Apr 27, 2026

How to Resend an Email in Outlook (Every Version, 2026)

Outlook Sent Items Email Microsoft 365 How-to

Resending an email in Outlook means sending the original message again to the same (or different) recipients. Useful when someone says they didn’t get it, when you need to update a missed announcement, or when an attachment didn’t go through. The classic Windows app has the most complete resend feature, new Outlook and the web have a lighter version, and mobile has none.

1. Classic Outlook for Windows

Classic Outlook has the most complete resend feature — it sends a fresh copy of the message, not a forwarded version, so the recipient sees it as a new email rather than a forwarded chain.

Resend a sent message

Click the Sent Items folder in the navigation pane.
Double-click the message you want to resend (this opens it in its own window — single-click in the reading pane won’t work).
Click the Message tab in the ribbon.
Click Actions in the Move group.
Select Resend This Message.

A new compose window opens with the original recipients, subject, body, and attachments. You can:

Edit recipients (add, remove, or change them).
Edit the subject or body.
Add or remove attachments.

Click Send to deliver. The recipient receives a new email with the same look and feel as the original.

What “Resend This Message” actually does

It creates a brand-new copy of the original message with no “FW:” prefix, no forwarding chain, and no indication that you sent it before. To recipients, it looks identical to a fresh email. This is different from forwarding, which prefixes the subject with “FW:” and adds a header showing the original sender and timestamp.

2. New Outlook Desktop App & Outlook on the Web

The new Outlook clients added a Resend option in 2024. It’s slightly more hidden than in classic Outlook.

Click the Sent Items folder.
Double-click the message to open it in a separate window (single-click in the reading pane shows a Reply/Forward toolbar but no Resend).
In the open message, click the three-dot menu (More actions) at the top right of the message header.
Select Resend.

The compose view opens with the original recipients, subject, and body. Edit anything that needs to change and click Send.

If Resend is missing from the menu: Some Microsoft 365 builds gate this feature. Make sure you’ve fully updated Outlook (Help → Office Updates → Update Now), or fall back to the forward + edit workaround below.

Workaround: Forward and edit

If Resend isn’t available:

Open the sent email and click Forward.
Delete the “FW:” prefix from the subject line.
Delete the header block at the top of the body that shows “From / Sent / To / Subject.”
Manually re-add the original recipients to To, Cc, and Bcc.
Click Send.

The result looks like a clean resend, though it takes a minute to clean up.

3. Outlook for Mac

Open Sent Items and double-click the message to open it.
On the Message tab in the ribbon, click Other Actions.
Select Resend.

The message opens in a new compose window. Edit if needed and click Send.

4. Outlook Mobile (iOS & Android)

Outlook mobile doesn’t have a built-in resend feature. Your options:

Forward and re-target: Open the message in Sent Items, tap Forward, then delete the “FW:” prefix and the header block, and manually re-enter the original recipients.
Wait for desktop or web: Resend is fastest from a desktop or browser. Most users keep mobile for quick replies and switch to desktop for resends.

Resend vs. Forward vs. Recall

Action	What it does	Recipient sees
Resend	Sends a new copy of the original message	A fresh email, no forwarding chain
Forward	Adds “FW:” and the original sender’s header	A forwarded email with the original metadata
Recall	Tries to delete the original from the recipient’s inbox	Either nothing (if recall succeeds) or a recall notice

Use resend when you want the email to look like the first time you sent it — re-sending an announcement to people who say they didn’t get it, or fixing a missed attachment.

Use forward when the recipient should see that this is a follow-up to something they already received.

Use recall when you sent the email by mistake and want to delete it from the recipient’s inbox before they see it. Recall only works in some setups — see how to recall an email in Outlook for the full details.

When Resend Doesn’t Work

The Resend option is grayed out. This usually happens when:

You’re viewing the email in the reading pane instead of in its own window. Double-click the message first.
The email was sent through a non-Exchange account (some POP/IMAP setups disable resend).
You’re trying to resend a meeting invite — that needs a different flow (open the meeting from your calendar and click Forward or Send Update).

The recipient sees “FW:” in the subject. You used Forward, not Resend. Reopen the original from Sent Items and use the actual Resend option.

Resend changed the timestamp on the original. Resending creates a new email — the original stays in Sent Items with its original timestamp. The new copy has a new timestamp.

Resend Etiquette

Edit the subject line when resending so the recipient knows it’s a follow-up. Adding “Resending:” or “Following up:” at the start gives them context.
Don’t keep resending blindly. If someone hasn’t responded after two sends, follow up by phone or chat instead. A third email rarely lands when the first two didn’t.
Use Delay Delivery for scheduled resends. Compose a fresh email, click Options → Delay Delivery, and set a future date. Outlook will send it at that time without needing to remember.

If chasing replies and resending emails has become part of your daily routine, Carly is an AI assistant that drafts follow-ups, manages your inbox, and connects to 200+ apps.

More on Outlook: How to recall an email in Outlook · How to schedule an email in Outlook · How to delay sending email in Outlook · How to flag emails in Outlook · How to create email template in Outlook · How to use Quick Steps in Outlook