Expand the “Undo Send” Window in Gmail, We Implore You
We’ve all had such horrific moments (perhaps some of us more often than others) when we realized we’d just sent an important email with an annoying typo or perhaps without the promised attachment. If you have a quick response — and use Gmail — you may be able to cancel sending these messages in time to avoid confusion.
But you don’t really need to have quick reflexes, as Gmail allows you to set an “Undo Send” cancellation period of up to 30 seconds – enough time to recognize your mistakes and correct them. You may not need the 30 second delay very often, but when you do, you will be really glad you have it.
How to expand the Gmail “Undo Send” window
Open your inbox and tap the Settings gear. If the quick settings window opens, select View all settings . On the General tab, you will find the Undo Submit section where you can open the dropdown and select a cancellation period from 5 to 30 seconds. Scroll down and click the ” Save Changes” button.
Now, when you send messages, the “Message sent” pop-up that appears in the lower left corner will remain visible for the amount of time you set, leaving the option easily available to select Cancel .
Sorry, Outlook does not offer a cancellation grace period equivalent to Gmail’s undo send feature. You can recall messages after they are sent , but this only works if you and the recipient have Microsoft 365 or Exchange email accounts in the same organization and the recipient hasn’t opened the message, which significantly limits functionality.
A workaround is to set up a rule for your mailbox that delays delivery of a message for up to two hours after you click Submit. Emails will be kept in your Outbox for the time you specify – just in case you change your mind. Of course, this will delay all outgoing emails, including urgent ones. Also, if you use this trick, check your inbox regularly to make sure nothing gets stuck there.
If you really need or want to recall a message in Outlook, go to the Sent Items folder and double-click the message you want to recall. Tap the Message tab, choose Action> Retract This Message , choose Delete Unread Copies of This Message, and then click OK. You can also replace it with a new message.