How to Edit a Sent Email in Outlook on Windows 11

You can’t edit an email in someone else’s inbox after Outlook has sent it. Instead, you can fix it in one of three ways. Within seconds of sending, select Undo in the new Outlook for Windows. If you and the recipient have Microsoft 365 work or school accounts in the same organization, open the message in Sent Items and select Recall Message before they open it. Otherwise, open the message and choose Resend to send a corrected copy.

Applies to: New Outlook for Windows and classic Outlook on Windows 11. Checked against Microsoft Support on September 30, 2026.

Which option can you use?

It depends on how quickly you notice the mistake and what kind of account you have:

• Just clicked Send (within about 10 seconds): Undo send, in new Outlook or Outlook.com.
• Work or school account, recipient in your organization, not opened yet: Recall, and optionally replace the message.
• Anyone else, or the recipient already opened it: Resend a corrected copy with a short note.

Microsoft says message recall doesn’t work for personal accounts, such as Outlook.com, Hotmail or Gmail addresses, and it can’t pull a message back from someone outside your organization.

Method 1: Undo send (new Outlook)

Undo send holds each message for a few seconds before it really leaves, so you can catch mistakes.

Turn on undo send

1. In new Outlook, select Settings (the gear icon).
2. Select Mail > Compose and reply.
3. Under Undo send, drag the slider to choose how long Outlook waits, up to 10 seconds.
4. Select Save.

Undo a message

Right after you select Send, an Undo prompt appears at the bottom of the Outlook window. Select it before the time runs out, and the message goes back to being a draft. Fix it and send it again.

Classic Outlook doesn’t have undo send. You can get a similar safety net with a rule that delays sending: select File > Manage Rules & Alerts > New Rule, start from Apply rule on messages I send, and choose defer delivery by a number of minutes. Messages then wait in your Outbox for that long.

Method 2: Recall and replace a message (work or school accounts)

Recall removes the message from the recipient’s inbox if they haven’t opened it yet. You can then send a corrected version.

In new Outlook

1. Select Sent Items in the folder pane.
2. Double-click the message to open it in its own window.
3. On the ribbon, select Recall Message, then select OK.

Shortly afterward, you get a Message Recall Report in your inbox. Select the link in it to see whether the recall succeeded, is pending, or failed. Then send your corrected message.

In classic Outlook

1. Select Sent Items and double-click the message. Recall doesn’t work from the reading pane.
2. On the Message tab, select Actions (or More commands (…) > Actions), then Recall This Message.
3. Choose Delete unread copies and replace with a new message, then select OK.

4. A copy of the message opens. Make your changes and select Send.

Microsoft says the recall report usually arrives within 30 seconds, and Outlook keeps trying for up to 24 hours if a mailbox isn’t available.

When recall doesn’t work

• The recipient already opened the message.
• The recipient is outside your organization, or uses a personal account.
• You use a personal Outlook.com account. Recall isn’t available.
• The message was moved out of the recipient’s inbox, for example by a rule.
• If you don’t see Recall This Message, your account doesn’t support it.

Check whether a recall worked

With a Microsoft 365 work or school account, Outlook sends you a Message Recall Report by email after you recall a message. Open it to see, for each recipient, whether the recall succeeded, failed, or is still pending. A failure usually means the person already opened the message, or that it went to an address outside your organization.

Method 3: Resend a corrected copy (any account)

This always works, because you’re sending a new message. The recipient still has the original.

1. Open Sent Items and double-click the message.
2. Select Resend. In new Outlook, it’s under More actions (…). In classic Outlook, select Actions > Resend This Message.
3. The message opens as a new draft with the same recipients. Fix the mistake, add a short note at the top such as “Correction: the meeting is on Thursday, not Tuesday,” and select Send.

If you forgot an attachment, simply reply to your own message with the attachment and a one-line note. That keeps the conversation together.

Write a clear correction email

If you have to send a correction, keep it short so it isn’t confused with the original:

• Start the subject with Correction: followed by the original subject, so people connect the two messages.
• In the first line, say exactly what changed, such as “The meeting is on Thursday, not Tuesday.”
• Attach the right file again if the mistake was a wrong or missing attachment.
• Skip long apologies. One short sentence is enough.

Edit your own copy in Sent Items (classic Outlook)

Classic Outlook lets you change the copy saved in your Sent Items, for example to add a note for your records. Open the message, select Actions > Edit Message, make your changes, and press Ctrl + S to save. This doesn’t change what anyone else received.

Tips to avoid sending mistakes

• Turn on Undo send at 10 seconds in new Outlook.
• Add recipients last, after you’ve finished writing, so a message can’t go out early.
• Attach files before you write the message text.
• Use Schedule send (the arrow next to Send) for important messages, so you have time to review them.

Frequently asked questions

Can I edit an email after it’s been read?

No. Once the recipient opens it, send a follow-up correction instead.

Does recall tell the recipient?

Sometimes. Depending on their Outlook version and settings, they may see that you recalled a message. A replacement message arrives as a new email.

Why is Recall Message missing?

You probably have a personal account, such as Outlook.com, or your organization has turned the feature off. Use undo send or resend instead.

Can I recall an email sent to a Gmail address?

No. Recall only works within your own Microsoft 365 organization.

How do I know which Outlook I have?

Classic Outlook has a File menu at the top left of the ribbon. New Outlook doesn’t, and it looks like Outlook on the web.

Next steps

If you use Outlook on a Windows 10 PC, see how to install Outlook on Windows 10. Microsoft explains recall in detail in How to recall an email in Outlook.