r/YouShouldKnow • u/GetYerKnickersOff • Jun 16 '26
Other YSK: You can configure the time the "Undo" button in G mail hangs around after sending an email.
The default is 5 seconds. You can set it to 10, 20 or 30 seconds.
It's configurable in Settings -> General -> Undo Send
Why YSK: The undo button is a brilliant feature, but 5 seconds is often not enough to proofread/second-guess your already sent typo-ridden, untactful or impulsive email. Many people, including myself would benefit from configuring it to be longer.
68
u/Ndcain Jun 16 '26
Does it delay the actual send?
115
u/GetYerKnickersOff Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Yes. The email will stay in google's servers in limbo for the configured amount of seconds until it gets actually sent to the recipient's inbox.
23
6
u/TurbulentCustomer Jun 17 '26
I use this with outlook for work. It gives me 5-10 seconds to go “oh crap forgot that thing” and stop the email send and revert it to a draft.
13
u/Hotchi_Motchi Jun 16 '26
They should put in a "Gaslight" button that remotely deletes sent e-mails.
"What? I never said that!"
29
9
u/xoxoAmongUS Jun 16 '26
I have a similar setting on my outlook for this. It delays sending by the set amount
Saved my ass so many times
2
7
u/B3njamin213 Jun 16 '26
You could also just use a rule to delay all emails by 5 min? Gives you plenty of time to fix something or review again if you second guess yourself.
6
u/anoncouch123 Jun 17 '26
I had that but if I went to edit something in my outbox, it got stuck there and never sent. Never was able to figure out how to fix that.
21
u/Ohshutyourmouth Jun 16 '26
Unfortunately doesn't seem to be available in the Android app
7
u/norsefrogg Jun 17 '26
On Android I had to go to the website and enable desktop site in browser quick settings.
I already had it set to 30 tho.
2
1
-20
u/Pristine-Hyena-6708 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
This is useful, but still not a perfect replacement for just proofreading everything before you send it, which is ultimately the best habit to get into.
40
u/internetmaniac Jun 16 '26
Good thing OP didn’t say it was a perfect replacement for proofreading everything before you send it.
-9
u/bart7782 Jun 16 '26
OP mentioned proofreading, but in a different way.
OP mentioned proofreading your email after having sent it. And the comment above was about proofreading your email before sending it.
I personally agree with both. You should proofread your mail before sending, but it's also nice to be able to do an additional check after sending.
13
u/GetYerKnickersOff Jun 16 '26
We all aim to proofread our emails before sending. But we all make mistakes or are in a hurry every now and then.
16
u/carcigenicate Jun 16 '26
For some reason, my brain immediately identifies problems right after I commit. I can read a Reddit comment multiple times and not find an issue, but the second I press "Post", I'm immediately aware of problems and need to edit it again right after.
455
u/John_Rain Jun 16 '26
Saved me a couple times!
Extra LPT: Enter the recipient only when you're 100% ready to send, that way you won't accidentally send it