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A delayed send function is 100% necessary for the task of sending emails.

We’ve all felt that moment of panic after realising that we might have potentially sent something we really shouldn’t have.

It could be as innocuous as a typo or, one level up, accidentally adding the wrong contact or hitting the ‘Reply All’ button.

Alternatively, it could be a really damning possibility, like sending an explosive rant that should have stayed in your diary.

For all these reasons and more, having a time buffer to reflect after hitting ‘send’ is indispensable.

There are other email sending platforms that allow a delay send function, but for now, we will stick to Gmail.

Gmail will give you a standard five-second window to stop an email that could ruin your day, but a little more time can also be arranged.

The Verge has a neat instructional on how to set up that extra time using the web version of Gmail:

• Click on the “Settings” cogwheel in the upper right corner, and on “See all settings.”
• Under the “General” tab, look for “Undo Send.”
• Choose how long you’d like Gmail to give you to change your mind: you can select five seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, or 30 seconds.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Save Changes.”

Image: The Verge Screenshot

Once you have hit ‘send’, an ‘undo’ option appears in the lower-left corner of Gmail.

If you select ‘undo’, Gmail will bring you back to the email draft where you can make the obligatory adjustments before resending.

Then again, sometimes a hearty rant is just the thing you need to lead a happier life.

[source:verge]