Outlook Tip of the Month: How to Recall an E-mail Message

To: UCOP Community
From: IR&C; Technology Service Desk

E-mail is a fast way to communicate with co-workers, schedule meetings, and share documents. Sometimes in your haste to get work done, though, you forget to attach a file, or include necessary information. Just after clicking Send, you realize your mistake!

Can you undo your error? Yes... to a point.

You can recall the original message from recipients who haven't opened it yet, and then resend it with the missing attachment or information. You are playing an e-mail sleight of hand and replacing the original message with another, or deleting it altogether.

Here's how:

1. In Mail, in the navigation pane, click on the Sent Items folder.
2. Open the message you want to recall or replace.
3. On the Actions menu, click Recall This Message.
4. Select to delete the message, or to delete and replace it with a new message, or



5. Click OK. Type a new message if you're replacing e-mail.
6. Click Send.

Remember, if you are recalling a message to a large number of people, you may want to clear the Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient check box. If a recall fails, it's because the recipient already opened the original e-mail.

If you have questions about this tip or any other Outlook feature, please contact the IR&C; TechDesk at 987-0457 or techdesk@ucop.edu.

IR&C; TechDesk

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