How to Schedule an Email in Outlook on the Web

To schedule an email in Outlook on the web, write your message, select the arrow beside Send, choose Schedule send, pick a suggested time or a custom one, then select Send to confirm. Outlook holds the message until the selected time, which is useful for working ahead, sending during someone’s business hours, or avoiding a late-night notification. You need an Outlook account and an internet connection to set up the message; once Outlook accepts the schedule, you can usually close the browser.

What You’ll Need

An Outlook.com, Microsoft 365 work or school, or other supported Outlook account signed in at Outlook on the web.
A message ready to compose, including the recipient’s address. You can schedule a message with or without attachments.
A planned delivery date and time. Check the time zone shown by your Outlook settings, especially if the recipient is in another region.
A browser with access to your mailbox. The exact appearance of the compose window can vary as Microsoft updates Outlook.

Step-by-Step

Open your mailbox and start a message. Go to Outlook on the web and sign in to the account you intend to send from. Select New mail or New message, usually near the top-left of the mail view. If you have multiple accounts or a shared mailbox, confirm the sender shown in the From field before composing.
Enter the recipient and subject. Add one or more addresses in the To field, and add any people who should receive a copy in Cc or Bcc. Type a clear subject. If you are sending to a group, pause to verify the addresses or distribution list; a scheduled message can still go to the wrong people if the recipient line is incorrect.
Write and review the message. Compose the email as usual. Add attachments by using the attachment control if needed, and wait until each file finishes uploading. Check names, dates, links, and any promised follow-up. Scheduling changes when Outlook sends the message, not what it says, so take the same care you would with an email being sent immediately.
Open the send options. In the compose window, locate the arrow or dropdown next to the Send button. Select it to show additional send choices. Do not select the main Send button yet, because that sends the message immediately.
Choose Schedule send. Select Schedule send from the menu. Outlook may show suggested delivery times, such as later that day or the next morning, along with an option to choose a custom time. If the option is missing, see Troubleshooting below; account type, mailbox policies, or a different compose experience may affect what is available.
Select the delivery time. Choose a suggestion if it suits your needs. For a particular date or time, select the custom-time option, set the date and time in the picker, and check the displayed time zone. Choose a time in the future. Consider the recipient’s working hours and the possibility that daylight-saving changes could affect a date planned far in advance.
Confirm the schedule. Review the selected date and time in the confirmation view, then select Send or the confirmation button shown there. This final action schedules the message; it does not normally deliver it immediately. If you close or discard the compose window before confirming, the scheduled send may not be created.
Verify that Outlook accepted it. Look for a confirmation notice and check the relevant message folder. Depending on the account and Outlook interface, a scheduled email may appear in a Scheduled folder or remain in Drafts until it is sent. Open the item and confirm its recipient and scheduled time if you need reassurance. If there is no confirmation and the message is not listed, do not assume it is scheduled.
Change or cancel it if plans change. Open the scheduled message from the folder where Outlook placed it. Use the available edit, cancel, or send-now option. In some versions, opening a scheduled item lets you cancel the schedule and return the email to a draft; then edit it and schedule it again, or send it immediately. Confirm any changes before leaving the message.

Common Mistakes

Clicking Send instead of its arrow. The main button sends immediately. Open the dropdown first, then choose Schedule send.
Forgetting the final confirmation. Choosing a time may open another screen or prompt. Complete the final confirmation and look for Outlook’s notice rather than assuming the first selection was enough.
Choosing the wrong time zone or date. A time that looks right in one region may be inconvenient elsewhere. Check the displayed date and local time, and remember that a time near midnight can fall on a different calendar day for the recipient.
Leaving a placeholder or the wrong recipient in place. Use the waiting period to check the To, Cc, and Bcc fields, plus the subject and attachments. A delay does not provide an automatic proofread.
Assuming scheduled mail is delivered at an exact second. Outlook aims to send at the selected time, but service availability, organization rules, or connection and delivery issues can affect when the recipient actually receives it. Avoid scheduling a message at the last possible moment for a deadline.
Looking only in Sent Items. Before delivery, the email may be in Scheduled or Drafts instead. Check the folder list and search for the subject if you cannot see it where expected.

