How to Undo Send or recall an email in Apple Mail

At some point, we've all experienced the momentary panic that follows sending an email with a typo or mistakenly hitting "reply all." Whether it's an email with incorrect information or one sent to an unintended recipient, these small errors are part of our daily interactions.

While we may not have a time machine to reverse these steps, Apple Mail offers a practical solution: the Undo Send feature. This feature provides a brief window for users to recall email on Apple Mail after it's been sent.

How to Undo Send an email on iPhone and iPad

The "Undo Send" feature in Apple Mail on iPhone and iPad is a real lifesaver. It allows users to retract an email shortly after sending it, preventing those moments of regret when a mistake is spotted too late.

Relevant post: How to recall an email in Outlook

The process involves sending an email as usual and then immediately choosing the option to undo the send. This feature is very user-friendly and integrates smoothly into the existing Apple Mail interface, providing a convenient way to manage emails on the go.

To adjust the recall time for emails in Apple Mail on your iPhone or iPad, follow these simple steps:

• Open the Settings app on your device.
• Scroll down and tap on "Mail."
• At the bottom, look for "Undo Send Delay."
• Here, select either 20 or 30 seconds, giving you a longer window to undo a sent email.

Recall an email on Mac

On a Mac, the process to recall a sent email in Apple Mail is simple. After sending an email, you can immediately undo this action by choosing "Undo Send" from the Edit menu or using the shortcut Command + Z.

Additionally, this option is accessible in the Mail app's left sidebar. To ensure the sidebar is visible, use the View menu or the Control + Command + S shortcut.

Recommended reading: How to recall an email in Gmail

Undo Send for Apple Mail allows you to delay an outgoing email from reaching a recipient’s inbox for 10 seconds. You can also customize the undo delay to up to 30 seconds in the Mail settings, under the Composing tab.

Check out the Apple Support video for more info:

Practical use cases

The Undo Send feature in Apple Mail is especially useful in several scenarios. It's great for correcting typos, a common issue when quickly composing emails. It also comes in handy when you've forgotten to attach a document or need to change the recipient list. Regularly using this feature in your email habits can act as a safety net, providing peace of mind for important or sensitive emails where errors could have significant consequences.

Recall email in Apple Mail FAQs

How does undo send work?

The Undo Send feature operates by holding your email on your device for a short duration before it's actually sent. This delay gives you a brief window to revise or stop the email. If no action is taken within this period (10 seconds by default, or a longer time if you've set it on iOS), the email will be sent and can no longer be recalled.

Can you undo sending an email?

With Undo Send, yes! It’s easy: whenever you click send on a message, your email will be delayed by a set amount of time, allowing you to cancel sending, make any edits, and send the message again.

Is it easy to undo a sent message?

Using Undo Send couldn’t be simpler. Undo Send is enabled as default, meaning whenever you send a message, you will see a pop-up box that lets you recall your sent email. Simply click on the recall button if you want to make changes to your message. If you want to change this, you can head to Apple Mail’s Settings/Preferences, navigate to the Undo Send tab, and make changes to your settings.

Can I delete a sent Mail in Apple Mail?

In Apple Mail, once an email is sent and the brief window for the Undo Send feature has passed, you cannot delete the email from the recipient's mailbox. The Undo Send feature only delays the sending process, giving you a chance to retract the email within a very short timeframe. After this period, the email is sent as usual, and it's out of your control. There's no function in Apple Mail that allows you to delete an email from a recipient's inbox after it's been fully sent and received.