How Gmail's Undo Send Feature Works

Gmail's recall mechanism is not actually a recall. It is a delayed send. When you click "Send," Gmail holds the email in a queue for a configurable number of seconds before actually transmitting it. During that window, you can cancel the send.

The key distinction from Outlook's recall feature is timing. Outlook attempts to retrieve a message from the recipient's inbox after delivery, which often fails. Gmail prevents the message from being delivered in the first place, which is far more reliable within the allowed timeframe.

The default delay is 5 seconds. You can extend it to 10, 20, or 30 seconds through Gmail's settings.

Step-by-Step: How to Undo a Sent Email in Gmail

Step 1 — Send the Email

Compose your email normally and click "Send." Immediately after sending, a small notification bar appears at the bottom-left corner of the Gmail window. This bar displays the message "Message sent" along with two options: "Undo" and "View message."

Step 2 — Click "Undo" Immediately

Click "Undo" within the notification bar. Gmail will pull the email back from the sending queue and reopen it as a draft in the compose window. The message was never delivered to the recipient.

If you are using the Gmail mobile app, the same "Undo" notification appears at the bottom of the screen after sending. Tap it quickly before the timer expires.

Step 3 — Edit and Resend (If Needed)

Once the email is back in draft form, make your corrections. Fix the typo, swap the attachment, remove the wrong recipient, or rewrite the content. Then click "Send" again when ready.

If you do not click "Undo" before the timer expires, the email is delivered and cannot be recalled through Gmail.

How to Extend the Undo Send Timer

The default 5-second window is too short for most situations. Extending it to 30 seconds gives you a more practical safety net.

On Desktop

Open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top-right corner. Select "See all settings." In the General tab, find "Undo Send." Change the "Send cancellation period" from 5 seconds to 10, 20, or 30 seconds. Scroll to the bottom and click "Save Changes."

On Mobile

The Gmail mobile app uses the same undo send setting as the desktop version. Changing the cancellation period on desktop applies to mobile as well. There is no separate setting in the mobile app.

Set this to 30 seconds. The delay is barely noticeable in practice, and the extra time has saved professionals from countless misdirected emails. Knowing your way around Gmail keyboard shortcuts also helps you navigate and compose emails more efficiently, reducing errors before they happen.

What to Do When Undo Send Is Too Late

If the cancellation window has passed and the email was delivered, Gmail offers no way to recall it. The message is in the recipient's inbox. At this point, your options depend on the situation.

Send a follow-up correction. If the error was a typo, wrong attachment, or missing information, send a quick follow-up email with the correction. Keep it brief and professional: "Apologies, please disregard the previous attachment. The correct version is attached here."

Contact the recipient directly. For sensitive misdirected emails, call or message the recipient immediately. Ask them to delete the email without reading it. While you cannot enforce this, most professionals will comply, especially for obvious mistakes.

Use confidential mode for future sensitive emails. Gmail's Confidential Mode lets you set an expiration date on messages. While this does not recall a sent email, it limits how long the recipient can access the content and prevents forwarding, copying, and downloading.

Enable "Confirm before sending" on mobile. In the Gmail app settings, you can enable a confirmation dialog that appears before every send. This adds friction but prevents impulsive sends.

Gmail Recall vs. Outlook Recall

The Outlook recall feature works differently. When you recall a message in Outlook, the system sends a recall request to the recipient's mail server. If the recipient uses the same Exchange server and has not yet read the email, the message can be removed from their inbox.

This sounds more powerful, but it frequently fails. The recall request only works within the same organization's Exchange environment. If the recipient uses Gmail, Yahoo, or any non-Exchange email service, the recall will fail. The recipient may even see a notification that the sender attempted to recall the message, drawing more attention to the mistake.

Gmail's approach is simpler and more reliable. By preventing delivery in the first place, there is no dependency on the recipient's email server configuration. The limitation is the short time window.

For professionals who handle high-stakes communication, using Gmail's 30-second undo window combined with a deliberate pause before clicking "Send" is more effective than relying on post-delivery recall. Maintaining strong email etiquette practices also reduces the frequency of mistakes that require recall in the first place.

Common Mistakes with Gmail's Undo Send

Not extending the timer. The default 5 seconds passes before most people even realize they made an error. Always set it to 30 seconds.

Assuming Undo Send works after the window. Once the timer expires, the email is delivered permanently. There is no secondary recall mechanism.

Closing the Gmail tab immediately after sending. If you close the browser tab before the undo window expires, the email sends immediately. The undo option is only available while the Gmail tab is open and active.

Confusing "Undo Send" with message deletion. Deleting a sent email from your Sent folder removes it from your view, not from the recipient's inbox. These are completely different actions.

FAQ

Can I recall an email in Gmail after 1 minute?

No. Gmail's maximum undo send window is 30 seconds. After that, the email is delivered and cannot be recalled. Your only option is to send a follow-up correction.

Does the recipient know I used Undo Send?

No. If you cancel the email within the undo window, the message was never delivered. The recipient has no notification or record of it.

Does Undo Send work in the Gmail mobile app?

Yes. The undo notification appears at the bottom of the screen after sending. The cancellation period is the same as your desktop setting.

Can I recall a Gmail email sent to an Outlook user?

Not through Gmail. Gmail's Undo Send only prevents delivery during the cancellation window. Once delivered, Gmail has no mechanism to remove messages from external inboxes.

What happens if I use Gmail through a third-party app?

The Undo Send feature is only available in the official Gmail app and Gmail web interface. Third-party email clients like Apple Mail, Spark, or Thunderbird do not support Gmail's undo send functionality. If you use these apps, emails are sent immediately with no cancellation option.