How to Retrieve Unopened Sent Mail in Microsoft Outlook

Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.
Image Credit: Pixland/Pixland/Getty Images

If you have ever sent an email only to discover you forgot something or need to change it, the recall feature of Microsoft Outlook can be a useful tool. With Microsoft Outlook operating on an Exchange server, you can recall the original message and replace it with changes included. You can also recall it and not replace it if was sent in error. These simple steps may save you a lot of questions and corrections afterwards.

Advertisement

Step 1

Click "Sent Items" in your Microsoft Outlook mail folder menu. The folder list can be found in the Navigation Pane on the left side of your Microsoft Outlook window.

Video of the Day

Step 2

Locate the email you want to recall or correct. Open the message by double-clicking it.

Advertisement

Step 3

Click "Actions" in the menu bar of the sent message. In the "Actions" menu, click "Recall This Message." This will open the Message Recall dialog box.

Step 4

Select "Delete Unread Copies" or "Delete Unread Copies and Replace with New Message" in the dialog box. Deselect the box to receive confirmation of the recall's success if you do not want to receive a confirmation from every recipient. If you want to know who opens the original message, leave this box checked. Click "OK."

Advertisement

Advertisement

Step 5

Create your corrected email in the new message box which appears. Click "Send" when the message is complete. If you elected not to replace the email, this will not appear and you can skip this step.

Video of the Day

Advertisement

Advertisement

references

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...