Reasons why Outlook Recall might fail

Outlook Recall is a feature that allows you to remove or replace an email that you sent by mistake from the recipient's inbox. However, this feature has some limitations and may not work in some situations.

Requirements for Outlook Recall

To use Outlook Recall successfully, you need to meet the following conditions:

You and the recipient are using Microsoft Exchange Server. Outlook Recall only works with Exchange as the email server. If you or the recipient are using a different email system, such as a cloud-based service or another company's server, Outlook Recall will not work.

You and the recipient are on the same Exchange Server. Both the sender and the recipient must be connected to the same Exchange Server. If the recipient is using a POP3, IMAP, or Outlook.com account, Outlook Recall will not work.

The recipient is using Outlook 365 or the Outlook Exchange Client. The recipient must be reading their email with the Outlook Client software, either Outlook 365 or another version. If the recipient is using Outlook Web Access (OWA) or another email client, such as Gmail or Thunderbird, Outlook Recall will not work.

The recipient has an active Exchange connection. The recipient must be logged in and online with Exchange. If the recipient is using Cached Exchange Mode and working offline, Outlook Recall will not work.

The email is in the recipient's inbox and unread. The original message must be in the inbox folder and not opened by the recipient. If the message is moved by an Outlook Rule to another folder, or if the message is read by the recipient, Outlook Recall will not work. In that case, the recipient will get a recall request, but they will have to delete the original message manually. This may also make them curious to see the original message, which you may want to avoid.

Reasons Why Outlook Recall May Fail

Here are some scenarios when Outlook Recall will definitely fail:

The recipient already opened the message. If the recipient opens your email before you try to recall it, Outlook Recall will not work. The recipient will still receive the recall request, but the original message will stay in their inbox as a read message. That is why you should act quickly if you want to recall an email.

There is an email rule on the recipient's system that moves the message. If the recipient has an Outlook Rule that automatically moves the message to another folder, Outlook Recall will not work. This is because Outlook Recall can only access the inbox folder of the recipient.