How to Schedule Email in Outlook

Email scheduling is a feature that can often come in handy. You could be communicating with someone in a different time zone or want to be sure you don’t forget to send an email later, so you compose it now and send it later. Regardless of the reason, scheduling your emails can help you become more productive and organized. If you use Microsoft’s email service on a regular basis, this tutorial shows you how to schedule an email in Outlook.

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How to Schedule an Email in Outlook for Web

If you’re a frequent user of Microsoft’s web version of Outlook, follow these steps to schedule an email:

1. Open Outlook for Web in your browser.
2. Press on the “New Message” button at the upper-left side of the display.

3. Compose your message in the dedicated box that appears on the right.

4. Once you’re done, instead of pressing the “Send” button, click on the downward arrow next to it to bring up more options.

5. Select “Schedule send.”
6. A new pop-up window will appear that lets you quickly schedule your email for tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

7. If you want to send your email another day, click on “Custom time” to pick your preferred date and hour. Press “Send” to schedule your email.

8. Your email will be housed in the Draft folder while it waits to be sent on its way. It will feature a “Schedule Send” tag at the top.
9. You can still edit the email by clicking on the Pencil-shaped icon in the top right and selecting “Modify Email.”

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How to Schedule an Email in Outlook in Windows

If you’re using the Outlook email app on your Windows computer, follow these instructions:

1. Open the Outlook app on your Windows PC.
2. Press the “New Email” button in the upper-left corner.

3. Compose your email.
4. In the “Options” tab at the top, select “Delay Delivery.”

5. A “Properties” window will open, allowing you to tweak various aspects to send the message. Set the date and time when you want your email to be sent by using the menus next to “Do not deliver before.”

6. From the same window, you can also change the security settings of your message, flag it for expiry after a certain date, add a read receipt for the message and more.
7. Go back to your message and press “Send.”
8. You can still view your message and tweak it if you’d like by going to the Outbox folder, where your message will be housed until it’s time to send it out. You can see that the email’s Status is set to “None.” Once the message is sent, it will disappear from Outbox.

9. To edit the message, double-click on it.

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How to Schedule an Email in Outlook for Mobile

The mobile Outlook apps don’t have the native option to schedule emails. However, thanks to a clever trick, you can still schedule your Outlook email by using Gmail. First, add your Outlook account to Gmail, then schedule your Outlook email from the Gmail account (which natively supports a scheduling feature). Learn how to do this below.

Add Your Outlook Account to Gmail

You’ll need to do so from your PC, but once you’ve added the account, it will be visible in your Gmail app as well.

1. Open Gmail in your browser of choice.
2. Click on the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the display.

3. Select “See all settings.”

4. Switch to the “Accounts and Import” tab at the top.

5. Click on “Add an email account” next to “Check email from other accounts.”
6. Input your email address – in this case your Outlook email address – in the pop-up window that appears.

7. On the next screen, select “Link accounts with Gmailify.” It’s the simplest option and the one that brings Gmail features, such as email scheduling, to your other accounts.

8. Input your password.

9. Select “Yes” so that you can remain logged in to your Outlook account after closing your session.

10. Grant Gmail permission to access your Outlook information.

11. Your Outlook account is linked to your Gmail.

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Schedule Outlook Emails From the Gmail App

1. Open the Gmail app (Android iOS) on your mobile device.
2. Tap on the “Compose” button.

3. In the “From” section at the top, press on the downward arrow.

4. This will bring up a list of email linked to your Gmail account, as well as other Google accounts you’ve logged into within Gmail. Select your Outlook account so that you can have your email sent from your Outlook email address.

5. Proceed to write your email.
6. When it’s time to send the communication, press on the three dots in the upper-right corner.

7. Select “Schedule send.”

8. Choose between the auto options to send tomorrow morning/afternoon or a few days from your current date. Alternatively, hit the “Pick date & time” option to select a different date and time.

9. Press the “Send” button to schedule the email.
10. You can find your Outlook email in the “Scheduled” folder. Find it by tapping on the hamburger menu in the upper-left corner of the display and checking the folder under “All labels.”

11. It’s not possible to edit the email once you’ve scheduled it. You’ll have to delete it and re-compose it to change something.

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How to Delay All Email Sent From Outlook

If you’re prone to making mistakes in your emails, and you’d feel safer double-checking an email before it goes out, then you’ll be happy to know that Outlook allows you to set a delay for all email sent from your account. Follow the steps below:

Note: this option can only be enabled via the Outlook PC app.

1. Open the Outlook app on your computer and go to “File.”

2. Select “Rules and Alerts.”

3. Tap “New Rule.”

4. Under “Start from a blank rule,” select “Apply rule on messages I send,” then press “Next.”

5. From the list of conditions that appears, check the options that are useful to you.

6. When it’s time to “Select action(s),” go for “Defer delivery by a number of minutes.”

7. Click the underlined text in the rule description area to set the number of minutes the email will be delayed before it goes out. Choose any number of minutes up to 120. Press “Next.”

8. In the next screen you can customize any exceptions to the rule you’ve just set (optional.)
9. Finally, name your rule and press “Finish” at the bottom to create it.

10. Go about writing and sending emails as usual. They will just be housed in the Outbox folder for 30 minutes (the amount we set) before starting their journey.

Note: this rule won’t apply if you check your email online.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add two separate Gmailified email accounts in my Gmail?

No. Unfortunately, to Gmailify one account, you’ll have to remove any accounts you’ve Gmailified previously. If you wish to add multiple email accounts to your Gmail inbox, you’ll have to opt for the POP3 option when adding your account. To remove an email address from Gmailify, go to “Settings -> See all settings -> Accounts and Import” in Gmail and click “Unlink” next to the Gmailified email address in the “Check mail from other accounts” section.

Can I add my Gmail to my Outlook inbox?

Yes, but you’ll need to enable IMAP and/or POP in your Gmail account first. These are both ways to read your Gmail messages in other email clients. IMAP can be used across multiple devices, and emails will be synced in real time. As for POP, it can only be used for a single computer, and emails aren’t synced in real time. Instead, they are downloaded in your desired time interval.

I don't want to add my Outlook email to Gmail just to be able to schedule emails? What other options do I have?

Gmail comes with a wide range of useful features, so it may be worth switching to this email client as a permanent solution. Other email apps that offer the scheduling feature include Spark (Android iOS). You can also use the Boomerang email client on your mobile device.

All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.