Mastering Your Inbox: How To Delay Sending An Email In Outlook For Better Timing

Miss Karelle Runolfsson I 23 Aug 2025

Have you ever hit "send" on an email, only to instantly wish you could snatch it back? Maybe you realized a typo, forgot an attachment, or simply sent it at an awkward hour. It's a rather common feeling, isn't it? In the fast-paced world of digital communication, the speed of email can sometimes be a bit of a double-edged sword. While getting messages out quickly is often good, having a moment to pause and reflect before your words go live is, well, incredibly helpful, actually.

Being able to control when your emails actually leave your outbox can make a big difference in how effective your communication is. Perhaps you're finishing up a project late at night, but you really don't want your message to land in someone's inbox until the next morning. Or maybe you need a quick second to review something important before it goes out into the wild. Outlook, thankfully, gives you some very clever ways to manage this, allowing you to schedule messages for a later date or time, or even just add a small delay.

This article will share some rather handy tips on how to schedule or delay sending emails in Outlook across different platforms. We'll look at Windows, the web version, Mac, and mobile, so you'll know just what to do no matter which device you're using. You'll learn how to use the delayed delivery feature in Outlook to schedule your messages, and we'll even cover how you can check or cancel those messages if you change your mind.

Why Delaying Emails is a Smart Move
How to Delay Sending a Single Email in Outlook
Setting Up a Default Delay for All Emails (Windows Desktop)
Managing Your Delayed Messages: Check, Edit, or Cancel
- Finding Your Scheduled Emails
- Changing Your Mind: Editing or Cancelling
What Happens When Outlook is Closed?
Frequently Asked Questions About Delaying Emails in Outlook

Why Delaying Emails is a Smart Move

Delaying the delivery of your emails is, in a way, like having a personal assistant for your inbox. It helps you improve your email timing and workflow efficiency quite a bit, actually. Imagine you are working on a proposal that needs to go out first thing Monday morning, but you're finishing it up on a Friday afternoon. Sending it immediately might mean it gets lost over the weekend, or it might just appear less urgent when Monday rolls around. By delaying it, you can make sure it arrives right when it will have the most impact, which is really clever.

Beyond strategic timing, delaying emails also gives you a precious buffer. You know, that moment after you click "send" but before the email actually leaves your computer? That time is a chance to catch any last-minute errors. A forgotten attachment, a misspelled name, or even a sentence that just doesn't quite sound right – these things happen to everyone. A small delay, even just a minute or two, can prevent those little oops moments from becoming bigger problems. It's a simple feature, yet it can bring a lot of peace of mind to your daily communication, so it's very useful.

How to Delay Sending a Single Email in Outlook

Whether you need to delay a single email or establish a default delay for all your outgoing messages, Outlook has you covered. The process might look a little different depending on the version of Outlook you're using, but the core idea is the same. You can delay the delivery of an individual message by having it held in the Outbox for a specified time after you click send, which is pretty neat. Let's look at how to do this across the different platforms, because it's not always obvious.

For Outlook on Windows Desktop

For those using Outlook on a Windows computer, the process for delaying a specific email is quite straightforward, you know. It's a feature that's been around for a while, even in older versions like Outlook 2007, where you'd find similar options under the tools menu.

Here are the steps to schedule an email:

Open Outlook and start a new email message, just like you normally would. You can do this by clicking "New Email" or pressing Ctrl+N, actually.
Compose your email as you normally would. Add your recipients in the To, Cc, or Bcc fields, give it a subject, and type out your message content. Make sure everything looks good, because this is your main message.
Once your email is ready, look for the "Options" tab in the ribbon at the top of the new message window. It's usually next to "Message" or "Insert," so it's not too hard to find.
On the "Options" tab, you'll see a group called "More Options." Within this group, click on "Delay Delivery." This will open a new dialog box, which is where you'll set your timing.
In the "Properties" dialog box, under the "Delivery options" section, you'll find a checkbox labeled "Do not deliver before." Check this box, and then you can set the exact date and time you'd like the email to be sent. You can choose a specific time or just a few minutes from now, you know.
After you've set your desired send time, click "Close" on the "Properties" dialog box. Then, simply click the "Send" button on your email message. The email won't go out immediately; instead, it will sit in your Outbox until the specified time, which is very clever.
Learn more about email management strategies on our site.

For Outlook on the Web (Office 365)

If you're using Outlook on the web, perhaps through Office 365, the steps are a little different but just as simple, actually. This method is often called "Schedule Send" and it's built right into the send button itself, which is pretty convenient.

Here's how to schedule a delayed email:

Go to Outlook on the web and start composing a new message. You'll see the usual fields for recipients, subject, and message body, so it's all familiar.
Write your email, making sure all the details are correct. Check for any typos or missing information, because that's always a good idea.
After you've finished composing your message, look for the "Send" button at the bottom of the email window. Instead of clicking it directly, you'll want to click the small dropdown arrow right next to it, you know.
From the dropdown menu that appears, select "Send later" or "Schedule send." This will open a small calendar and time selector.
Choose the specific date and time you'd like the email to be sent. You can pick from suggested times or set a custom one, which is very flexible. Then, confirm your selection.
Once you've set the time, the email will be saved and scheduled. It won't appear in your Outbox in the same way as the desktop version; instead, it's usually held on the server until the designated time. This means you don't need to keep Outlook open for it to send, which is a big plus.