Tips

Schedule around the recipient, not just your own calendar. For a routine work message, a morning delivery during the recipient’s normal hours may be more considerate than sending it overnight. For urgent information, do not rely on a delayed email as the only notification.
Use a specific subject line. A useful subject makes the message easier to identify if you need to find, edit, or cancel it later. Searching by a distinctive subject can be quicker than browsing several folders.
Give attachments time to upload. Wait for the attachment to appear in the message before scheduling. For large files, consider whether a sharing link is more reliable and whether its access permissions are correct.
Leave a buffer before important deadlines. Schedule well ahead of the required delivery time, and check the scheduled item after creating it. For a time-critical message, consider sending it yourself earlier rather than relying on a last-minute scheduled send.
Use the same account you plan to send from. When replying from a shared mailbox or switching between personal and work accounts, verify the From field and that the schedule is stored in the expected mailbox.
Know the difference between scheduling and a reminder. Schedule send queues the email for delivery. It does not remind you to review the message, and it does not guarantee the recipient reads it at that time.

Troubleshooting

I cannot find Schedule send. Make sure you are composing a new message or reply in Outlook on the web and have opened the arrow beside Send, rather than selecting the main button. If the option still is not there, try refreshing Outlook or opening it in a supported, up-to-date browser. Some features can differ by account type, organization settings, or mailbox interface. A work or school administrator may also restrict features. If you use a shared mailbox, try composing from your own mailbox or ask your administrator whether scheduled sending is supported for that mailbox.

The time I want is not listed. Choose the custom date-and-time option rather than one of the suggested times. If Outlook will not accept the time, check that the selected date is in the future and that the date and time fields are complete. Check your Outlook time-zone settings if the picker is showing an unexpected local time. If you are scheduling across a daylight-saving transition, verify the displayed delivery time again after setting the date.

The message is not in the folder I expected. Check both Scheduled and Drafts, and search by subject or recipient. Folder placement varies across Outlook experiences and account configurations. Also make sure you are viewing the same mailbox from which you composed the message. If a confirmation appeared but you still cannot locate the item, refresh the folder list or sign out and back in before creating a duplicate.

The email did not arrive at the scheduled time. First check whether it is still listed as scheduled or as a draft, and inspect its status and delivery time. Confirm the recipient address and check whether the message was changed or canceled. Look in Sent Items to see whether Outlook sent it; if it was sent, the recipient should check spam or junk mail and any organization quarantine. For a work account, delivery rules or service problems may need an administrator’s help. If the email is still queued and the matter is urgent, use an available send-now option or compose a separate message, taking care not to create a duplicate if the original later sends.

I need to edit or cancel the email. Find the scheduled item in its folder and open it. If Outlook offers Cancel send, use that, then edit and reschedule or send the draft immediately. If it opens as a draft, make the change and schedule it again. Do not rely on deleting a copy from a different folder; confirm that the scheduled item itself is no longer waiting to send.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I schedule an email in Outlook on the web for a custom date and time?
Yes. Open the dropdown beside Send, choose Schedule send, and select the custom date-and-time option. Check the displayed time zone before confirming.

Does Outlook have to stay open for the email to send?
Usually, no. After Outlook has accepted the schedule, delivery is handled by the mail service, so you can generally close the browser or turn off your device. Check that the schedule was confirmed; an unsent draft is not queued.

Can I schedule an email with an attachment?
Yes, in the usual compose experience. Add the file and wait for it to finish uploading before scheduling. Reopen the scheduled message if you want to verify that the attachment is present.

Can I edit a scheduled email after scheduling it?
Usually you can cancel the scheduled send or open the item as a draft, edit it, and schedule it again. The exact controls depend on the Outlook interface. Verify the revised date and time before confirming.

Where do scheduled emails go in Outlook?
They may appear in a Scheduled folder or remain in Drafts until delivery, depending on the account and interface. Check both folders and search by the subject if needed.

Can I schedule an email in Outlook on the web from my phone?
Outlook’s mobile browser may show a different layout, and available controls can vary. If you do not see Schedule send, use the Outlook app or a desktop browser and confirm the option is available before relying on it for a time-sensitive message.

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

More in How-to basics

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

Spotted an error in this guide? Let us know.