How to Schedule (Delay) an Email in Outlook

To schedule an email in Outlook, compose it as normal, then choose the schedule option instead of Send. In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, click the small arrow next to the Send button and select Schedule send, then pick a date and time. In classic Outlook, open the Options tab, click Delay Delivery, and set a “Do not deliver before” date and time. Outlook then sends the message for you at that moment.

Scheduling (also called delaying) an email is useful when you are working late but do not want to land in someone’s inbox at 11pm, when you want a reminder to go out first thing Monday, or when you are sending across time zones. The steps differ depending on which version of Outlook you use, so this guide covers new Outlook, classic Outlook, the web and mobile, plus how to change or cancel a scheduled message.

What does scheduling (delaying) an email in Outlook do?

Scheduling holds your finished email and releases it at a time you choose. You write and address it now; Outlook sends it later. There are two different mechanisms depending on your version, and the difference matters:

• New Outlook and Outlook on the web schedule the send in the cloud (on the Microsoft 365 server). Your computer does not need to be on for the message to go out.
• Classic Outlook uses Delay Delivery, which keeps the message in your Outbox until the send time. For this to work, classic Outlook generally needs to be open and connected at the scheduled time.

How do you schedule an email in new Outlook (and on the web)?

New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web use the same steps:

1. Click New mail and write your message as usual, including recipients and subject.
2. Instead of clicking Send, click the small arrow next to the Send button.
3. Select Schedule send.
4. Choose one of the suggested times, or click Custom time and set your own date and time.
5. Click Send (it now reads Schedule). The email moves to your Drafts (or Scheduled) folder until it goes out.

If you do not see the arrow next to Send, your window may be too narrow (widen it) or you may be on a very old build; update Outlook or use the web version at outlook.office.com.

How do you schedule an email in classic Outlook?

Classic Outlook for Windows uses a feature called Delay Delivery:

1. Click New Email and write your message.
2. Go to the Options tab on the ribbon.
3. In the More Options group, click Delay Delivery.
4. Under Delivery options, tick Do not deliver before and set the date and time.
5. Click Close, then click Send.

The message sits in your Outbox and is sent automatically at the time you set.

Important: because the message waits in your Outbox, classic Outlook needs to be running at the scheduled time for the email to leave (this is most relevant for POP and IMAP accounts). If you shut your computer down, it will send the next time Outlook is open and connected after that time.

How do you schedule an email in the Outlook mobile app?

In current versions of the Outlook app for iPhone and Android, compose your message, tap the three dots (More) in the top corner, and choose Schedule send (some versions label it Send later). Pick a time and confirm. As with the web, the send happens in the cloud, so your phone does not need to stay on.

How do you edit or cancel a scheduled email?

• New Outlook / web: open your Drafts (or Scheduled) folder and open the message. Use Cancel send to return it to an editable draft, make your changes, then schedule it again, or send it now.
• Classic Outlook: open the Outbox, double-click the message, go to Options > Delay Delivery, and change or clear the “Do not deliver before” time. Click Close, then Send to put it back in the Outbox with the new time.

Tips for scheduling email

• Mind the recipient’s time zone. “8am” for you may be the middle of the night for them.
• Use it for boundaries, not secrecy. Scheduling is great for sending during work hours; it is not a way to hide when something was written.
• Combine it with other Outlook features. If you are away, pair scheduled sends with an out of office reply, and remember you can also recall an email in Outlook if you send something by mistake.

Practice on your own inbox

Scheduling is one of those small Outlook skills that quietly makes you look organised, and it takes about thirty seconds once you know where it lives.

Our hands-on Microsoft Outlook training courses cover scheduling, rules, automatic replies, signatures and more, in-class in Sydney and Melbourne or Online Live across Australia.

Frequently asked questions