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Outlook lets you add an expiration date to email you send or receive. Once the expiration date has passed the email will be displayed with different formatting, a strikethrough, and you can use Outlook’s built-in tools to manage expired email automatically.

This is for Microsoft Outlook 2010 and later. Screenshots are from Microsoft 365 Outlook

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Set an Expire Date for a Sent Email

To add an expiration date to an email you’re sending, you need to open the Properties window for the email.

Open Outlook and compose a message. Then click on Options. Next, in the More Options Group click on Message Options. The Propeties window will be displayed. Now, in the Delivery Options Group, checkmark Expires after and set the Date and Time you wish for the email to expire. Refer to below image:

Outlook has a formatting rule for expired emails. This rule can be found under the Conditional Formatting dialog. The dialog box is displayed from the View tab, then select View Settings. Next, select Conditional Formatting option. The email that has expired has a grey font and the text has a strikethrough. See below image:

This formatting rule will be applied to the receiptents’s Outlook as well as other web apps, like GMail. Now, click OK twice to close the dialog boxes.

For demonstration purposes, I am backdating the email to show the strikethrough formatting when I open the email. Now, close the Properties window and send the email. You will get a prompt saying the Expire Date has passed if backdating or if the date has actually passed, just click Yes. It can still be opened but the strikethrough gives a visual indication that the email is no longer relevant. See following image:

Set an Expire Date for All Messages You Send

You can setup Outlook to automatically add an expiration date of some number of days after the message is sent.

Double-click to open the message. Next, click on File then Options. Next, click on the Mail tab. Under the Send Messages Group, checkmark Mark messages as expired after this many days and set the days you wish for the email to expire. Click OK to save your change. Refer to below image:

Delete An Expired Email

To delete an expired email. Just select the strikethrough emails and click the Delete icon in the ribbon or press the Del key. You could also show the expired emails by adding a column to a folder that shows the expiration date.

If you have turned on Outlook auto archive feature, then you can delete emails automatically based on expire date.

Open the AutoArchives window by File > Options > Advanced. Select the option AutoArchive Settings. Checkmark the option Run AutoArchive every 14 days (the default). Select OK twice to save your change. See following image:

When this option is enabled, emails will be deleted or moved (depending on other settings) when the date has passed.

Set an Expire Date for Received Email

You can set an expiration date for a message you have received.

Double-click to open the message. You can not set an expiration date from the Reading Pane.

Select File then Properties. Under Delivery Options, checkmark the box Expires after amd se;ect a date and time for your message to expire. Then, click Close and the Save icon in the upper left hand corner of your message or click File > Save to save your change. Refer to below image:

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I Would Like to Hear From You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

Oops! You just sent a Microsoft Outlook message that you did not want to send. You realize for one reason or another that the message has a mistake or that it shouldn’t have been sent at all. You can fix your mistake by recalling the message. Using the recall feature, under the right conditions, your email is deleted without the recipient ever seeing the message. You can also send the recipient a replacement email with the correct information.

For a message to be recalled, both you and the recipient must have a Microsoft 365 Business Account or Microsoft Exchange email account in the same organization. The email must not not have been read by the recipient.

However, even if you and the recipient use different email accounts, the recall feature is useful. Though the initial email won’t be deleted, the recipient receives a follow-up message indicating that you want to recall the previous email. That tells them that your initial one is incorrect for some reason. You should then follow-up your initial email and recall message with another email that contains the right information or corrects the initial one.

To summarize, three emails are involved. The initial email with incorrect information, the recall message email, then the follow-up email with the correct information.

This is for Windows 10 PCs, Macs and other devices that support Microsoft Outlook

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Recall a Message

Let’s send an email. Open Outlook, start new email and address to a recipient, then send the email. Refer to below image:

Now, let’s say you notice an error in your email and want to recall it. In our example, the vacation dates are incorrect.

Open the email from your Sent Items folder. Select the Actions icon and click the option Recall This Message. See following image:

The Recall This Message window opens to offer two options. Choosing Delete unread copies of this message tries to remove the message with no follow-up. Choosing Delete unread copies and replace with a new message provides the opportunity to send a follow-up message with the correct information. To learn of the recall’s success, ensure the box is checked for Tell me if the recall succeeds or fails for each recipient then click OK. Refer to below image:

If you chose the option to replace with a new message, a new email appears with the text from the initial email. You can fix any errors and send a corrected replacement message or a follow-up email with the corrected information. In my example, the recall message failed because I had already read the message. See following image:

If you and the recipient use the same Microsoft 365 Business or Exchange, then the initial email should be deleted automatically. If so, you will receive an email saying the recall was successful for that recipient.

If you and the recipient use different email accounts, the initial emails remains in that person’s inbox. A follow-up email arrives that tells the recipient you would like to recall the message. You then have to rely on the recipient to delete or ignore the initial message. At this point, a third email could be sent with the corrected information. Refer to below image:

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How to Recall an Email in Gmail

I have found TechSavvy.Life blog posts extremely helpful. Check them out for posts on smart phone apps, Macs and PCs!

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I Would Like to Hear From You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.