How to Unsend Email in Gmail: Everything to Know
Have you landed on this article because you regret sending a Gmail message that you should have to a recipient? Well, there’s both good and bad news for you. You can definitely Unsend your message, but only for a specific period after hitting ‘Send.’ But learning How to Unsend an Email in Gmail is still important as it’ll help you quickly Unsend a message within this specific timeframe.
You can retract a message quickly in Gmail by locating the ‘Undo’ option that shows on the bottom left. You will see it immediately after sending a message. Just tap it to Unsend the message successfully. Keep reading to learn more about Unsending a Gmail message.
Also Read: – How to Mass Delete Emails on Gmail
How Does the Undo Send Feature in Gmail Work?
The undo sent feature allows users to Unsend their emails after hitting the ‘Send’ button. This feature was released for public use in 2015. Desktop users could use this feature to retract messages they erroneously sent to their contacts.
For Android users, the feature was rolled out in 2018. Now, both regular and workspace users with a Gmail account can leverage this functionality. Here is a breakdown of the way this feature works to Unsend an email in Gmail.
- When you send an email, it is stored on the servers of Google until 7 seconds pass. 7 seconds is the default time.
- When you tap ‘Undo’, it cancels the send and lets you further change or modify the message. You can rectify the mistake in the message.
- After 7 seconds elapse, the message is released from the servers and is sent.
- This time delay can be increased to 30 seconds.
Also Read: How to Delete Old Emails in Gmail
How to Unsend an Email in Gmail on a PC
Here is the detailed process of unsending an email in your Gmail on a computer.
- After composing a message and hitting ‘Send,’ you will see a black rectangular ‘Message Sent’ box. It will be on the bottom left part of the window.
- Here you will find two options: ‘Undo’ and ‘View message.’
- You need to tap the Undo option almost immediately after seeing this pop-up box.
- When you do so, you will see another window in which you have the option of writing the message again.
How to Unsend an Email on Gmail in the App
Irrespective of your mobile’s operating system, the process of unsending an email is the same. iPhone and Android users can use the instructions below.
- Compose a message and send it.
- You will soon see a white rectangular box notifying you that the message has been sent.
- This will be present at the lower part of the screen. It will also contain an Undo option.
- Touch the ‘Undo’ option immediately after seeing this notification.
- You will be prompted to create the message again. That’s it. You now know How to Unsend an Email on Gmail on your phone.
How to Increase the Cancellation Period of Your Gmail Message?
Now you know that to Unsend an email in Gmail, you must act quickly. Sometimes, acting so fast to undo the message is impossible. In this case, you can increase or modify the cancellation period. Do this by setting a recall time in the settings section.
POINT TO NOTE: The function to customize the undo sent time limit is only available for desktop users. Time adjustment is not available on the mobile app version of Gmail.
Follow these pointers to recall the time delay when retracting your Gmail messages.
- Firstly, open Gmail on your desktop.
- Now, look at the top right-hand part of the screen. Here you will see the ‘Settings’ button. Click it.
- When the settings pop-up opens, tap ‘See all settings.’
- This will open the complete settings page.
- After that, hit the ‘General’ tab. This tab is on the ‘Options’ panel on the screen.
- Here locate the option, ‘Undo Sent.’
- Employ the dropdown to modify the cancellation period.
- Adjust the time frame to whatever suits you.
- You can make Gmail wait for between 5 to 30 seconds.
- After you have made the desired changes to increase the waiting period, go to the bottom of the ‘Settings’ page.
- Here, tap ‘Save changes.’
- This will save the new settings.
- Now you can easily Unsend emails for a longer period after realizing that you have committed a mistake.
POINT TO NOTE: The maximum delay cannot go beyond 30 seconds. 30 seconds is also not a large amount of time to review and realize a mistake in the email. But it is more than 5 or 7 seconds. So, you should be able to determine any error you have made in composing the email before it goes through.
Also Read: How to Retrieve Old Emails on Gmail
What If Unsending Isn’t Enough to Retract Gmail Messages?
Sometimes, even after setting the cancellation period to 30 seconds, you will find that you cannot rectify your mistake. In such scenarios, you can minimize your chances of unsending emails by following some best practices. Take the following precautions.
- Compose your emails in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
- Also, after composing the email, review it thoroughly.
- Do not reply in haste. It will make you misunderstand many important things.
- Proofread the emails you send. It will prevent you from sending incorrect information.
Wrapping up
Knowing How to Unsend email in Gmail saves you from experiencing the humiliation of sending wrong messages to the wrong people. This feature is vital for professionals who need to communicate regularly through emails. If you face any problems using this feature or any other aspect of Gmail, contact an email technical expert.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I Unsend an email after 1 hour in Gmail?
A. You cannot Unsend a message after 1 hour in Gmail. The maximum period that you can set for recalling the message is 30 seconds. After this period, the message will release from the Google servers.
Q. How long can I Unsend an email in Gmail?
A. The default period to un-send an email is 7 seconds. But you can increase this waiting limit to up to 30 seconds. Use Gmail settings to configure this limit.
Q. Can I Unsend an email in Gmail if it hasn’t been opened?
A. You can Unsend an email in Gmail if your recipient hasn’t opened it but only for 7 seconds. You can increase this time to 30 seconds, provided your recipient does not read the message almost immediately after receiving it.
Written By
John
John is a Technical Writer at Email Support, has 10 years of experience, and is an expert in Email and Cloud Computing. His specialty is writing about the Email clients such as Outlook, Yahoo, Verizon, SBCGlobal, Gmail, Apple Mail, AOL, WildBlue, and others.
