If you delete an email does it unsend
Deleting an email does not reverse its delivery – once sent and delivered to its intended recipient’s server, it cannot be undone – however deleting may remove it from your own email account and prevent its being seen by anyone with access.
There are various scenarios where an email could be deleted:
Deleting an Email Before It Is Sent: If you compose an email and then change your mind about sending it, simply delete it from your email client or program – no need to “unsend”!
Deleting Email from Your Own Inbox: If you send and then delete an email from your own inbox, the message will still arrive at its recipient’s email server without them knowing about its deletion; they may still be able to read its contents if they’ve opened it already.
Deleting an email from a recipient’s inbox: When sending an email and then asking the recipient to delete it from their inbox, there’s no guarantee they’ll comply. Even if they do delete it from their inbox, it may still exist on their email server or archive and so deleting an email doesn’t actually “unsend” or guarantee that it cannot be read again.
Utilizing the “recall” feature: Some email clients and programs offer a “recall” feature that allows you to recall an email that has already been sent, although this feature may not work in all situations; for instance, if the recipient has opened it before you send it out.
At the end of the day, deleting an email does not “unsend” it in terms of being read by its intended recipient; rather it removes it from your own inbox and prevents others with access to your account from seeing it. If you want to ensure an email is never read by its intended target recipient it would be best not to send it in the first place or use encryption or secure communication channels as these will ensure its read by no one other than you and only you!
Deleting an email does not revoke its transmission or prevent its recipient from seeing it; rather, it simply removes it from your inbox or designated folder and may also be moved to a “trash” or “deleted items” folder depending on your email provider. In fact, even though its existence may still exist on servers worldwide and be read by recipients before being deleted by you or another member of staff, notifications could still be received and read before its deletion was completed.
Recent years have witnessed an explosion of interest surrounding “unsending” emails. Some email services now feature features that allow users to recall or retract an already sent email; however, such functionality is far from foolproof and often limited in its effectiveness; for instance, if a recipient has opened or read your message before activating this recall function; thus keeping their copies available and accessible.
There are various factors that determine whether an email can be unsent or recalled, one being the email service/client being used. Certain services, like Gmail, offer an “Undo Send” feature which allows for brief recall periods after having sent your message; however, this feature may not guarantee unsending an email and only remains active for limited times after having sent it out.
Another consideration is whether the recipient has already read or opened your email. Once read, it is unlikely that it can be unsent or revoked as it has likely arrived at their inbox and may have even been saved or forwarded on.
However, not all email clients and services allow users to revoke emails once sent; in these instances, deleting an email from your inbox will simply hide it from view rather than stopping its recipient from reading its content.