# Can I Cancel a Sent Email...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834 "2003-05-22T16:06:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/1 "2003-05-22T16:06:40Z")
It’s not life or death, but I was wondering if there is any way to unsend an email after it appears in the Sent box? Just like there is a way to view emails in your mailbox, is there a way to delete items from the queue of outgoing mail from the server (as opposed to Outlook’s Outbox), if I can catch it in time? One parallel question: What if an email bounces back, and the postmaster says it’ll keep trying? Can I somehow tell it to stop trying? I thought this might be a special case…giving some me added hope! Thanks, Jinx ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/2 "2003-05-22T16:10:58Z")
I don’t _think_ that Outlook Express supports recalling messages, but Outlook 2000 (we use it at work with Windows 2000) does. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/3 "2003-05-22T16:14:47Z")
On Outlook Express, If you open up a Sent Mail and go into Actions, there is a Recall This Message option, which I am told will delete an UNREAD mail from the recipients inbox. However I have never tried this so cannot account for this option. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/4 "2003-05-22T16:24:35Z")
In general, you can’t delete messages from your outgoing mail servers message queue unless you have administrative access to that server. This is a general answer, of course; there may be specific servers that allow this, but the ones I’m familiar with do not. If you are using your ISPs email server (as opposed to one at work) then I’d almost bet money on it that you can’t. In **dantheman** ’s case with MS Outlook (not Express), that’s a feature of MS Exchange (the email server). If you use outlook to send email to a non-exchange server (or even to another email address outside of your domain) there’s a good chance that the recall message function would not work. I don’t believe that there is a general protocol that all mailers understand to recall messages, so at best it would be hit or miss; i.e. don’t depend on it. Rather than researching a way to recall an accidentally sent message, your time might be better spent composing an apology :smack: . ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/5 "2003-05-22T16:37:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Carl\_A\_Norris \* > \*\*On Outlook Express, If you open up a Sent Mail and go into Actions, there is a Recall This Message option, which I am told will delete an UNREAD mail from the recipients inbox. However I have never tried this so cannot account for this option. \*\* I’m looking at OE right now, and I don’t have Actions anywhere… Hm. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/6 "2003-05-22T17:12:56Z")
“However I have never tried this so cannot account for this option.” You could email yourself & then send another cancel after it & see if it works. ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/7 "2003-05-22T17:22:13Z")
I tried to recall a message sent to a friend, just to see if it would work. Using Outlook 98, I was e-mailing to a Yahoo! address. The friend got a message saying, “[whatami] is trying to recall this message. Do you want to let him” (I can’t remember the exact phrasing, but it was close to that. She said no and got to keep it. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/8 "2003-05-22T17:41:58Z")
Hmm… thanks everyone! I have MS Outlook (not Express), and there is a “recall” menu option under “Action”. Now, for everyone’s benefit, you must first go into the email to see this specific menu option under the “Action” pull-down menu…as opposed to the “Action” menu in the Inbox’s menubar. Anyhow, it appears to work, but it doesn’t notify me if anything has happened. What is supposed to happen? I do notice that the recalled message appears in my Outbox once more, but that doesn’t seem convincing that it really worked… Can anyone assure me? Thanks, - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/9 "2003-05-22T17:44:18Z")
Sure, email the person you originally sent it to… “Saaaaaaay, did I email you nottoolongago?” ---
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cancel-a-sent-email/176834/10 "2003-05-22T19:49:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jinx \* > \*\*Anyhow, it appears to work, but it doesn’t notify me if anything has happened. What is supposed to happen? I do notice that the recalled message appears in my Outbox once more, but that doesn’t seem convincing that it really worked… > > Can anyone assure me? > Thanks, > > - Jinx \*\* The way it works here is that the message will show up in the recepient’s inbox, together with another message that says “recall.” You should get a response fairly quickly that will tell you if the recall was a success or not. If the person attempts to read it after you recall it, it should automatically delete the message. However, I’m not sure if this will work if you sent the e-mail to an internet e-mail account.