"Oh, no, I shouldn't have sent that email." This has happened to all of us at least once. The good news is that you can send or revoke an email in Microsoft Outlook. To help you prevent this scenario in the future, we'll explain how to undo sending an email and how to delay emails so you can check them.
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Use Undo Send in Outlook for Web
You can cancel the sending of an email in Outlook for web with one click. You will have up to 10 seconds to do it. First, you need to make sure that the function is set up correctly.
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First, click on the Settings icon (the gear) and scroll to the bottom of the resulting sidebar. Then select "View All Outlook Settings".
When the Settings window opens, select "Mail" on the left and then "Compose and Reply" on the right.
On the right-hand edge, scroll down to the Undo Send section. You will see a brief explanation of the function with a slider to adjust the number of seconds up to 10.
After you adjust the Undo Send time, be sure to click "Save" at the bottom.
Unsend your email
The next time you send an email to Outlook for the web, you will see a short message appear at the bottom.
Click "Undo" to stop your email from going to your recipient within the time frame you set above.
You will then see the email as a draft, just as when you originally created it. From there you can edit or delete it according to your preferences.
Recall an email in Outlook on the desktop
Although similar, the Outlook desktop application provides a recall option instead of an Undo Send option.
The difference is that the email is still sent to the recipient. However, you can revoke it if your recipient has not yet opened the email.
There is no timetable to withdraw the message. But the longer you wait, the greater the chance that your recipient will open the email.
Go to the Sent folder for the email account if you have more than one. Select the message to open it in its own window and go to the Message tab.
In the Move section of the ribbon, click the drop-down arrow for More Move Actions. Select "Recall This Message."
In the Recall This Message pop-up window, choose one of two options: either delete unread copies of the email message or delete the unread copies and replace them with a new message.
Optionally, check the box below if you want to be notified of the success or failure of the revocation. Click "OK".
If you select the email replacement option, a new editorial window opens. You will see your original message that you can edit.
Select "Send" when you have finished processing the email.
Create a rule to delay sending emails
To prevent an email from being sent by mistake, you can create a rule in the Outlook desktop cliend.
This rule delays the sending of emails for the number of minutes you specify. The emails remain in the Outbox, where you can check them before they are sent.
Go to the File tab and select "Info" on the left. Select your email account at the top if you have more than one. Then click "Manage Rules & Alerts."
In the Rules and Alerts box, confirm that you are in the Email Rules tab and that the correct email address is displayed. Then select "New Rule" in the top left corner.
When the Rules Wizard opens, select "Apply Rule on Messages I Send" located in the Start From a Blank Rule section. Click "Next."
You can then choose specific conditions for your rule if you want.
For example, you might want the rule to apply only to messages marked as important or to messages with specific words in the subject line.
If you do not select conditions, simply select "Next." You'll then see a notification confirming that you want your rule to apply to every email you send.
Click "Yes" to confirm and continue.
On the following screen, check the box at the bottom for Defer Delivery by a Number of Minutes.
Then click on the link to "a number" in the Step 2 box at the bottom.
In the next pop-up window, enter the number of minutes you want and click "OK". Then select "Next."
If you want to apply any exceptions to your rule, check one of the boxes below. Then click "Next" again.
On the final screen, give your rule a name. Check the box to enable this rule and optionally check the box to create this rule on all accounts.
Check the rule description at the bottom. If you need to make a change, click "Back." Otherwise, select "Finish" to create your rule.
When you return to the Rules and Alerts window, you will see your new rule in the list. Select "Apply" and then "OK" to close the window and return to your inbox.
To check the emails waiting to be sent, go to the Outbox folder for your email account. You then have time to edit or delete an email before it reaches your recipient.
When you send a message that's missing an attachment or contains details that shouldn't be there, you have ways to undo the sending or revoke the email. But to make sure this doesn't happen again, consider setting the delivery delay rule for the Outlook emails you send.
Source of information: howtogeek.com
