Schedule an Email in Outlook Webmail: Step-by-Step

To schedule an email in Outlook webmail, start a new message, open the arrow beside Send, choose Schedule send, select a suggested time or enter a custom date and time, then confirm. The message will be queued for delivery at the time you choose, so you do not need to keep Outlook open. Before you begin, check the recipient, message, and time zone carefully; a scheduled message is not delivered until its selected send time.

What You’ll Need

An Outlook.com or Microsoft 365 work or school account that you can access in a web browser.
The recipient’s email address and the message you want to send. You can write it from scratch or prepare the text elsewhere first.
Any attachments you intend to include. Add them before scheduling and wait for them to finish uploading.

Outlook’s web interface can look slightly different between personal Outlook.com accounts and work or school accounts, and Microsoft may update the layout. The control is generally in the menu attached to the Send button. These instructions are for Outlook in a browser, not the Outlook desktop app.

Step-by-Step

Sign in to Outlook on the web. Open Outlook.com for a personal account or your organization’s Microsoft 365 Outlook page for a work or school account. Sign in to the account you want to send from. If you have more than one account open, check the profile or account name before composing so the message is not sent from the wrong mailbox.
Start a new message. Select New mail or New message, usually near the upper-left of the Outlook window. A compose pane or message window will open. If you are replying to an existing email, you can schedule the reply in the same way, but confirm that you are replying to the intended conversation.
Fill in the recipients and subject. Enter one or more addresses in the To field. Use Cc or Bcc if appropriate, then add a clear subject. If Outlook suggests a contact, verify the displayed name and address rather than accepting a similar-looking person automatically. For a sensitive message, double-check every recipient before you schedule it.
Write and review the message. Type the email in the body, and add any signature or attachments. Wait until attachment upload indicators finish; an attachment that is still uploading may not be included as expected. Read the message once for accuracy, especially dates, amounts, links, and names. Scheduling delays delivery, but it does not give you a guaranteed opportunity to correct a message after it has been sent.
Open the Send menu. Look at the Send button at the bottom of the compose pane. Select the small arrow beside it, rather than the main Send button. Choose Schedule send from the menu. In some layouts, the wording or placement may vary slightly; look for the option that lets you choose a later delivery time. If you select the main Send button, the email will send immediately.
Choose when it should be sent. Outlook may offer suggested delivery times, such as later that day or the next morning. Select a suggestion if it fits. To choose another time, select the option to pick a time or custom time, then set the date and time in the dialog. Check whether the displayed time is in your local time zone, particularly if you are travelling or scheduling from a device configured to a different zone.
Confirm the schedule. Review the selected date and time in the confirmation window, then select the button that confirms scheduling, often labelled Send or Schedule. Wait for Outlook to show a confirmation that the message is scheduled. Do not close the compose pane before you confirm; if the confirmation does not appear, check the message folders before trying again to avoid sending a duplicate.
Verify the scheduled message. Look for a Scheduled folder or, depending on your Outlook account and layout, check Drafts for the scheduled item. Open the message if you need to verify its recipient, subject, or scheduled time. Outlook keeps the message associated with your mailbox until it is sent, so you can return to it before delivery to cancel or change the plan.

Common Mistakes

Clicking Send instead of its arrow: The main button sends the email immediately. Make a habit of selecting the small menu arrow and checking that you chose Schedule send before picking a time.

Choosing the wrong date or time: A date picker can make it easy to select tomorrow instead of today, or to overlook the hour. Review the full date and time in the final confirmation. If the message is time-sensitive, compare Outlook’s displayed time with the time zone you intend to use.

Leaving out an attachment: Scheduling does not add files automatically. Attach the file before scheduling, wait for the upload to complete, and make sure the file name appears in the message. Also check that you have selected the final version of the file.

Using the wrong sender or recipient: A browser may remember another signed-in account, and contact suggestions can look alike. Confirm the From account, To line, Cc, and Bcc fields before scheduling, especially when sending to a group or an external address.

