work or school account | Listed as yes (see note) |
| Outlook for Mac 16.94 (Build 25010522) or later | Yes, with a work or school account |
| Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN addresses | No |
| Gmail | No |
Microsoft's recall article contradicts itself about the web. The summary lists Outlook on the web as supported, and the page has a full "Recall a message in Outlook on the web" section. A note in the classic Outlook section says "You can't recall a message in Outlook on the web."
New Outlook for Windows
- Open Sent Items in the left folder pane and double-click the message so it opens in its own window.
- On the ribbon, select Recall Message, then OK in the confirmation box.
Outlook on the web uses the same two steps.
Classic Outlook for Windows
- Open the Sent Items folder.
- Double-click the message. Selecting it so it shows in the reading pane isn't enough.
- Classic Ribbon: Message tab, Move group, More Move Actions, Recall This Message. Simplified Ribbon: Message tab, More commands (...), Actions, Recall This Message.
- Choose "Delete unread copies of this message" or "Delete unread copies and replace with a new message", then OK. For a replacement, write it and send.
If Recall This Message isn't there, you probably don't have an Exchange account, or your organization has the feature turned off. You also can't recall a message protected by Azure Information Protection.
Outlook for Mac
Open the message from Sent in its own window and select Recall on the ribbon, then OK. You can also Control-click the message and pick Recall. If the button is missing, add it by customizing the toolbar. Legacy Outlook for Mac isn't supported.
Did it work?
A "Message Recall Report" lands in your inbox, usually within 30 seconds in classic Outlook. Open the report link to see whether the recall succeeded, is pending or failed. If a recipient's mailbox is unavailable, it keeps retrying for up to 24 hours before marking it failed. Status can take up to five minutes for a few hundred recipients, and up to 30 minutes for tens of thousands.
Recall removes the message only from recipients who haven't opened it. Anyone who already read it keeps it.
Undo Send for personal accounts
Outlook.com can hold each message before it goes out, for up to 30 seconds. Turn it on at Settings > Mail > Compose, choose a time under Undo send, and select Save. After that, an Undo prompt appears at the bottom of the message list each time you send. New Outlook for Windows has Undo Send too, per Microsoft's summary, but the article gives steps only for Outlook.com.
Sources
- Microsoft Support — How to recall an email in Outlook: Requirements, Limitations & Steps (checked Nov 8, 2026)
- Microsoft Support — Recall an email message in Outlook for Mac (checked Nov 8, 2026)