When you need to retract or replace an email, “please disregard my previous email” is clear and professional. Alternatives such as “please ignore my earlier message,” “please refer to the updated information below,” and “I need to correct my previous email” can be better when you want to explain what changed.
Choose the Wording Based on What Changed
- Please ignore my previous email
- Please disregard my earlier message
- Please refer to the updated information below
- I need to correct my previous email
- Correction to my previous email
- Please use this email instead
- Please disregard the information I sent earlier
- I’m sending a corrected version
- Please note this update to my earlier email
- I’d like to amend my previous message
- Please treat this as the current version
Please ignore my previous email
Direct and widely understood when the entire earlier message should be disregarded.
Example: Please ignore my previous email; I sent it before the figures were finalised.
Please disregard my earlier message
A close, slightly formal alternative to the original wording.
Example: Please disregard my earlier message and use the attached revised schedule.
Please refer to the updated information below
Best when you want to move attention immediately to the corrected details.
Example: Please refer to the updated information below for the correct meeting dates.
I need to correct my previous email
Clear and accountable when the earlier message contained an error.
Example: I need to correct my previous email: the deadline is 18 May, not 16 May.
Correction to my previous email
A concise phrase that also works well as an email subject line.
Example: Correction to my previous email: the room number should be 214.
Please use this email instead
Simple and practical when the new message completely replaces the old one.
Example: Please use this email instead, as it contains the final version of the instructions.
Please disregard the information I sent earlier
Useful when only the information, rather than the existence of the email itself, is the issue.
Example: Please disregard the information I sent earlier about the venue.
I’m sending a corrected version
Good when attaching or pasting a replacement document or set of details.
Example: I’m sending a corrected version of the agenda with the missing item included.
Please note this update to my earlier email
Best for a change rather than a full retraction.
Example: Please note this update to my earlier email: registration will close at noon.
I’d like to amend my previous message
Polite and moderately formal when making a specific correction.
Example: I’d like to amend my previous message regarding the start time.
Please treat this as the current version
Useful when recipients may have multiple versions and need to know which one is authoritative.
Example: Please treat this as the current version of the timetable.
Say What Was Wrong When You Can
A vague retraction can create more confusion. If the correction is simple, name it directly: “The meeting is on Wednesday, not Thursday.” That lets the recipient fix the error without comparing two full messages.
For a serious mistake, a brief apology may be appropriate, but you do not need to over-apologise for an ordinary correction.