Assuming the message is already gone: A scheduled message is held until its chosen send time. Finding it in Scheduled or Drafts before then is normal; it does not necessarily mean Outlook has sent it or that scheduling failed.

Tips

Schedule around the recipient’s working hours, not just your own. For a routine update, a morning delivery on a business day may be easier to notice than an evening or weekend message. If your recipient is in another time zone, convert the time before you schedule and make sure the intended date does not shift when you do so.

Use a subject that explains the purpose of the email even if it will arrive later. If the message relates to a meeting or deadline, include the relevant date in the body as well as in the subject; this gives the reader useful context if the email is forwarded or read after its scheduled delivery.

For important messages, schedule a little ahead of the deadline rather than at the exact last minute. That gives you time to notice a wrong address or an attachment issue and reschedule if necessary. You can also prepare the email as a draft first, check it later, and schedule it only after you are satisfied with the final wording.

After scheduling, check the message in the relevant folder rather than relying only on memory. This is especially useful when you schedule several messages or work across multiple mailboxes. If Outlook shows a scheduled time, keep that confirmation as your reference; folder names and layouts can differ between account types.

Scheduling is intended for a single future send. If you need the same announcement to go out repeatedly, use an appropriate recurring workflow or create separate messages and schedule each one. Do not assume that one scheduled message will repeat automatically.

Troubleshooting

You cannot find Schedule send. Confirm that you are using Outlook in a browser and that the compose window is open. Look for a small arrow attached to the Send button; it can be easy to miss on a narrow screen. Expand the window or widen the browser if necessary. If the option still is not present, refresh Outlook, try a supported up-to-date browser, and check whether your organization has changed or restricted available features. You can save the message as a draft while you investigate.

The message appears to have sent immediately. Check the Sent Items folder and the message timestamp. If the email is there with a current sent time, it was sent rather than scheduled. If it is still before the intended delivery time, inspect Scheduled or Drafts before taking action. If the message already went out, Outlook cannot reliably recall it from every recipient; send a correction if needed.

The scheduled message is missing. Check both Scheduled and Drafts, and make sure you are in the same account from which you composed it. Search for the subject if your mailbox has many messages. If Outlook did not display a scheduling confirmation, verify the folders before recreating the email, since it may already be queued. If it is not present anywhere, compose it again and confirm the schedule carefully.

The time looks wrong or the message has not arrived. Reopen the scheduled item and check its date and time, including the time zone shown by your account or device. A scheduled email is not guaranteed to appear in the recipient’s inbox at an exact second; delivery can be affected by mail systems, filtering, or service delays. If the chosen time has passed and the item remains unsent, refresh Outlook, check for a service or account notice, and contact your organization’s support team for a work or school mailbox.

You need to change or cancel it. Open the scheduled message from the folder where it appears. Choose Cancel send if that option is available; the message should return to an editable state or draft. Make your changes, then schedule it again for the correct time. If you do not see a cancel option, check the message’s available actions and account-specific Outlook help. Avoid editing a separate copy while leaving the original queued, because both copies could be sent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Outlook send the email if I close my browser?
Yes. Once Outlook confirms that the message is scheduled, the message is queued by the mail service; you do not need to leave the browser open or keep your computer running. Keep access to your account if you later want to review or change it.

Where can I find an email I scheduled?
Look in the Scheduled folder first. Depending on the Outlook version and account type, it may instead appear in Drafts until delivery. Check both folders if you do not see it immediately.

Can I edit a scheduled email?
Usually, you can open it before it sends, cancel the scheduled send, edit the draft, and schedule it again. The exact buttons can vary by account and interface. Confirm that the original is no longer queued before creating a replacement.

Can I schedule an email to send every week?
Outlook’s Schedule send option schedules one message for one future time; it does not create a recurring email. For repeated messages, create and schedule each one separately or use a suitable organizational process.

Can I schedule an email from Outlook.com and Microsoft 365?
Scheduling is available in Outlook on the web for supported personal Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 accounts, though labels and folder locations can vary. If a work or school account does not show the option, your organization’s configuration or account features may be responsible.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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