It was released as the lead single (sixth overall) from the deluxe edition of Mendes' self-titled third studio album through Island Records on May 3, 2019.

[4] "If I Can't Have You" has reached number one in Hungary and China, as well as the top five in Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland, Slovakia, and the United States.

Mendes told Zane Lowe on the Beats 1 radio show that out of the 45 songs he has written in the last six months, which are stylistically "all over the place" and have "different vibes", "If I Can't Have You" was "the one consistently every time I played for myself and for friends and family was giving people that smile".

It was Mendes' highest-charting hit in both countries at the time surpassing 2015's "Stitches", which peaked at number 4 in the US.

The music video was released on May 3, 2019, via the singer's official Vevo channel on YouTube.