Oops, I Did It Again… Sent That Email to the Wrong Person (And why Outlook’s Recall button won’t save you.)

Cue panic. Your finger races to the “Recall Email” button in Outlook, hoping to pull it back like a fishing line.

But here’s the truth:  Email Recall in Outlook does not work if the email has already left your organisation.  If it’s landed in the recipient’s inbox—especially if they’re external—it’s too late. The damage is done.

So what’s the smarter move?

Set a 1-minute delay on all outgoing emails.  It’s simple, effective, and gives you a crucial 60-second grace period to:

• Spot a mistake
• Add a forgotten attachment
• Cancel or edit the email before it leaves your Outbox

That one-minute buffer has saved countless professionals from embarrassment, data breaches, and sleepless nights.

How to set it up in Outlook (in less than 2 minutes):

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts
2. Click New Rule
3. Under “Start from a blank rule,” choose Apply rule on messages I send
4. Click Next (no conditions needed unless you want to be selective)
5. Tick defer delivery by a number of minutes
6. Choose 1 minute
7. Finish and name the rule (e.g. “Send Delay“)

Done. That’s it.  You’ll barely notice the delay—but if you ever need that extra 60 seconds, you’ll be glad you had it.

Think of it as an Undo button for your professional life.

Need help setting this up for your team? Let us know—we’re always here to help (support@hdit.com.au).