Comments for Can I stop or 'un-send' an email I sent by mistake?

Comment from maximumbody on 2008-11-29

2008-11-29T22:07:59Z

this is the biggest bunch of crap technology to date in this world.. there always should have been parameters set in place where an email can be pulled back if necesarry..with all of the services..

I accidentally sent a note talking about how ghetto fabulous my gym was to a private client of mine and sent it to my sister by mistake and to a black girl oh crap!!!

emails can be good but overall the fact that you cant pull it back is total crap...

hopefully people can have a heart and understand!!! we make mistakes

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Comment from Sachin S on 2008-08-22

2008-08-22T07:19:14Z

You could delay sending the message if you use Outlook, not sure how to on a web-mail
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HP052427901033.aspx

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Comment from nina ricci on 2008-06-12

2008-06-12T20:35:22Z

I prepared the final exam for my college students and sent it by mistake to an email whom i dont know his identity!!

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Comment from Jake on 2008-04-24

2008-04-24T14:27:52Z

This is crap how you can not unsend/retrack and email sent from hotmail. Why is it than if I write the email in MS Office Outlook, I can unsend the email which is configured thru my hotmail account? This doesnt make any sense. Can you shed some light on this.

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Comment from Leo A. Notenboom on 2007-11-11

2007-11-12T03:16:34Z

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Hash: SHA1

To the best of my knowledge, you cannot. If you don't get a bounce back there's
still no way to tell if an address is valid.

Leo

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Comment from john Booke on 2007-11-10

2007-11-10T13:33:08Z

How can i find out if a hotmail addess to which a message was inadvertently sent is valid? I made a typo and I do not know if the name exists.

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Comment from Juan Valdez on 2007-10-24

2007-10-25T05:48:29Z

Yes, there is a way to get an email back after it's sent. I have found a new web service called YankBack --- Since the rule is no physical addresses, I suggest you google yankback. I use it all the time. Not that I make damaging email mistakes often, but it's handy for the little stuff, like not looking stupid when forgetting to attach something. You can recall or stop the email and just send it again with the attachment in place.

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Comment from justjoys on 2007-10-10

2007-10-10T16:51:16Z

like others, I made this very big mistake few minutes ago. I and my boyfriend is exchanging sweet sexy nothings and I use HOtmail while he used his office add. I incidentally copied in another address from the contacts side toolbar which makes me really really upset.Of course he is worried as it is his work email. the only thing i did is I sent follow up email to the other person, asked for humble request to destroy the email that was unintentionally sent. Im still up waiting for reply as i cant really sleep. Stupid of me!

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Comment from Kay on 2007-08-08

2007-08-08T12:23:49Z

Close to the topic, I spent an hour writing just exactly how I felt about someone (REALLY letting them have it!), then chickened out and went straight to closing the window, rather than cancel. The email was addressed already .... is it possible it was sent anyway, even though I didn't actually click send? The guy in question is not talking to me, though I might just be paranoid :-\

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Comment from Baskar on 2007-08-06

2007-08-07T02:58:37Z

In my office one of my Colleague sent out an eamil to a worng person and ask me to retrive the mail. I said cant, because microsft doesnt have the feature.

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Comment from Colby on 2007-07-08

2007-07-08T20:27:09Z

WE WISH!!!!!!!!!! Yup, I just sent a nasty email about my professor to my friend in the class BUT I accidentally sent it to my professor!!!! So much for getting an A in his class!!!! : ( I now know how all you feel right now. I felt like a even bigger dumb*** writing an apology note. Stupid technology.

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Comment from Joan on 2007-05-09

2007-05-10T03:39:09Z

Oh goodness, I rec. an email from a lady that lives in my bldg.& brags about her lifesytle. I thought I was sending it off to my brother; instead, I sent it back to her w/some nasty comments about her! (must have hit reply) Of course, I emailed her back & apologized. Needless to say, she deleted me from her add. book & was unforgiving. All this technology, & we can't stop an email once it's sent! Too bad :( I sure learned a valuable lesson!

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Comment from Leo on 2006-04-20

2006-04-20T16:36:17Z

There is no technical solution. It's been sent and you can't unsend it. All you can do is send a follow up email explaining and appologizing, if that's appropriate.

Been there, done that. Though not with the kind of content you're talking about :-).

