Sent the Wrong Email? Learn How to Quickly Recall It in Gmail

Gmail includes a helpful feature called Undo Send, which lets you cancel an email just moments after you hit the Send button. It’s extremely useful when you suddenly realise you’ve made a mistake — maybe you forgot an attachment, typed the wrong information, or sent the email to the wrong person. Instead of panicking, Undo Send gives you a short window to stop the message before it reaches the recipient.

This feature works by delaying the actual delivery of your email for a few seconds. During this delay, you get the chance to pull the message back. You can also extend this delay to give yourself more time to catch errors. The best part is that Undo Send is available on both the desktop and mobile versions of Gmail.

How to Recall an Email in Gmail Using Undo Send

Gmail’s Undo Send option lets you cancel an outgoing email within a short timeframe. Here’s how it works on both desktop and mobile.

On Desktop

1. After you send an email, look at the bottom-left corner of your screen.
2. You’ll see a small notification that says “Message sent” along with an Undo button.
3. Click Undo.
   The email will reopen, allowing you to edit it, fix the error, or delete it entirely.

On Mobile (Android or iOS)

1. Right after you send an email, a “Sent” popup appears at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Undo.
   The message will reopen so you can make any necessary corrections.

On smartphones, the Undo option only stays visible for a few seconds. After the undo period ends, the message is sent for good.

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How to Extend the Undo Send Time Window

Gmail allows you to choose how long your cancellation period lasts. Extending this time gives you more room to catch mistakes before your email is actually sent.

Here’s how to increase the undo time:

1. Open Gmail and click the gear (Settings) icon.
2. Select See all settings.
3. Under the General tab, find the Undo Send section.
4. Choose your preferred duration: 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.

A longer delay can drastically reduce the chance of sending emails with errors. Keep in mind that deleting an email from your Sent folder does not take it back from the recipient. Once Gmail has delivered the message, it cannot be retrieved — only Undo Send can stop the email before it goes out.

What to Do If the Email Has Already Been Sent

If the Undo Send window has already passed, Gmail cannot remove the email from the recipient’s inbox. In this case, the best solution is to follow up with a quick, polite correction message.

Here’s a simple example:

Subject: Please disregard my previous email
Message: The earlier email was sent by mistake. Please ignore it. Thank you for your understanding.

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