How to unsend emails before regret kicks in

Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com have email undo options but they work in a few seconds of clicking 'send'

Regret is a terrible feeling. It’s especially bad right after you’ve sent that impulsively passive-aggressive email to your boss.

There’s good news, though. Popular email services offer undo send features. Bad news: you only have seconds to realize your mistake and hit “Undo.”

Gmail, Outlook.com and Yahoo Mail all have features that delay the sending of your email message so you can quickly get it back and make edits, if needed. But they all work differently, and differ in how they behave on your phone versus your computer.

Gmail

Phone: In Google’s Gmail iOS app, the setting is turned on by default. Shockingly, it’s not available in the Android app. In the recently updated iOS app, send an email and you’ll see the Undo button in the bottom right corner for approximately 5 seconds. Tap it and you can get back and edit your message.

Web: On the Gmail.com website, you have more control over how long the message delay can last. On the website, click the gear icon in the right corner, select Settings, scroll down and click Enable Undo Send. Choose the cancellation period (5, 10, 20, 30 seconds) then scroll to the bottom and hit Save. When you send a message, you’ll see the Undo button at the top of the window.

Outlook.com

Phone: Microsoft doesn’t offer the feature in its Outlook.com iOS or Android apps.

Web: Go to Outlook.com, click the Gear icon in the upper right, select Options then go down to Undo Send. Select “Let me cancel messages I’ve sent for:” then choose the cancellation period (5, 10, 15, 30 seconds) and hit Save. When you send a message, you’ll see a countdown and the Undo button.

Microsoft also introduced this option for users of Outlook on the Web, too. Users of the Outlook 2016 for Windows can set up Delay Send. Exchange users may have Recall Send features.

Yahoo Mail

Phone:  The Yahoo Mail app for iOS and Android have the setting turned on by default. As soon as you send an email, the Undo button appears in the bottom right corner—for just three seconds.

Web: Yahoo doesn’t offer the feature on its website.

Source: The Wall Street Journal