How to Delete an Email Sent to the Wrong Person: A Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to quickly delete or recall an incorrectly sent email using Outlook and Gmail.

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Recalling or deleting an email depends on your email service. In Outlook, go to the 'Sent Items' folder, open the email, click 'Actions' and select 'Recall This Message'. Note that both sender and recipient must use Microsoft Exchange for this to work. In Gmail, consider enabling 'Undo Send' under settings, which temporarily delays sending. If that's not available, apologize promptly to the recipient and explain the mistake. Also, verify recipients before sending future emails to avoid similar errors.

FAQs & Answers

  1. Can I recall an email in Gmail? No, Gmail does not support recalling emails once they have been sent. However, you can enable the 'Undo Send' feature, which delays the sending of your email for a few seconds, allowing you to cancel it.
  2. What should I do if I sent an email to the wrong person? If you send an email to the wrong recipient, it's best to apologize promptly, clarify the mistake, and ask them to delete the email. Consider double-checking recipients before sending emails in the future.
  3. How does recalling an email work in Outlook? In Outlook, you can recall an email by going to your 'Sent Items' folder, opening the specific email, clicking 'Actions', and selecting 'Recall This Message'. This only works if both you and the recipient use Microsoft Exchange.
  4. Is it possible to recover an email after it's been sent? Once an email is sent and outside the recall window (in services like Gmail), it cannot be recovered. Your best option is to reach out to the recipient quickly to address the error.

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