Beginning immediately, Gmail users will have access to a simple feature that could potentially be a lifesaver: The ability to recall a sent email.
How many times has this happened to you? You get an absurd email from your boss and want to laugh about it with a certain co-worker. You bang out your reply and hit send, only to realize an instant later that you clicked “Reply All,” therefore guaranteeing awkward encounters with your boss for at least a month or two.
Now, there’s a handy new feature in Gmail that can prevent accidents like that one.
Dubbed “Undo Send,” the new functionality was born of an experimental feature that has been available in Gmail Labs for quite some time. As Google announced on its official Apps blog in the U.K., Undo Send is now available to all users.
Here’s how to enable Undo Send:
- On the Gmail website, click the gear icon in the top-right corner and selectSettings.
- On the General Tab, you should now see Undo Sendlisted as the tenth option.
- To enable it, check the box next to Enable Undo Send.
- Now choose the length of time you’d like to have the ability to recall your sent emails from the drop-down menu. Options include 5, 10, 20 and 30 seconds.
The feature is really quite simple; it basically configures a delay on your Send button. Instead of firing off your emails when you click Send, it holds them for however long you configure, and then sends them. This way, if you realize you sent something you didn’t mean to, you can recall it.
Once Undo Send is enabled, you’ll see this box at the top of the Gmail page after each email you send:
Simply click the “Undo” link and your email will pop back up on the screen so you can make any necessary changes before sending it again.