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Comment from Jeff on 2006-04-20

2006-04-20T08:04:40Z

So how do you propose people go about fixing this? I mean, what should you do if say, you sent an e-mail detailing explicitly what you would like to do with your girlfriend sexually if she was in New Zealand with you, TO THE WRONG PERSON?! Not even just the wrong person, but someone who would not even appreciate the humour in the situation. This is bad. This person is not in New Zealand. Not even in the same hemisphere, so running over to their house and deleting the e-mail is NOT an option. How do I fix this? Beg the reciever to disregard the e-mail? Any tips on a good way to go about this? Does this even work? Wouldn't the reciever be too curious when they recieve an e-mail begging them to delete another e-mail you sent them? I need help. Damn hotmail Favourite Contacts sidebar.

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Comment from Leo on 2006-04-10

2006-04-11T05:05:14Z

No, not that I'm aware of.

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Comment from Mel on 2006-04-10

2006-04-10T07:29:38Z

What if you sent an email from a hotmail address to another hotmail address and you need to unsend it before recipiant reads it,can you? I know I can on AOL. Just as long as it was sent to another AOL account.

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Comment from Debi on 2006-03-14

2006-03-14T20:48:17Z

I do a lot of long emails and so often they are saved as a draft, over & over. I accidently hit the send on a junky draft that I was using to cut, paste, copy, etc. I was and still am quite embarrassed over it. I quickly sent them an email pleading with them to delete it without reading it. From now on, I will NEVER start composing an email with their name/address on it. The TO: line will be left blank until I am absolutely ready to send it. It was a horrible way to learn a lesson. Why can't there be a verification window pop up like when you are deleting something? It should have the name on it to verify that you have even put in the right recipient, such as poor Kyle who thought he was sending an email to a friend but instead it went to the ex-girlfriend, who will probably always be an EX since she was the one to get the email. Placing these 2 questions in the window: Are you positive you are REALLY ready to send, and is this REALLY the contact you are sending to, both of those questions could really help the sender who is rushed or preoccupied to come back to earth and turn their porch light on. Isn't that a possibilty for "PATCHES" to make happen? I am 100% the opposite of geek, and had to have a name for the dude/alien "inside my computer" who corrects/updates/fixes/ and sometimes turns my computer off when I'm not looking.

I have just spent well over an hour that I don't have anymore, trying to find a way to transfer my small list of address from one email account to one of my other email accounts without copying them down with the old-fashion method of pen & paper, and then individually, retyping the contacts into each mail account. Spent forever scrolling down this one info site thru hundreds of questions, mostly how do I find an email address, or I'm trying to find Uncle Joe, and even how can I get my boyfriend's password, because I think he's cheating on me, and then there was one that should have gone to Dear Abby such as, how can I get this boy to notice me?! Doesn't even have anything to do with computers! Just thought of something, maybe there is a computer out in cyber space that is attracted to Patches.

Anyway, between all that time spent looking for my answer I could have done it manually ten times over, and another 10 times with the time I've spent writing to a stranger! I'm suppose to be packing, and I've done 4 boxes with a closing taking place in 8 days. Eight days for and after living in this house for ten years with 2000 sq ft filled completely, along with a garage and 2 outdoor sheds. I'm the one that should be writing to Dear Abby, or for as chatty as this has become I should re-route to a chat room where I've never gone. I've never even spoken to a stranger on the computer, this is kind of like being on a an airplane giving the story of my life to the person sitting next to me! I have got to pack, time is still rushing by and here I sit, writing nonsence. God should have given us a pause button. I bet you would like me to click on delete. I'm sorry, I would delete, but its too long and I'm out of time. Did I ever ask my question? Whoops, I see a preview button, but I'm oout of time...

Please forgive the lie, because I haven't previewed it. If I delete I'll never find out how to transfer an address(es), and now I don't even have time to do it manually. I bet you think I'm sending this from the Looney Bin in Tim-buc-two! I forgot to put my name and email address down so this all came back, and as soon as I send it I'm thinking, WAIT, STOP, don't go anywhere, COME BACK! And it did. So, what do I do, I write some more! But, hey, I found out I wasn't lying afterall, because it wasn't my comment (book) I was suppose to preview, so yes, I did read the article in full. I also looked around your site for a bit, and I will send you a cup of coffee, in fact I owe you a big bag of beans for having to read my bag of beans! I've not used PayPal for a couple of years, and I know my CC number is different, and I really don't have time, so when I get moved... I really will, and I will even be able to afford the big bag of beans then because escrow check will be in hand. There is a story that goes along with the escrow check, but I'll send that to Abby, nah - I've never cared to ask a newspaper for help, and certainly don't understand how a newspaper can help. It's probably one of Patches' relatives that answer anyway, and most likely one of the nuts that everyone has in their family tree.

