Click Undo before the cancellation period ends. Gmail calls that setting Undo Send, and the choices are 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds. That is the whole recall. After the notice disappears, the message has been sent, and Gmail cannot pull it back.
On a computer:
- Open Gmail.
- Send the message.
- In the bottom left, on the Message sent notice, click Undo. The other choice on that notice is View message.
Google's steps are in Send or unsend Gmail messages. Checked November 4, 2026.
Set the cancellation period
Thirty seconds is the longest option Gmail lists.
- On your computer, open Gmail.
- At the top right, click Settings (the gear icon), then See all settings.
- On the General tab, next to Undo Send, select a send cancellation period of 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds. See all settings opens on that tab.
- At the bottom, click Save changes.
The new period applies to the next message you send. It does not reopen a message that has already gone out.
On the Gmail app
Checked against Google's iPhone and iPad and Android articles for the same help page on November 4, 2026. The steps match.
- Open the Gmail app.
- Send the message.
- Right after it sends, the screen shows Sent and Undo.
- Tap Undo.
Those app articles do not include a menu for the cancellation period, and they do not list a different set of times. Change 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds on a computer.
After the window, there is no recall
Undo cancels the send while the notice is still up. It does not reach into the recipient's inbox later.
Outlook's recall is a different feature. Microsoft's help says it works only when you and the recipient both have a Microsoft 365 work or school account in the same organization, and the recipient has not opened the message. A message sent to a personal account, including Gmail, cannot be recalled that way. Gmail's own help has no equivalent. When the cancellation period ends, the message is sent.
Deleting the conversation from Sent removes your copy. It does not remove the copy the other person already has. Gmail does not add a recall action in that folder.
| Situation | What you can do |
|---|---|
| The Undo notice is still up | Click or tap Undo. The send is cancelled. |
| The notice is gone | Gmail cannot recall it. Send a follow-up. |
| You want time before a later message goes out | Schedule send, then Cancel send if you change your mind. |
| A later message should expire, or you may need to cut off access | Send it with confidential mode, then Remove access if you need to. |
What to do once it has been sent
Send a follow-up
Reply, or write a new message, and say what was wrong and what to use instead. If it went to the wrong person, tell them and ask them to delete it. That does not erase their copy. It is the option left once Undo is gone.
Schedule the next one
Schedule send holds a message until a time you pick. Google's help says it can leave a few minutes after that time, in the timezone you scheduled it in. You can have up to 100 scheduled emails.
On a computer, from Schedule emails to send:
- Click Compose and write the message.
- At the bottom left, next to Send, click the down arrow.
- Click Schedule send and select a date and time.
To stop it, click Scheduled in the left panel, open the message, and click Cancel send. Cancelling turns it into a draft.
On iPhone, iPad, and Android, tap More, then Schedule send. To stop one, tap Menu, then Scheduled, open it, and tap Cancel send.
Use confidential mode on a later message
Confidential mode is for a message you have not sent yet. It does not convert a normal email that already went out. With it you can set an expiration, revoke access before that date, and turn off forward, copy, print, and download. The recipient can still photograph the screen. Google also says someone with malicious software may still copy the message.
On a computer, from Send and open confidential emails:
- Click Compose.
- At the bottom of the window, click Toggle confidential mode. If it is already on, click Edit at the bottom of the email.
- Pick an expiration from the menu.
- Choose No SMS passcode, or SMS passcode. For SMS, enter the recipient's number, not yours. Google lists SMS passcodes for North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and, in Asia, India, Korea, and Japan.
- Click Save, then send.
To cut off access before the expiration, open Sent, open that message, and click Remove access.
Google's admin help says a confidential mode message cannot be scheduled. Schedule send and confidential mode are separate.
A saved reply is a common way to send the wrong text. Placeholders such as a name still in the draft are worth a look before you send. The insert and overwrite steps are in how Gmail templates work.
Find the message in Sent
On a computer, Sent is in the left panel. Search to:name@example.com for mail addressed to that person, or add subject: if you remember the subject. Those operators are in Gmail search operators. Gmail keyboard shortcuts includes a shortcut that opens Sent.
Undo does not clean the inbox. Newsletters and old threads are a different job. How to organize a Gmail inbox is labels, filters, and categories for that mail. MailSweeper can move the categories you turn on to Trash on a schedule. It does not unsend a message.
FAQs
Can the recipient see an email I unsent?
If you click Undo while the notice is up, Gmail cancels the send. That message is not delivered. After the cancellation period, the message has been sent, and Gmail cannot take it back.
Does Undo Send work after 30 seconds?
No. Thirty seconds is the longest cancellation period in the setting. When it ends, there is no second undo.
Does Undo Send work on the Gmail app?
Yes. On Android, iPhone, and iPad, tap Undo on the Sent notice right after you send. The 5, 10, 20, and 30 second choices are set on a computer. The app help pages do not show a separate period menu.
Does Google Workspace differ?
The cancellation period is the same. Google's Workspace learning center lists 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds, set with the same steps. It does not add a longer recall. An admin can turn confidential mode off, so Toggle confidential mode may be missing on a work or school account. Undo Send is still the setting above.
Does deleting it from Sent unsend it?
No. Delete removes your copy. The recipient keeps theirs. Send a follow-up if the cancellation period has already ended.
