How to Recall or Resend Emails in Microsoft Outlook

SmartByteITS | July 3, 2025

Ever hit “Send” too soon on an email? Maybe you forgot an attachment, sent it to the wrong person, or just had second thoughts. Microsoft Outlook offers two powerful features to help you recover: Recall and Resend. Here’s how to use them like a pro.

🔁 Resend an Email in Outlook

Resending is perfect when:

• A recipient didn’t receive your message
• You want to send the same email to new recipients
• You need to update and resend a previous message

✅ Steps to Resend:

1. Go to your Sent Items folder.
2. Double-click the email you want to resend.
3. In the toolbar, click Actions > Resend This Message.
4. Make any edits (change recipients, update content, add attachments).
5. Click Send.

🧹 Recall an Email in Outlook

Recalling is useful when:

• You sent an email with incorrect info
• You forgot to include something important
• You want to replace the original message

⚠️ Requirements:

• Both sender and recipient must use Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts
• The recipient must be in the same organization
• The email must be unread and still in the recipient’s inbox

✅ Steps to Recall:

1. Open your Sent Items folder.
2. Double-click the message you want to recall.
3. Go to Message > Actions > Recall This Message.
4. Choose:
   • Delete unread copies
   • Delete unread copies and replace with a new message
5. Click OK and send the replacement if needed.
   • 📬 You’ll receive a Recall Report showing success or failure.

🧠 Final Thoughts

Outlook’s recall and resend features are great safety nets—but nothing beats taking a few extra seconds to review before you hit send. Consider setting up delayed sending for sensitive messages.