How do I cancel a sent email in Gmail?

Last reviewed: October 5, 2026 · Markdown version

Hit Undo straight away. After every send Gmail gives you a short "Send cancellation period" to take it back, and you can set that period to 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds. Google's page frames it as a brief window: "If you decide you don't want to send an email, you have a short time after to cancel it." (Send or unsend Gmail messages, read 5 October 2026). Once that window closes, the page offers nothing further for an ordinary email.

Undo it, on a computer

The prompt appears at the bottom left of the screen. Google's description: "In the bottom left, you'll see "Message sent" and the option to "Undo" or "View message"." Click Undo (the Send or unsend page above). Do not wait to read the confirmation first; the timer is already running.

Undo it, in the Gmail app

The phone apps show the same offer in their own words: "Right after you send a message, you'll see the message "Sent" and the option to Undo." Tap Undo. That sentence is identical on the Android and the iPhone & iPad versions of the page (Send or unsend Gmail messages (Android) and Send or unsend Gmail messages (iPhone & iPad), both read 5 October 2026).

Give yourself 30 seconds instead of 5

The length is set on a computer: Settings, See all settings, then "Next to "Undo Send," select a Send cancellation period of 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds." Scroll down and click Save changes (the Send or unsend page above). In our view thirty seconds costs nothing on a normal day, and it is the length that leaves time to notice a wrong recipient.

The Android and iPhone versions of the page do not mention the cancellation period at all: no setting in the app, and nothing on whether the app follows the time chosen on a computer (both mobile pages above). If you rely on Undo from your phone, test it once with a message to yourself before you need it.

After the window closes

Google's unsend page describes no recall for a message once the cancellation period has passed, in the browser or in the apps (all three versions above). Practically, that leaves a short follow-up: a corrected version, or a line asking the recipient to ignore the first. If the thing you sent was an attachment you should not have shared, say so plainly in that follow-up rather than hoping it goes unopened.

Two kinds of mail you can still stop later

Scheduled mail, until its send time. Open Scheduled on the left, select the email and click Cancel send; Google adds that "When you cancel a scheduled email, it becomes a draft." (Schedule emails to send, read 5 October 2026). Limits and editing are on scheduling emails in Gmail.
Confidential mode mail, which you have to choose before sending, using "Toggle confidential mode" at the bottom of the compose window. Afterwards, from Sent you can open it and click Remove access; the feature list includes "Revoke access to an email at any time". Google is candid about the limit: recipients "can still take screenshots or photos of your emails." (Send & open confidential emails, read 5 October 2026).

If it never seemed to send at all

A message stuck in the Outbox is a different problem from one you regret. The unsend page's own checklist starts with "Check your “Sent” and “Drafts” folder." (the Send or unsend page above). For mail sitting in Queued or Outbox, see why Gmail emails get queued or delayed.