Schedule Send an Email in Old Outlook with Delay Delivery

In classic Outlook for Windows, open a new message, choose Options > Delay Delivery, set Do not deliver before to the date and time you want, then select Send. Outlook holds the message in your Outbox until it is due. This guide covers the classic desktop interface, sometimes called old Outlook; the newer Outlook app uses different scheduling controls.

What You’ll Need

Classic Outlook for Windows, signed in to the email account you plan to send from.
The recipient’s email address and the message content. You can add recipients, attachments, and formatting before or after setting the delivery time.
A delivery date and time, taking account of your computer’s local time and the recipient’s likely working hours.
A reliable connection and, depending on your account type, Outlook open when the scheduled time arrives. For POP or IMAP accounts, keep Outlook running and connected so it can send the message. Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts may handle delivery on the server, but check the message’s status and test the behavior with your account before relying on it.

Step-by-Step

Open a new message. In classic Outlook, select Home > New Email, or use Ctrl+N from the Mail view. If you are replying to a message, you can schedule that reply instead; open the reply window so you can access its ribbon.
Address and write the email. Enter the recipients in To, Cc, or Bcc, add a clear subject, and write the body. Attach any files now if you need them. Scheduling does not send a preview or reminder to you, so check that the message is complete before continuing.
Open the delivery settings. In the message window, select the Options tab. In the More Options group, select Delay Delivery. In some ribbon layouts the command may be represented by a small dialog-box launcher in that group; selecting it opens the message’s Properties window.
Set the scheduled date and time. In the Properties window, find Delivery options and select the checkbox labeled Do not deliver before. Choose the date and time from the adjacent fields. Use the local time shown by your computer, and double-check whether you selected the intended day, especially when scheduling close to midnight or across a weekend.
Close the Properties window. Select Close to save the delivery setting and return to the message. Closing this window does not send the email or discard the schedule. If you cancel out of the message itself, however, you may lose the unsent draft or need to save it.
Review the message and select Send. Check the recipients, subject, wording, attachments, and scheduled time. Then select Send. The message is not delivered immediately: in classic Outlook it normally moves to the Outbox and waits until the specified time.
Confirm that the message is waiting. Open the folder list and select Outbox. Look for the message there, and open it if you need to confirm or edit its contents. If you do not see it, check Drafts and Sent Items as well. A message in Drafts was not submitted; one in Sent Items has already been sent.
Leave Outlook ready to send. For POP or IMAP accounts, leave classic Outlook open and connected through the scheduled time. If the computer is asleep, Outlook is closed, or the connection is unavailable, the message may wait in the Outbox and send after Outlook reconnects. With a Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 account, server-side delivery may allow it to send while Outlook is closed, but behavior can vary with the account and configuration.

For example, if you prepare a reminder on Monday and set Do not deliver before to Tuesday at 9:00 a.m., select Send on Monday. The message should remain pending until Tuesday morning. Scheduling sets the earliest delivery time; it does not guarantee that the recipient’s mail system will display the message at precisely that minute.

Common Mistakes

Setting the time but not selecting Send. The message needs to be submitted after you set the delay. If it is still in Drafts, it has not been queued for delivery.
Choosing the wrong date or time. The date and time fields can be easy to overlook. Verify both, and remember that Outlook uses the computer’s local time for the setting.
Closing Outlook with a POP or IMAP account. A queued message may not leave the Outbox while the desktop app is closed or offline. Do not assume that every account sends on a server when Outlook is shut down.
Assuming a scheduled message is in Sent Items. Before delivery, the message is generally in the Outbox. Check the right folder before deciding it disappeared.
Editing the wrong copy. If you open a queued message to change it, make sure you save the change and leave the message queued. Selecting Send again can submit it, while deleting it cancels that queued copy.
Forgetting that delivery time is not inbox-arrival time. Outlook controls when it attempts to send. The recipient’s provider, spam filtering, or network delays can affect when the message appears.

