How to Schedule Send an Email in Outlook on the Web

To schedule an email in Outlook on the web, compose your message, open the arrow beside Send, choose Schedule send, and select a date and time. Outlook holds the message and sends it at the time you set, so you can prepare it now without keeping the browser open. Before you begin, check the recipients, message, and time zone; you can usually reopen a scheduled message to change or cancel it before it goes out.

What You’ll Need

An internet connection and access to Outlook on the web, either through Outlook.com or your Microsoft 365 work or school account.
The recipient’s email address and the message details. You can add these while composing, but having them ready makes it easier to check the email before scheduling.
A date and time for delivery. Consider the recipient’s time zone if they are somewhere else.

These instructions are for Outlook in a desktop web browser. The layout can vary slightly as Microsoft updates the service, but the scheduling control is normally in the menu beside the Send button. Outlook on the web works similarly in browsers on Windows and Mac; you do not need a separate Mac menu path.

Step-by-Step

Open Outlook and start a message. Sign in to your Outlook account in a browser. Select New mail (sometimes shown as New message) to open a blank compose pane. If you are replying to an existing email, open it and choose Reply or Forward instead; you can schedule those messages too.
Address the email. Enter at least one recipient in the To field. Add people in Cc or Bcc if needed; if those fields are hidden, use the corresponding link or option in the compose pane. Check for misspelled addresses and confirm that you have chosen the intended contact when Outlook suggests names. Scheduled messages are still sent to the recipients listed, so do not assume scheduling provides an extra review or approval step.
Add a subject and write the message. Enter a subject that will help the recipient recognize what the email is about. Write the message in the body, then review names, dates, links, and any instructions that could become outdated before delivery. If the email needs an attachment, add it now and wait for the upload to finish. Open or preview the attachment if possible, and confirm it is the correct file and version.
Open the scheduling menu. Do not click the main Send button yet. Select the small arrow or dropdown control next to Send. In the menu that appears, select Schedule send. Depending on the Outlook layout, you may see suggested delivery times as well as an option to choose a custom time.
Choose when the email should be sent. Select a suggested time if one suits your needs, or choose the custom date-and-time option. Use the date picker to select the day, then set the hour and minute. Check whether the time shown is morning or afternoon, and verify the date as well as the time; a correct-looking clock time on the wrong day is an easy mistake to miss. Outlook uses the time zone configured for your account or displayed in the scheduling control, so check it carefully if you have recently traveled or work across time zones.
Confirm the schedule. Review the selected delivery time in the confirmation or scheduling panel. Choose Schedule send to confirm. If you close the picker or select Cancel, the message may remain an unsent draft rather than being scheduled. Look for an on-screen confirmation that the message is scheduled, and avoid clicking Send afterward unless you want it sent immediately.
Check the scheduled message if needed. Open Drafts and look for the message with its scheduled time or status. Outlook’s folders and labels can vary by account and interface, so use the confirmation message or search for the subject if it is not immediately obvious. To make a change, open the scheduled message and look for Cancel send or the scheduling controls. Canceling returns the message to an editable state in many Outlook web layouts; make the changes, then schedule it again. If you no longer need it, cancel the send and delete the resulting draft.

Once the message is scheduled, you can close Outlook or turn off your computer. The email is held by the Outlook service, not by the open browser window. However, it is sensible to confirm that scheduling succeeded before closing the tab, especially if your connection dropped or the page was still showing a loading indicator.

Common Mistakes

Clicking Send instead of its arrow. The main button sends immediately. Open the small dropdown beside it and select Schedule send to choose a future delivery time.
Choosing the wrong day or time. Check the date, hour, minutes, and AM/PM setting in the final selection. If you are scheduling around a deadline, allow a buffer rather than choosing the exact last minute.
Forgetting recipients or attachments. Scheduling does not automatically detect that you meant to attach a file or copy someone. Check the To, Cc, and Bcc fields and verify that every attachment has finished uploading before you schedule.
Assuming the email is scheduled because the picker opened. Opening the menu is not confirmation. Complete the selection and look for Outlook’s scheduled confirmation or the scheduled message in Drafts.
Leaving an outdated message queued. A scheduled email can become inaccurate if a meeting time, price, or plan changes. Reopen and review it before its send time when the information may change.