Yes, I probably am writing this from the looney bin, since I think in this case its THE STATE OF MIND!

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Comment from Leo on 2006-02-23

2006-02-23T15:59:12Z

Please read the article you just commented on.

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Comment from ellie on 2006-02-23

2006-02-23T13:58:55Z

I sent an e-mail to a few people at one time, i just realized that, 1 of the people i sent it to was the "wrong" person. However when i go to delete it, i get a message saying that i can not delete the message because one of them is an internet recipient. I really need to UNSEND THIS MESSAGE TO THIS 1 PERSON THAT IS NOT THE INTERNET RECIPIENT. PLEASE HELP THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU ELLIE

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Comment from Mark on 2005-12-24

2005-12-24T20:38:14Z

The answer to this one is fairly obvious, but there is a way out.....if you live reasonably close to the
sendee and they are not on broadband. Send them a huge file, 12-15 mb and then when they call you up with the download problem that they will be having nip round to their place and take over the download. Once it's done, quickly delete the email sent by mistake and all is well. This of course is highly unlikely in a lot of situations but it worked for me.

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Comment from Kyle on 2005-12-17

2005-12-17T18:46:15Z

Hi, For all on this crazy ride we call cyber space. Please be careful what you write and then WHO you send it to. I sent a very harsh and revealing email regarding someone I JUST broke up with to a friend ....I thought, but SHE got it ! It has been the most horrible and heart renching experiance. ....You just CANT take back what you say !! Be Aware

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Comment from Matías on 2005-11-30

2005-11-30T23:26:29Z

You can only retrieve an email sent by mistake if you have Outlook 2003 with Exchange server on both ends, sender and destination. Go to "Sent " folder, open the email, go to Actions or Options, click on "Retrieve this message". Then you can delete or replace the involved message, provided the destination HAS NOT read the email yet.
Regards

Matías

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Comment from Leo on 2005-11-26

2005-11-26T23:40:21Z

Please re-read the article, the answer's pretty clear. No.

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Comment from jANE on 2005-11-26

2005-11-26T22:34:48Z

I SENT AN EMIL IN ERROR, DOES hOTMAIL HAve A RECALL PROCESS.. tHIS IS URGENT THAT I RETRIEVE THIS EMAIL SENT TO THE WRONG PERSON..!!! help!!!

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Comment from Leo on 2005-11-16

2005-11-16T23:06:54Z

No, once it's in sent items, it's been sent. If you can delete it from the *outbox* you may be able to prevent the send.

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Comment from Jen on 2005-11-16

2005-11-16T21:07:09Z

I'm using Outlook 2002 (not an exchange client). Is a message sent if you delete it from the sent items folder before the send/receive operation begins?

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Comment from Leo on 2005-09-30

2005-10-01T05:48:38Z

I typically pull my network cable when that happens to cause the send to fail. Then delete it from the outbox and reconnect.

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Comment from harry on 2005-09-27

2005-09-27T21:37:24Z

Hi Leo,

what if the email is still in the outbox, but it is sending / transmitting? Is there a way to stop it, delete it....it's 15MB and I don't want it to go out? Help....

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Comment from Leo on 2005-09-26

2005-09-26T15:36:01Z

The mail is typically held until the recipient downloads their email. Theoretically, yes, one could remove the mail before they do so, BUT ... I know of NO ISP that will actually take the time to do so. It it labor intensive, and most ISPs are simply too busy with other things.

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Comment from valerie |price on 2005-09-26

2005-09-26T12:28:24Z

If e-mails are held by the server for a while cannot they be returned to the original sender if they have been sent in error to the wrong address?

I have notified support that I did this today 26 September 2005. I hoped the message (sent to the wrong person) could therefore be aborted.

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Comment from Greg on 2005-05-03

2005-05-04T03:57:43Z

There is a service I heard on the radio called Bigstring.com that claims to allow you to change emails or delete them after they have been sent. Anyone know if it works?

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Comment from Leo on 2005-04-21

2005-04-21T15:31:36Z

I'm not aware of any way to do that.