Tips

Send a test to yourself first. Schedule a harmless message a few minutes ahead to confirm how your account behaves, particularly if you plan to close Outlook or turn off your computer.
Choose a useful recipient-time window. If you are writing late at night, use a morning delivery time in the recipient’s working day. If you are unsure of their time zone, avoid scheduling close to a date boundary.
Use a descriptive subject. A subject such as Project notes for Tuesday makes the queued item easier to identify in the Outbox than a generic subject such as Update.
Keep a pending message easy to find. Check the Outbox before shutting down or making major account changes. If your account cannot send while Outlook is closed, leave the app open, the computer awake, and the connection active.
Schedule sensitive messages cautiously. Review recipients and attachments before sending. Delay Delivery is not a substitute for checking confidential information or confirming that everyone in the recipient fields should receive it.
Remember that interfaces differ. This procedure is for classic Outlook on Windows. In current Outlook for Mac, look for the arrow beside Send and choose Schedule Send if that option is available. Older Mac versions may not show the same controls; use an updated Outlook version or Outlook on the web if needed.

Troubleshooting

The email is still in the Outbox after its scheduled time. First check whether Outlook is online and connected. For a POP or IMAP account, open Outlook and allow it to connect; also check that the app is not in Work Offline mode. In classic Outlook, the Send/Receive tab includes the Work Offline control. If it is enabled, select it to reconnect, then use Send/Receive All Folders and check whether the message leaves the Outbox. If you use Exchange or Microsoft 365 and it remains pending, reconnect Outlook and check for account or service errors rather than assuming server delivery occurred.

You cannot find Delay Delivery. Make sure you are composing in classic Outlook for Windows, not the newer Outlook interface or Outlook on the web. Open the full message window, select Options, and look in More Options. If the ribbon is simplified, expand it or open the message in its own window; the command can be hidden when the ribbon is collapsed. The newer Outlook has a different Schedule send workflow and will not necessarily show the classic Properties dialog.

The message sent immediately. Check whether you selected the Do not deliver before checkbox, not just a date or time field, and confirm the saved date and time in the message’s delivery settings if it is still pending. If the email is already in Sent Items, it has been sent and cannot be recalled reliably from every recipient’s mailbox. For a future attempt, set the checkbox, close Properties, and verify the message is in the Outbox after selecting Send.

The scheduled time is wrong or the message needs editing. If the message is still in the Outbox, open it, make the correction, and revisit Options > Delay Delivery to adjust or remove the delivery restriction. Save the changes and check that the message remains queued. If you cannot edit it cleanly, delete the queued message, create a replacement, and verify its schedule before sending. If it has already moved to Sent Items, the scheduled delivery has taken place.

Outlook shows a connection or sign-in problem. Resolve the connection first: confirm internet access, sign in again if prompted, and allow Outlook to finish synchronizing. Then check the Outbox. A delivery delay does not override account errors, recipient-address problems, attachment limits, or organization mail rules. If the message still will not send, note any error text and contact your organization’s email administrator or account provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I schedule an email in old Outlook if my computer will be off?
It depends on the account. POP and IMAP messages generally need classic Outlook running and connected at the delivery time. Exchange or Microsoft 365 may process a delayed message through the server, but confirm this with a test using your account before relying on it.

Where does a scheduled email go before it is sent?
After you select Send, it normally appears in the Outbox until its scheduled time. If it is still a draft, it remains in Drafts and has not been queued. After delivery, it usually appears in Sent Items.

Can I cancel or change a scheduled email?
Yes, while it is still pending in the Outbox. Open it to edit the message or change the delivery setting. You can also delete the pending item to cancel it. Confirm the status afterward; if it is already in Sent Items, it has been sent.

Can I schedule a recurring email with Delay Delivery?
Delay Delivery schedules an individual message, not a repeating series. To send recurring information, create and schedule each message separately, or use an approved automation tool provided by your organization.

Will the recipient know the email was scheduled?
The feature schedules when Outlook attempts delivery; it does not normally add a special notice saying you scheduled it. The recipient may see the time it was sent or received according to their mail app, time zone, and mail-server processing.

Is Delay Delivery the same as Schedule Send in new Outlook?
They serve a similar purpose, but the controls and where the message is held can differ. This guide uses the classic Windows Options > Delay Delivery Properties setting. In newer Outlook versions, use the schedule option beside Send and follow that version’s confirmation steps.

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.