How do I Recall an Email Message?

Recalling a message from Outlook is not possible and the menu item in the Windows desktop version of Outlook has been disabled. There was/is not an option to recall a message from any other version of Outlook, including the mobile app, the Mac version, and Outlook on the Web.

Message recall is a holdover from earlier versions of Microsoft Exchange/Outlook that were internally focused and self-contained.

Specifically, message recall failed if ANY of the following were true:

The recipient is not using desktop Outlook, including Outlook on the Web, the Outlook mobile app, and third-party mail clients (iOS Mail, Mac Mail, POP3, IMAP4, etc.)
The recipient is not currently logged into Outlook (i.e. it's not running on their computer)
The message has been moved from the Inbox.
The message has been read. This includes viewing the message with the Preview Pane so that the message is flagged as Read.
Some users will see the recall request and rush to read the message.

If any of the above is true, the recipient will get a recall request message, but the original message will remain in their mailbox.

The only time that recall would have worked is if ALL these criteria were true, which, in our environment, was never:

The recipient uses the Windows desktop version of Outlook and Outlook is currently running.
The recipient's mailbox must be open.
The message must still be unread and in the recipient's Inbox.

If you need any further assistance please view our Service Catalog for other Knowledge Base articles or contact the IT Help Desk via Phone: 509.359.2247 or Email: helpdesk@ewu.edu