How many times have we come close to having a mini heart attack because we sent the wrong email? Surely often, given the high dependence on new technologies to interact at work and personal level that there is today. Perhaps you would like to disappear from the face of the earth when you see that there is no turning back, that the recipient will see the content of that email that they should never have received .

Nowadays, large telecommunications companies are rushing to offer a value-added service, something we have all been wanting to invent for years: being able to delete an email from us once it has been sent . Deleting an email that should never have reached a recipient is now possible, and the same goes for instant messaging applications (Whatsapp or Telegram).

How does sending an email work?

Here is one of the important explanations why it is already possible to delete an email already sent. This is because the mail in question “travels” through several servers that guide it through the Internet network to the recipient , as if it were passing through a toll road. Unfortunately, this act will take no more than a few seconds in most cases, unless unforeseen.

Common errors

According to computer and navigation safety experts, this type of incident happens much more frequently than we usually think. The email tool has become indispensable, we work with it, travel with it and present ourselves with it, especially in the job market. Consequently, the probability of falling into error has increased tenfold in recent years .

Sending a customer who should not see certain information, sending messages complaining about our superiors to the people in charge, or inappropriate responses in “reply to all” mode are some of the most common cases. Some people have lost their jobs because of these unintentional actions, or have even been reported for lack of professionalism.

How to delete a sent email?

We must bear in mind that, in many cases, this will not be possible. We only have the possibility of removing an already sent email depending on the program we have served .

The moment a message stays in the outbox , waiting to be sent, is when we can intercept it. Here are some guidelines to follow so that we can save our skins in those moments of crisis depending on the server we’re using.

Google Mail “Gmail”

It is the most used web server nowadays, since it can be synchronized with Youtube, Facebook and Google’s own search engine. In this case we must go to the “configuration” tab of Gmail, click on the option “undo the sending”, which will give us the possibility to choose the time we want to have to delete a message before being sent .

Microsoft Outlook mail

Microsoft users have it much easier. The Outlook Webmail server allows for longer interruptions in delivery . Specifically, until the recipient himself reads the message (this can be up to 24 hours or more). Simply go to the “sent items” tab, click on the wrong email and click on the option “retract this email”.

Thunderbird users

This web mail platform is less known, but more used among expert users in the field, as it is one of the most confidential services at network level in the market. Thunderbird has by default the option to leave messages in the “stand by” folder . Click on the “send later” option and this can delay the sending for up to two hours.

Virtutu mail service

The Virtutu system is the most efficient, as it is the only one that has an encryption model that allows not only to stop, interrupt or delay a sending as in the previous cases, but also gives us the possibility to completely delete the above mentioned message, as if we had never written it. That is, even if we have sent the message. Surprising, isn’t it?