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Comment from a t kiran on 2005-04-21

2005-04-21T13:40:00Z

how can i send a e-mail which deletes itself after it is read?

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Comment from Leo on 2005-04-16

2005-04-16T16:25:57Z

You can't. It's too late.

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Comment from Marian Watson on 2005-04-16

2005-04-16T08:19:20Z

Please help!! I sent an e-mail to a friend, by mistake included another friend's address!! can i stop that??? how do i do that? how do i prevent friend number two to read the mail????

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Comment from Leo on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T17:01:33Z

As stated in the article: No.

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Comment from kayleen on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T13:16:03Z

help! i just responded to a private email from a family member. my hotmail account plugged in another family member's email address by mistake. i didn't notice the extra address was in the send to line until it was too late. is there any way i can retrieve this email? fast?

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Comment from Leo on 2005-02-21

2005-02-21T17:50:14Z

Not cleanly, that I'm aware of. I'd disconnect from the network, let Outlook error, delete the mail from the outbox, and then reconnect.

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Comment from Robert Mkwanda on 2005-02-21

2005-02-21T17:47:53Z

Hi. I've got an email in my Microsoft Outlook 2003 outbox and it has already begun transmitting the message. Is there anyway I can stop it from being delivered?

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Comment from LG on 2004-09-28

2004-09-29T04:42:59Z

A one chance in a million happened to me. I was Replying to a letter from a relative. In my reply I told about some problem I had with another relative .

WELL.....After clicking on Send the person's name I had wrote ABOUT appeared as well as to the one the email REPLY should have ONLY gone to. I was VERY VERY UPSET .

I don't know how in the World this could have happened!! The other persons name wasn't on the original letter and I certainly didn't click on it by mistake. I use Hotmail and this has never happened before........and of ALL the names it could have put on it was the one I wrote about!

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Comment from Leo on 2004-08-15

2004-08-16T03:01:29Z

This program, and various so-called tracking mechanisms are also not guaranteed to work. They typically relay on HTML email and what are called "bugs" placed into the email. These bugs reference web URLS when the email is viewed. Recent versions of email programs such as Outlook Express and Outlook 2003 disable remote URL retrieval by default. While it can be turned on, it's a step that people need to take, soemtimes per email, sometimes per sender, and they often do not take that step. Email sent as plain text, and email read while disconnected from the internet will also cause these techniques to fail. But the bottom line is that these techniques are NOT reliable.

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Comment from Patty on 2004-08-15

2004-08-16T02:46:46Z

I respectfully disagree with your comment "You cannot track whether it's been read or not. You cannot tell if it's been forwarded or deleted. You can't even know whether it's been received at all". I use the program called MSGTAG (free version available) which lets me know when an email I have sent has been opened (actually viewed) by it's recipient. And I understand that the paid version can even tell you how long the person viewed the email, whether they forwarded it, and various other specifics. I highly recommend this program.

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Comment from Leo on 2004-08-09

2004-08-10T00:54:05Z

Actually, I disagree. Sort of.

Absolutely all those things are intended to do what you state. The problem is that they only work *sometimes*. ALL reciepts are "optional" based on the user's email client, his or her preferences, and in many cases even the email server they're using.

What I've found is that reciepts are DISabled (or disallowed) a surprisingly high percentage of the time. So much so as to make them, effectively, useless, and as a result, pointless to recommend.

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Comment from Larry Osterman on 2004-08-09

2004-08-10T00:47:22Z

Actually I beg to differ with "You cannot track whether it's been read or not. You cannot tell if it's been forwarded or deleted. You can't even know whether it's been received at all".

The first and 3rd parts are false (the 2nd is true). You CAN tell if it's been read, if you attach a read receipt to the message. Similarly, if you request a delivery receipt, you can have the receiving system tell you when the message has been delivered to the receivers mailbox.

Now for the caveats: Read receipts are often optional. The receiver can choose whether or not their email program will send them, some don't.

And the delivery receipt fires when the email enters the users mailbox. It does NOT mean that the receiver has seen the email message, just that it's entered the users mailbox.

Think of it like postal delivery. You get notified that the mail you sent has entered the users mailbox but you don't know if the user has walked down to the mailbox and collected the mail. They might not get to their mailbox for two or three weeks, but the mail's been sitting there for all that time, and the next time they get to their mailbox they'll get the mail.

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