how to delete an email you sent to the wrong person

You generally can’t fully delete an email after it has been sent, but you may be able to recall or undo send it if you act fast and your email service supports it. In many cases, the best fallback is to email the wrong recipient immediately, ask them to delete it, and, if the message was sensitive, notify your IT or manager.

What you can try

• Gmail: Use “Undo” right after sending, but only within the short cancellation window you set in advance.

• Outlook / Microsoft 365: Use “Recall This Message” from Sent Items, but it usually only works within the same organization and before the message is read.

• If recall fails: Send a brief apology and ask the recipient to delete the email.

Good message to send

Sorry, I sent that to you by mistake. Please delete it and ignore the contents. Thanks for understanding.

If the email was sensitive

If the email contained confidential, personal, financial, or medical information, report it right away to the appropriate person or team in your organization and follow any required incident process.

Prevent it next time

• Double-check the recipient before sending.

• Be careful with autocomplete suggestions.

• Use a longer undo-send window if your email app allows it.

TL;DR: You usually can’t truly delete a sent email, but you may be able to unsend it quickly; otherwise, contact the wrong recipient immediately and ask them to delete it.