Can you retract that message?

March 01, 2025

You can’t unring a bell, but what about an email or text message?

We’ve all said things we instantly wanted to take back. Unfortunately, the damage may be done the moment our words hit the recipient’s ears. But what about text-based messages? Can you retract them before it’s too late? It depends.

You can unsend emails … maybe

Many email applications have a built-in delay from the time you hit send until the message goes out. After you’ve sent a message, look for small text on your device that says something like undo send or unsend. Delays typically are set for 10 to 30 seconds. If you don’t see this option when you send emails, look in your email application’s settings. You may also be able to adjust the length of the delay.

That text message went through … probably

There’s no mechanism to delete regular text messages after you send them. However, when using Apple’s iMessage (an app that works only between Apple devices), you can delete a message within two minutes. Press and hold the text bubble to reveal several options and select unsend. (You also can choose to edit the message.) Keep in mind that the recipient may have read your message before you deleted or edited it. After retracting the message, your text will be replaced with a note saying that you unsent (or edited) a message.

You should think before you send … definitely

The sage advice to think before you speak also applies to text-based communications. It’s one thing to realize you forgot an email attachment or you saw a misspelled word just as you tapped send. It’s quite another to dash out an insult when you’re upset or send sensitive information to the wrong recipient. Also remember that just because you delete a message doesn’t mean that it has vanished from servers, hard drives, or other systems.

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