Outlook: Can You Schedule an Email to Be Sent?

Yes. Outlook lets you schedule an email to be sent later, although the steps and where the message waits depend on which version you use. In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, use the arrow beside Send and choose Schedule send; classic Outlook for Windows has a Delay Delivery option.

How scheduled sending works

Scheduling separates writing a message from delivering it. You compose the email, pick a future date and time, and Outlook holds it until then. The recipient generally receives an ordinary email at the chosen time; scheduling does not label the message as planned or give the recipient a way to see when you wrote it.

Where Outlook holds the message matters. New Outlook and Outlook on the web generally keep scheduled messages in Drafts until delivery. Classic Outlook for Windows uses the Outbox for messages with a delivery delay. That difference affects how you find, edit, or cancel a message, and whether it depends on the Outlook application being available.

Scheduling is useful for sending a reminder during business hours, delivering a message in another time zone, or preparing a note before you are ready for it to arrive. It is not the same as saving a draft: a draft will not send unless you return to it and press Send.

Schedule an email in new Outlook or Outlook on the web

In new Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the web, compose your message as usual, add recipients and a subject, and write the body. Before sending, open the menu beside the Send button and choose Schedule send. Select one of the offered times or choose a custom date and time, then confirm the schedule. The wording or available preset choices can vary as Outlook is updated.

Check the date, time, and recipient list before confirming. You should then be able to find the message in Drafts, where it remains until its scheduled delivery. If the menu is missing, first check that you are using new Outlook or the web version rather than classic Outlook, and make sure the message is a normal email rather than a type of item with different sending options.

For example, you could write a project update on Friday afternoon and schedule it for Monday morning. You do not need to leave the compose window open over the weekend when using the service-based scheduling feature in new Outlook or Outlook on the web.

Schedule with classic Outlook for Windows

In classic Outlook for Windows, start a new message and fill it in. Open the Options tab, select Delay Delivery, and look under Delivery options for Do not deliver before. Set the date and time, close the dialog, and select Send. The message is held in the Outbox until Outlook can send it at the specified time.

Classic Outlook’s delay feature has an important practical distinction: it relies on the Outlook desktop application being open and connected when the message is due to leave. If the computer is asleep, Outlook is closed, or there is no connection, the message may remain in the Outbox and go later when Outlook can send it. For a message that must go at a particular time without relying on your computer, use new Outlook or Outlook on the web if your account offers Schedule send.

To inspect a delayed message in classic Outlook, open the Outbox. If you need to change it, open the message, make the changes, and adjust or remove the delivery time in Delay Delivery before sending it again. Avoid assuming that a message in this Outbox has already reached the recipient.

What about Outlook for Mac and mobile?

Outlook for Mac versions that support scheduled sending provide a Schedule Send or Send Later choice from the menu beside Send. Compose the email, open that menu, choose a suggested time or enter a custom one, and confirm. The precise label and location can vary between Outlook versions and account types. If the option does not appear, check for an Outlook update and consult the options available for your account.

Outlook mobile also offers scheduled sending in supported versions and accounts. In the compose screen, look for the menu associated with Send and choose the scheduling option if it is available. Because feature availability and menus can change, do not assume every account or app build has the same controls as Outlook on the web. You can use the web version as an alternative when the app does not show the option.

Scheduled messages are associated with the mailbox, so another device signed in to the same account may show the message and let you manage it. The exact behavior depends on the Outlook version and mail service. If a message is time-critical, verify that it appears as scheduled rather than relying only on a confirmation you saw while composing.

Choosing a delivery time and avoiding time-zone mistakes

Outlook’s scheduling controls use a date and time, so verify the displayed time zone when sending across regions or while travelling. The time shown by your device, Outlook’s regional settings, and the mailbox service can affect what you expect. If a message must arrive during a particular recipient’s workday, convert that target time before scheduling and check the date as well as the hour; crossing midnight can change the calendar day.

For instance, if a colleague is several hours ahead, scheduling for 9 a.m. on your clock may make the message arrive in their afternoon. A quick time-zone check is especially useful around daylight-saving changes, when the offset between two locations may differ from what you remember. Outlook does not guarantee that a recipient will read or act on a message at the time it arrives.

Give yourself a small margin when timing is important. A scheduled send is not a substitute for confirming that a message was delivered, and mail systems may experience delays after Outlook hands the message off. For a routine announcement, choosing a sensible business-hour window is usually more useful than aiming for an exact minute.

Edit or cancel a scheduled email

In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, open Drafts and locate the scheduled message. Open it to review the content and look for an option to cancel the schedule or change the delivery time. After canceling, the message should return to an editable state; make your changes and schedule it again, or send it immediately. Check the interface’s confirmation so you know whether it is still scheduled.

In classic Outlook for Windows, look in Outbox. Open the delayed item and use Options > Delay Delivery to change or clear Do not deliver before. If you want to stop it, remove the scheduled condition or delete the item while it is still waiting in Outbox. These steps only help before Outlook has sent the message. Once a message has left your mailbox, changing or deleting your copy does not remove the recipient’s copy.

That last point is easy to miss: scheduling gives you a window to reconsider, not a dependable way to recall mail after delivery. If you notice an error after the send time, send a correction promptly rather than assuming the original can be withdrawn.

What the recipient sees

In ordinary use, the recipient sees the message when their mail service receives it, with the sender, subject, and body you wrote. They are not normally told that you scheduled it. The timestamp they see reflects mail delivery information, not necessarily when you drafted the message. A recipient’s notification settings, spam filtering, or mail provider can affect when it appears in an inbox or triggers an alert.

Scheduling also does not make a message private or guarantee delivery. The email is still subject to normal address errors, filtering, mailbox limits, and organizational policies. For sensitive information, use the safeguards approved by your organization; choosing a future send time does not encrypt or otherwise protect the content.

Common problems and practical limits

No Schedule send option: You may be using classic Outlook, an older app version, or an account that does not expose the feature in that interface. Try Outlook on the web or update the app, and check your account’s available features.
The message is still waiting: In classic Outlook, check that Outlook is open and connected and inspect Outbox. In newer Outlook, check Drafts and confirm the scheduled time has not been set incorrectly.
The wrong time is shown: Reopen the scheduled message and verify the date, local time, and relevant time-zone settings. A time-zone conversion or daylight-saving change may explain the difference.
You cannot change a message after it sent: Scheduling controls stop applying once Outlook has handed the message off. Send a follow-up correction if needed.

Organizational accounts can also have policies or service restrictions that affect features. If the controls described here are absent in a work or school mailbox, your administrator or support team can confirm which Outlook version and account capabilities are available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I schedule an email in Outlook for free?
Scheduling is a built-in Outlook feature in supported versions, not a separate paid add-on in those versions. Access can depend on the Outlook app, account type, and organization settings, so the option may not appear everywhere.

Does Outlook have to be open for a scheduled email to send?
For classic Outlook for Windows using Delay Delivery, keep Outlook running and connected at the scheduled time. New Outlook and Outlook on the web use service-based scheduling, so the desktop app does not need to stay open for the message to be sent.

Can I schedule an email from Outlook on my phone?
Outlook mobile has scheduled sending in supported app versions and accounts. Open the menu beside Send and look for a scheduling choice. If it is unavailable, try Outlook on the web or another supported version.

Can I cancel an Outlook email after scheduling it?
Usually, you can cancel or edit it while it is still waiting. Look in Drafts in new Outlook or Outlook on the web, and in Outbox in classic Outlook for Windows. Once it has been sent, deleting your copy does not retract it from the recipient.

Will the recipient know that I scheduled the email?
Outlook does not normally mark a scheduled message as such for the recipient. It arrives like a regular email, although delivery time and inbox placement can vary with the recipient’s mail service.

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.