The Mac Mail app includes a feature to undo the sending of an email in its newer versions, though by default you only have 10 seconds to cancel the send.

You can easily change this undo send delay duration directly through the app’s settings if you wish to adjust how long you have to retract an email after hitting send.

How to Modify the Undo Send Delay in Mac Mail

Want to change the time window for undoing sent emails on your Mac? Here's how:

1. Launch the Mail app on your Mac (if it isn’t already open)

2. Click the “Mail” menu at the top and select “Settings”

3. Navigate to the “Composing” tab

4. In the “Sending” section, click the dropdown next to “Undo Send Delay” and choose your preferred option: Off, 10 seconds (default), 20 seconds, or 30 seconds

5. Exit the Mail settings window

Once configured, any outgoing email will be subject to the selected delay, giving you more or less time — or none at all if you disable the feature — to undo the send.

It’s important to note that this function works by temporarily holding the message in your outbox before actually sending it. It does not remove an email from the recipient’s inbox once delivered, which is not supported by standard email protocols. So, if you set the delay to 30 seconds, the email remains in your outbox for that period, and during this time, the “Undo Send” button becomes visible in the Mail interface so you can cancel delivery if needed.

This feature is only available in MacOS Ventura and later versions of the operating system; earlier releases of the Mail app don’t support it. Also, note that “Preferences” has been renamed to “Settings,” but the configuration options remain largely unchanged.

An interesting aspect of this functionality is that since it simply delays the sending process, it works regardless of the recipient’s platform or device. This differs from the iMessage unsend feature, which requires both sender and receiver to be using up-to-date software on compatible Apple devices.

A comparable undo send feature with adjustable timing is also available on iPhone and iPad versions of the Mail app, provided those devices are running the latest iOS or iPadOS versions.

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