How to Recall an Email in Gmail (Undo Send)

You hit Send and instantly spot the typo, the wrong attachment or the wrong person in the To line. Gmail can’t pull back an email once it has been delivered, but it gives you a short window to stop it from leaving at all.

How “recalling” an email works in Gmail

Gmail doesn’t recall a delivered message. Instead, Undo Send delays the email for a few seconds after you click Send. If you click Undo inside that window, nothing is delivered and your message reopens as a draft so you can fix it. Once the window closes, the email is gone and it can’t be taken back.

That makes the setting itself the most important part. The default window is short, so lengthening it is the single best thing you can do.

How to undo a sent email

1. Watch for the “Message sent” box

Straight after you click Send, a small box appears in the bottom left corner of Gmail saying Message sent, with Undo and View message beside it.

2. Click Undo

Click Undo before the box disappears. Gmail cancels the send and reopens the email so you can edit it, add the missing attachment or change the recipients.

3. Send it again when it’s right

Fix the problem, then click Send as normal. This also works for replies and forwards, not just new emails.

How to make the Undo Send window longer

The delay is set once and applies to every email you send. To change it on a computer:

1. Open Gmail and click the Settings gear at the top right.
2. Click See all settings.
3. On the General tab, find Undo Send.
4. Next to Send cancellation period, choose 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click Save changes.

Choose 30 seconds unless you have a reason not to. It costs you half a minute of waiting on each send, but it gives you real time to notice a mistake. Google documents this setting for Gmail on the web, so make the change from a computer.

What to do if it’s too late to undo

If the window has closed, Gmail has no recall button. These are your realistic options:

Send a short correction straight away

A prompt, calm follow-up works better than hoping nobody noticed. Something like “Correction: the meeting is Thursday, not Tuesday” is enough. For a wrong attachment, say so and attach the right one.

Ask the recipient to delete it

If the email went to the wrong person, a quick, polite message asking them to delete it and ignore the contents is the best you can do. It relies on them agreeing.

Use confidential mode for sensitive emails in future

In a new email, click the lock and clock icon at the bottom of the compose window to turn on confidential mode. It lets you set an expiry date, and you can remove the recipient’s access later by opening the email in your Sent folder and choosing Remove access. It reduces the damage if you send something to the wrong person, though it isn’t a guarantee for every situation, so don’t treat it as a substitute for checking the To line.

How to avoid needing to recall emails

A few habits catch most mistakes before they happen:

• Check the To line last. Gmail’s autocomplete is quick to fill in the wrong contact with a similar name.
• Think before using Reply all. Use plain Reply unless everyone on the thread really needs your answer.
• Check the attachment. If you wrote “see attached”, look for the paperclip before you send.
• Use Schedule send for anything important. Click the small arrow next to Send and choose Schedule send. You get a chance to reread it later, with fresh eyes, before it goes.
• Mind what is underneath your reply. Every Gmail reply quietly includes the older emails in the thread, hidden behind the three dots. That can include messages, names or figures the new recipient was never meant to see. Delete that quoted text before sending (step-by-step guide), or let ThreadTrim remove it from every reply automatically.

For more settings worth changing, see our list of 21 Gmail tips and tricks, and learn the shortcuts in the Gmail keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet.