No Ticket Needed

Appearance

6 min fix 3 min read Recently reviewedBeginner

By , IT support technician

Quick Answer

In New Outlook or Outlook on the Web, compose your message, click the down arrow next to the Send button, select Schedule send, and pick the date and time.

How to Schedule an Email to Send Later in Outlook ​

Applies to: Microsoft 365 (Outlook desktop, New Outlook, Outlook on the Web)
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-03-09

Summary ​

Scheduling an email lets you compose a message now and have Outlook send it at a future date and time. This is useful for reaching recipients in different time zones or timing announcements.

Prerequisites ​

  • A Microsoft 365 mailbox.
  • Classic Outlook must be running at the scheduled send time (the email sits in your Outbox until then). New Outlook and Outlook on the Web send server-side regardless.

Instructions ​

1. Delay Delivery in Classic Outlook (Desktop) ​

Use the Delay Delivery option to hold a message until a specific time.

  1. Compose a new email as usual (recipients, subject, body).
  2. Click the Options tab in the message window.
  3. Click Delay Delivery.
  4. Under Delivery options, check Do not deliver before.
  5. Set the desired date and time.
  6. Click Close, then click Send.
  7. The email moves to your Outbox folder and is sent automatically at the scheduled time.

Tip: Your computer and Outlook must be running at the scheduled delivery time. If Outlook is closed, the email will be sent the next time you open Outlook.

2. Schedule Send in New Outlook or Outlook on the Web ​

New Outlook offers a built-in Schedule Send button.

  1. Compose a new email as usual.
  2. Click the dropdown arrow next to the Send button (small arrow on the right side).
  3. Click Schedule send.
  4. Choose one of the suggested times, or click Custom time and set your own date and time.
  5. Click Send. The email appears in your Drafts folder with a scheduled tag until it is sent.

Note: Schedule send holds one message for one future time and sends it once — there is no repeat option. For an email that has to go out every week or every month, see How to Schedule Recurring Emails in Outlook.

3. Cancel a Scheduled Email ​

Stop a message before it is delivered.

Classic Outlook:

  1. Open the Outbox folder in the left sidebar.
  2. Double-click the scheduled email to open it.
  3. Click the Options tab > Delay Delivery.
  4. Uncheck Do not deliver before and click Close.
  5. Either click Send to send it immediately, or close the message and choose Yes to save it back to Drafts.

New Outlook / Web:

  1. Open the Drafts folder.
  2. Open the scheduled email (it shows a clock icon).
  3. Click Cancel send at the top of the message.
  4. The email returns to a normal draft that you can edit, reschedule, or delete.

Troubleshooting ​

INFO

In Classic Outlook, delayed emails require the application to be open at the scheduled time. For guaranteed server-side delivery without keeping Outlook running, use New Outlook or Outlook on the Web.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Email stuck in OutboxOutlook was closed at send timeOpen Outlook and the email will send. To avoid this, use New Outlook or Outlook on the Web for scheduling.
Schedule Send option not visibleUsing Classic OutlookClassic Outlook uses Delay Delivery under the Options tab, not a dropdown on the Send button.
Email sent at the wrong timeTime zone mismatchVerify your Outlook time zone under File > Options > Calendar > Time zones.