Tips

Schedule for the recipient, not just yourself. If you know the recipient’s working hours, choose a reasonable local delivery time. For a different time zone, convert the time before scheduling and verify the zone shown by Outlook.
Use a clear subject and a useful first line. The recipient may see a notification as soon as the email arrives. Make the purpose clear without relying on context that only you can see in your Drafts folder.
Give important messages a margin. If an email must arrive before an event, schedule it early enough to allow for service delays or a correction. A scheduled time is the intended send time, not a guarantee that the recipient’s mail system will display it at that exact second.
Keep a note for time-sensitive messages. If a message is important, add a calendar reminder to check that it is still accurate before it sends. This is especially helpful for messages scheduled days or weeks ahead.
Use the same process on a Mac browser. Outlook on the web has the same scheduling menu on Mac and Windows. Browser shortcuts and window controls may differ, but the message and scheduling steps do not.

Troubleshooting

I cannot find Schedule send. Confirm that you are composing a new email or reply in Outlook on the web, and look for the small arrow beside the Send button. If the compose pane is narrow, widen the browser window or look for a more-options control near the button. Refreshing can help if Outlook has not finished loading, but first copy any unsaved message text so you do not lose it. If the option is still missing, your organization may have a different Outlook interface or account policy; check with your Microsoft 365 administrator or use the supported Outlook client provided by your organization.

The email seems to have gone out immediately. Check the Sent Items folder and the conversation before scheduling again. If the message is there, it was sent; sending another copy could duplicate it. If it remains a draft, reopen it and use the dropdown beside Send rather than the main Send button. If you are unsure, inspect the message status before taking action.

The scheduled email is not visible where expected. Start with Drafts and search for the subject or recipient. Outlook’s folder display can differ between accounts, and a scheduled message may not appear in the same place as a message queued in a desktop application. Check for the scheduling confirmation as well. If it is not in Drafts and there is no confirmation, open a new compose window only after checking Sent Items and searching Outlook, so you do not accidentally send a duplicate.

The displayed time looks wrong. Reopen the message’s scheduling controls if available and verify the time zone used for your account. In Outlook on the web, open Settings, then General and Language and time to review the account’s time-zone setting. Change it only if it should apply to your Outlook calendar and mail generally, not just to one message. Then check the scheduled message again before its delivery time.

I need to edit or stop the message. Find and open it in Drafts, then select Cancel send if Outlook offers that control. After it returns to an editable draft, make your changes and schedule it again, or delete it if it should not be sent. If the scheduled time has already passed, the message may have started sending and cancellation might no longer be possible. Check Sent Items before deciding whether to send a correction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I schedule an email in Outlook on the web for any date?
Outlook lets you choose a future date and time through the scheduling picker, subject to the options available in your account. For a message scheduled far ahead, keep in mind that its details may become stale and review it before it is due to send.

Does Outlook have to stay open for a scheduled email to send?
No. After Outlook confirms the schedule, the service holds the message and sends it at the chosen time. You can close the browser or shut down your computer; keeping the tab open is not required.

Can I change a scheduled email after setting it?
Usually, yes. Find the message in Drafts, open it, and use Cancel send or the available schedule controls. Edit the returned draft and schedule it again. Do not assume that editing a separate copy changes the scheduled message.

How do I cancel a scheduled email?
Open the scheduled message, choose Cancel send if shown, and then delete the draft if you no longer want it. Confirm that it has not already moved to Sent Items; once delivery has begun, cancellation may be too late.

Will the recipient know the email was scheduled?
Outlook generally delivers it as an ordinary email at the selected time; the recipient does not need to approve the schedule. Their mail provider may affect when it appears, and the recipient can still see the normal sender, subject, and message details.

Why did my scheduled email arrive later than the time I chose?
The selected time is when Outlook is intended to send the message, but processing or the recipient’s mail service can introduce a delay. If precise timing matters, schedule it with a buffer and avoid relying on an email arriving at an exact second.

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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