How to Recall an Email in Gmail

Have you ever regretted sending an email? Be it a wrong address or an embarrassing typo in the email body, we all make email mistakes at some point. And to avoid humiliation, we wish to recall those sent emails. The good news is you can actually do that. In this article, you will learn everything about how to recall an email in Gmail. Also, you will know how to change the email cancellation period.

Let’s dive in:

Requirements for Recalling a Sent Email in Gmail

Here are critical requirements for recalling a sent email in Gmail:

• You must give the recall command within the cancellation period
• The message sent pop-up should be open

If you close the message sent pop-up, you won’t be able to recall an email even if the cancellation period is not over.

How to Recall a Gmail Email

The following are quick steps to help you recall a wrong email:

Step. 1

Log in to your Gmail account, and click on compose to start writing an email.

Step. 2

Write your email and click the Send button.

Step. 3

As you click on the send button, the message sent pop-up will open at the bottom left corner.

Step. 4

Quickly click on the Undo button as soon as the message sent pop-up appears. The undoing process will start.

In just a few seconds, you’ll see a message indicating that the sending process has been undone. The unsent email will be stored in your Drafts folder, allowing you to correct any mistakes and resend it.

The above process outlines how to recall an email in Gmail when using a web browser. If you’re using the Gmail app on your Android or iOS device, you will need to follow the same steps to recall an email.

What is the Send Cancellation Period in Gmail?

The send cancellation period in Gmail is the time duration you have to recall an email. By default, Gmail gives you five seconds to recall an email. Once these five seconds are over, you will not be able to recall an email.

However, you can change the default Gmail send cancellation period. At present, Google allows you to increase it up to 30 seconds.

Changing the Gmail Send Cancellation Period

To change the cancellation period, you must log in to your Gmail account using a web browser, as this cannot be done through the Gmail app on Android or iOS.

The following is the process for changing the Gmail send cancellation period:

Step. 1

Click on Gmail Settings in the upper right corner, and then go to the See All Settings menu.

Sept. 2

In the General settings menu, you will find the Undo send section, where you can choose a cancellation period for your sent emails of 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds.

Step. 3

After selecting the desired duration from Send cancellation period’ drop-down menu, scroll down the bar of General Settings and click on the Save changes button.

You have successfully adjusted the Gmail send cancellation period, and this updated period will automatically apply to your Gmail app on both Android and iOS.

Can you have a cancellation period of more than 30 seconds? Yes, you can.

With the help of a third-party tool, you can recall emails after more than 30 seconds. Next, we will look at a few Gmail email alternatives to increase the cancellation period.

Recall a Gmail Email Alternatives

If you don’t want to recall an email using Google’s undo send feature, there are alternatives you can explore.

The following tools can help you recall a sent email:

Pointofmail

You can use the Pointofmail Chrome extension to learn how to recall an email in Gmail. This robust tool offers a variety of advanced features, including the ability to disable forwarding, send self-destructing emails, and modify the content of messages that have already been sent.

Virtru

Virtru provides comprehensive email encryption, detailed access controls, ongoing file protection, immediate email revocation, and additional features. With Virtru, you can effortlessly revoke access to any email, allowing you to stop the recipient from opening your message.

It is easy to get started with Virtru. Download the Virtru extension for Google Chrome, and activate the tool. When you write an email in Gmail, you will see the Virtru toggle at the top right corner of the email compose window. Toggle on to start having Virtru protection on.

Digify for Gmail

Using Digify, you can quickly unsend an incorrectly attached document. However, if you’re looking to learn how to recall an email in Gmail, this tool won’t meet your needs. Essentially, Digify is designed to help you protect, track, and control important documents after they’ve been sent.

The tools mentioned above allow for an extended cancellation period. However, it’s important to realize that if you attempt to recall an email after a few minutes or hours, your recipient may have already read it.

Therefore, it is recommended to recall emails as soon as possible to minimize the risk of getting them read.

Why Does My Gmail Email Recall Not Work?

Your Gmail email recall may not work if your Internet connection goes off right after you click on the Undo button or if it was already off when you clicked undo option.

In such a condition, you will get the following message:

Are Recalling Emails on the Gmail Website and Gmail App the Same?

Yes, recalling emails on the Gmail website and Gmail app is the same. You will have the same time period to click the undo button whether you’re recalling an email from a browser or app.

Does the Recipient Know if You Recall an Email in Gmail?

No, the recipient will not know if you recall an email using Google’s undo feature. This is because the recalled email doesn’t reach the recipient’s email address.

So rest assured nobody will know about your embarrassing email mistake if you’re able to recall a sent email.

Conclusion

Now that you understand how to recall an email in Gmail, take advantage of this useful feature to retrieve any embarrassing emails you prefer not to send. Additionally, consider learning how to make a mailing list in Gmail and how to recall an email in Outlook. We suggest setting a cancellation period of 30 seconds to give yourself extra time to recall an email in Gmail.

Image: Envato Elements

This article, "How to Recall an Email in Gmail" was first published on Small Business Trends

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