If there’s anything worse than saying something stupid in person, it’s saying something stupid in an email. You’ve made a lasting record instead of just having an awkward moment. With an email recall feature, you can take the message back, ideally before the recipient even reads it.
Some users might think that this is something that only Gmail has, but Outlook has had the ability to retrieve an email since it was first released.
Still, like most tools for remembering things, Outlook’s function has a lot of bounds. It only works between two Outlook users on the Microsoft Exchange server, and even then, it’s easy for users who know what they’re doing to turn it off. Outlook’s native recall tool is one way to get back to an email, but it’s not the only way.
How to Use Outlook’s Built-In Recall Feature to Get Back an Email?
- Go to “Sent Items” in your email account and locate the email you would like to recall
- Click “File”
- Select “Info” on the blue column, then click “Resend or Recall”
- Choose “Recall this Message”
- Make sure “Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient” is selected, then click “Delete unread copies of this message” (If you would rather edit the message and resend it when Outlook recalls the old version, click “Delete unread copies and replace with new message” instead)
Recall only works on unopened messages in the Outlook desktop app if both people are on the same Microsoft Exchange server and the message hasn’t been read. Even then, the feature is easy for the receiver to turn off if they want to.
If they go to Options > Mail and uncheck “Automatically process meeting requests and responses to meeting requests and polls” under Tracking, they can avoid the recall by looking at the original message first. If everyone you email with doesn’t use Outlook and set it up the same way, this feature is almost useless.
How To Use Virtru To Bring Back An Email In Outlook?
If you want a little more security, you don’t have to use Outlook’s built-in recall tool. Instead, you can use Virtru Data Protection. You can take back an email with Virtru even if the person you sent it to doesn’t have anything turned on.
When You Compose an Email with Virtru Enabled:
- Click the icon under “File” so that it says “Virtru On”
- Send the message as normal
- If you want to revoke it, find the message under “Sent Items,” and click the red “Revoke Message” icon.
Now, if the person who got the email tries to read it, they will see a message telling them that they can’t.
If you use Virtru with Microsoft Outlook, you can delete the letter at any time, even after the recipient has already seen it. It won’t matter what server the message is on, what email client they use, or how much time has gone. If you change your mind, it’s also easy to re-authorize the letter with Virtru. If the receiver clicks the blue eye icon above the email, they can read it again.
Don’t Just Try To Remember an Outlook Email; Take Full Control Of Your Information
There are many more easy-to-use features in Virtru that give you more power over your Outlook emails. Have a secret email that you want only a few people to see? Use the “Disable Forward” tool to stop people from sending it on. If someone does try to forward it, the forwarded part won’t be visible to anyone who gets the message.
Have a message you don’t want to sit around for a long time? Using Virtru, you can give the message a date after which the receiver won’t be able to read it. And, of course, Virtru protects email by encrypting it so that only the people you send it to can see it. It makes sense, whether you’re an attorney trying to protect your client or just an average person who cares about privacy.
Everyone Needs Better Email Control
Every year, the average worker sends more than 10,000 texts. With so much information coming and going, you don’t have time to carefully plan each conversation.
Someone will make a mistake and send the wrong information to the wrong person at some point. And that doesn’t even include the risk of hacking and data breaches, which can quickly make private information that should be kept private public. You might be good at fixing problems, but if your email gets hacked, how far will that get you? If you get Virtru, you’ll have all the tools you need to reduce your risk and act right away.
