How to Delay Email Delivery in Outlook on Windows

Learn how to schedule Outlook emails to send at a future date and time on your Windows PC. Your Outlook program must stay open until the scheduled send time.

How to Delay Email Delivery in Outlook on Windows

Follow these steps to schedule an email to send later:

1. Open a new email message in Outlook.

1. Fill in all email fields: To, Subject, and message content.

1. Access Delay Delivery: Click the Options tab in the ribbon, then click Delay Delivery in the More Options group.

1. Enable delayed delivery: In the Properties window under Delivery Options, check the box labeled "Do not deliver before".

1. Set the send date and time: Enter the date and time when you want the email to be sent.

1. Close the Properties window: Click Close.

1. Send the email: Click Send. The email will be held in your Outbox until the scheduled time.

Important Notes

⚠️ Outlook must stay open: Delayed emails only send while Outlook is running. Schedule the send time for when you know you'll have Outlook open.

⚠️ Unsent email reminder: If you try to close Outlook before a delayed message sends, Outlook will alert you that you have unsent emails in your Outbox.