{"id":13702,"date":"2010-06-28T22:42:52","date_gmt":"2010-06-28T17:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=13702"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:08:36","slug":"my-favorite-gmail-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/","title":{"rendered":"Gmail Undo Send: How to Unsend an Email (and Set 30 Seconds) in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Gmail Undo Send<\/strong> has been my favourite Gmail feature since it was a Gmail Labs experiment. It has pulled a sent email back into my drafts hundreds of times. In 2010 Google extended it from 5 seconds to a choice of 5, 10 or 20 seconds, and today it is built into every Gmail account with up to 30 seconds. Here&#8217;s how to use it.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-undo-send-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Gmail Undo Send\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-undo-send-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-undo-send-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-undo-send-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-undo-send-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-undo-send.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Right after you send an email in Gmail, click <strong>Undo<\/strong> in the &#8220;Message sent&#8221; box at the bottom left (or bottom of the app). The email returns to the editor unsent. To get more time, open Gmail on a computer, go to Settings &gt; See all settings &gt; General &gt; Undo Send, choose 30 seconds and click Save Changes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad43eaddf781\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad43eaddf781\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/#How_Gmail_Undo_Send_works\" >How Gmail Undo Send works<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/#Change_the_Undo_Send_time\" >Change the Undo Send time<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/#How_to_unsend_in_Gmail_on_your_phone\" >How to unsend in Gmail on your phone<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/#Tips_to_avoid_email_mistakes\" >Tips to avoid email mistakes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/#Can_I_unsend_a_Gmail_after_30_seconds\" >Can I unsend a Gmail after 30 seconds?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/#Does_the_recipient_know_I_used_Undo_Send\" >Does the recipient know I used Undo Send?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/06\/my-favorite-gmail-feature\/#Does_Undo_Send_work_in_Outlook\" >Does Undo Send work in Outlook?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Gmail_Undo_Send_works\"><\/span>How Gmail Undo Send works<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Gmail doesn&#8217;t actually recall a delivered email. Instead it waits for the cancellation period before sending. If you click Undo during that time, the message never leaves Google&#8217;s servers. Once the period ends, the email is delivered and can&#8217;t be pulled back.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Change_the_Undo_Send_time\"><\/span>Change the Undo Send time<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gmail<\/a> on a computer.<\/li>\n<li>Click the gear icon &gt; <strong>See all settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>On the General tab, find <strong>Undo Send<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Pick a send cancellation period of 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds.<\/li>\n<li>Scroll down and click <strong>Save Changes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>30 seconds is the maximum. The setting is tied to your Google account.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_unsend_in_Gmail_on_your_phone\"><\/span>How to unsend in Gmail on your phone<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Android and iPhone:<\/strong> after tapping Send, a &#8220;Sent&#8221; bar with <strong>Undo<\/strong> appears at the bottom. Tap it quickly to reopen the draft.<\/li>\n<li>If you&#8217;ve already switched screens or the bar has gone, the email is sent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_to_avoid_email_mistakes\"><\/span>Tips to avoid email mistakes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Use <strong>Schedule send<\/strong> (the arrow next to Send) for important emails so you have time to review.<\/li>\n<li>Add recipients last so you can&#8217;t send a half-written email by accident.<\/li>\n<li>Set the 30-second delay if you often notice typos right after sending.<\/li>\n<li>Confidential mode lets you set an expiry date or revoke access for some messages, though recipients can still take screenshots.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>History: here&#8217;s how Gmail <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/03\/stop-cancel-undo-sent-gmail-email\/\">first launched Undo Send with 5 seconds<\/a> in 2009.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_unsend_a_Gmail_after_30_seconds\"><\/span>Can I unsend a Gmail after 30 seconds?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. After the cancellation period the email is delivered. You can only send a follow-up or correction.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_the_recipient_know_I_used_Undo_Send\"><\/span>Does the recipient know I used Undo Send?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. The email was never delivered, so they see nothing.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Undo_Send_work_in_Outlook\"><\/span>Does Undo Send work in Outlook?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Outlook.com has a similar Undo send setting with up to 10 seconds. Desktop Outlook offers a Recall option that only works within some organisations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gmail Undo Send has been my favourite Gmail feature since it was a Gmail Labs experiment. It has pulled a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-google"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13702"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65342,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13702\/revisions\/65342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}