Occasionally, we regret hitting the Send button on an email and want to immediately recall the action. It may be a hastily written message or an annoying forward that creates a bad impression. Here is how you can tweak Gmail settings to give you a generous 30-second recall window and unsend the email in Gmail so the recipient doesn’t receive it.
Increase the Time Window to Unsend Emails in Gmail
Gmail allows you to undo any email that was sent without any actual intent of doing so. This time window can be increased from just a few seconds to half a minute. Click on the Gearbox and select “Settings.”
Go to the “General” tab where an “Undo Send” option is prominently visible. From its drop-down menu, the cancellation period can be increased all the way to 30 seconds. This, however, means all your recipients will receive the message a little late. Still, it’s better to have a lot of time to think it over, and recall if necessary.
Don’t forget to click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page.
Undo the Email within 30 Seconds in Gmail
As a best practice, it is always recommended to finish the “Compose” draft first before entering the recipients in the “To” field. You do not want a little accidental mouse flick to send out an email to the saved recipients.
After successfully sending, the email is immediately visible in your “Sent” folder. However, it doesn’t mean the recipient has seen the message. There is still enough time.
The message “Undo” button is visible on the bottom left. Click on it to stop the email in action.
You will immediately notice “message undone,” which means the email is no longer in the Sent folder.
What If I Need More Time than 30 Seconds?
The Gmail webmail client does not support undoing messages longer than 30 seconds. That is why if you’re dealing with an important email, it is considered the best practice to schedule and send the messages for a convenient time in advance. It can be anything from just a few hours to the next day or week.
This is only one of the many features in Gmail. Have you sent any accidental emails that you regretted? Please share in the comments your own tips on how to manage this mistake.
Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.
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