How to Delay Sending an Email in Outlook

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For professionals and casual users alike, Microsoft Outlook offers powerful tools to enhance communication efficiency. One particularly useful feature is the ability to delay the delivery of emails. Whether it’s to avoid sending messages outside business hours or to give yourself time to revise, scheduling emails can streamline workflows and improve your communication strategy.

Why Delay an Email?

There are several good reasons to delay sending an email in Outlook:

  • Time zone considerations – Ensure the recipient gets the message during their working hours.
  • Second thoughts – Prevent immediate delivery so you can make last-minute edits.
  • Meeting deadlines – Schedule confirmation emails or follow-ups for precise delivery timing.
  • Personal productivity – Manage when you send emails to better control responses and workflow.

How to Delay Sending a Single Email

Follow these simple steps to delay an individual email in the desktop version of Microsoft Outlook:

  1. Compose a new message as usual: Go to Home > New Email.
  2. Fill in the recipient, subject, and body of the email.
  3. Click on Options in the message window, then select Delay Delivery.
  4. In the Properties dialog box, check the Do not deliver before box.
  5. Choose the desired date and time for delivery.
  6. Click Close, then Send.

Your message will be stored in the Outbox folder until the specified time and date.

How to Delay All Emails Automatically

For users who consistently want a delay on every sent email—for example, a short grace period to catch errors—Outlook also supports creating rules to delay all outgoing messages.

  1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
  2. Click New Rule.
  3. Under Start from a blank rule, choose Apply rule on messages I send and click Next.
  4. Leave conditions unchecked if it applies to all emails and click Next. Confirm by clicking Yes.
  5. Under the list of actions, check defer delivery by a number of minutes.
  6. Click the underlined phrase and choose the number of minutes (1 to 120).
  7. Click Next, choose any exceptions if needed, then Finish.

Once the rule is set up, all your emails will be delayed by the number of minutes you selected.

Limitations to Be Aware Of

  • Outlook must remain open: Scheduled emails won’t send if the Outlook desktop app is closed or offline at the send time.
  • Applies only to desktop: Delay delivery settings are not available in the same way in the web or mobile version.
  • Time range: Rules-based delivery delay is limited to a maximum of 120 minutes.

Best Practices for Using Delayed Sending

  • Double-check recipient and content during the grace period before an email is sent.
  • Use delays to batch tasks and improve time management.
  • Combine with email templates for recurring messages to automate your workflow.

FAQ

Q: Will my delayed email send if Outlook is closed?
A: No, the desktop version of Outlook must be open and connected to the internet for scheduled emails to be sent.
Q: Can I delay emails in Outlook Web App?
A: As of now, Outlook Web App has limited options. Some enterprise versions may include scheduling, but it’s not universally supported.
Q: How do I adjust a delayed email before it sends?
A: Go to your Outbox folder, open the email, make necessary changes, and re-save. Ensure the delay time remains set in the message options.
Q: What happens if my computer is shut down?
A: The email will remain in the Outbox and send the next time Outlook is open and connected.
Q: Can I use this feature on my mobile Outlook app?
A: No, the mobile app doesn’t currently support delay delivery. For this feature, use the Outlook desktop client.

Delaying email sending in Outlook is a small feature that can provide significant benefits for communication control and professionalism. With a few simple steps, users can take full advantage of this tool and greatly enhance their email management strategy.