For Outlook on Mac

For Outlook users on macOS, rules for systematically delaying the delivery of all messages aren't available in the same way they are on Windows, unfortunately. However, you can still delay the delivery of individual messages, which is still very useful. The process is quite similar to the Windows desktop version, just with a slightly different menu layout, you know.

To delay a single email on Mac:

Open Outlook on your Mac and create a new email message. This will bring up a new message window, as you'd expect, actually.
Fill in the recipient details, subject, and the body of your email. Double-check everything, just to be sure.
In the new message window, look for the "Options" tab in the menu bar. Click on it to reveal more choices.
Within the "Options" tab, you should see a "Delay Delivery" option. Click on this to open the delay settings.
A dialog box will appear where you can set the specific date and time for your email to be sent. Select your preferred timing, which is very important.
After setting the time, click "OK" or "Close" on the dialog box. Then, click the "Send" button on your email. Your message will be held in your Outbox until the scheduled time, so it's not going anywhere just yet.

For Outlook on Mobile Devices

Delaying emails on mobile devices is becoming more common, but it can vary a bit depending on your specific app version and operating system. Generally, the Outlook mobile app has a "Schedule Send" feature similar to the web version, which is pretty handy for on-the-go communication.

Here's a general guide for mobile:

Open the Outlook app on your smartphone or tablet and tap to compose a new email. It's usually a plus sign or a pencil icon, you know.
Add your recipients, subject, and message content. Make sure your message is complete and ready to go.
Before tapping the standard "Send" icon (often a paper airplane), look for a small three-dot menu or an arrow next to it. Tap on this to reveal more options, because it's not always obvious.
Among the options, you should find "Schedule Send" or "Send Later." Tap on this to proceed.
You'll then be prompted to select a date and time for the email to be delivered. Pick your desired slot, which is very flexible.
Confirm your selection, and the email will be scheduled. Like the web version, these emails are usually stored on the server and will send even if your app is closed, which is a great feature for mobile users.

Setting Up a Default Delay for All Emails (Windows Desktop)

What if you want a little safety net for *every* email you send? Outlook on Windows desktop allows you to create a rule that automatically delays all outgoing messages by a set number of minutes. This is a fantastic way to give yourself a consistent window to reconsider or correct an email after hitting send, so it's really a smart move.

Here's how to create a rule to delay all your emails:

In Outlook, go to the "File" tab in the top left corner. This will take you to the Account Information screen, actually.
Click on "Manage Rules & Alerts." This will open the "Rules and Alerts" dialog box, where you can set up new rules or modify existing ones.
In the "Email Rules" tab, click "New Rule..." This starts the Rules Wizard, which will guide you through the process.
Under "Start from a blank rule," choose "Apply rule on messages I send" and then click "Next." This tells Outlook that this rule applies to your outgoing mail, you know.
The next screen asks "Which condition(s) do you want to check?" For a blanket delay on all emails, you don't need to select any conditions. Just click "Next." A warning will pop up saying "This rule will be applied to every message you send. Is this correct?" Click "Yes" to confirm, because that's what we want.
Now, the wizard asks "What do you want to do with the message?" Check the box next to "defer delivery by a number of minutes." This is the core of our rule, actually.
In the "Step 2: Edit the rule description" box at the bottom, click on the underlined "a number of" text. A small dialog box will appear where you can enter the number of minutes you want to delay your emails. For example, enter "2" for a two-minute delay, which is often enough.
Click "OK" after entering the delay time, then click "Next" in the Rules Wizard.
The next screen asks about "exceptions." If there are any emails you *don't* want delayed (e.g., urgent messages), you can set exceptions here. Otherwise, just click "Next" again.
Finally, give your rule a name (e.g., "Delay All Outgoing Emails by 2 Minutes"). Make sure "Turn on this rule" is checked, and then click "Finish."
From now on, every email you send will sit in your Outbox for the specified number of minutes before being sent. This provides a consistent safety net, which is very reassuring. If you ever need to edit or delete this rule, you can go back to "Manage Rules & Alerts," select the rule, and choose to "Change Rule" or "Delete Rule," so it's quite manageable.

Managing Your Delayed Messages: Check, Edit, or Cancel

It's one thing to schedule an email, but what if your plans change? Maybe you need to update the content, add another recipient, or even cancel the email entirely. Luckily, Outlook gives you ways to manage your delayed messages, which is very important for flexibility. You can also check or cancel your delayed messages in the Outbox or Drafts folder, depending on how they were set up.

Finding Your Scheduled Emails

For emails delayed using the "Delay Delivery" feature on Outlook desktop (both individual messages and those caught by a rule), they will typically sit in your "Outbox" folder. You can find this folder in the navigation pane on the left side of your Outlook window. If you don't see it, it might only appear when there are messages waiting to be sent, you know.

For emails scheduled using "Schedule Send" in Outlook on the web or mobile, they often don't appear in a visible Outbox. Instead, they might be listed under a "Drafts" folder with a special icon indicating they are scheduled, or in a dedicated "Scheduled" folder if your version has one. Sometimes, they might even just disappear from your view until they are sent, so it's a bit different.

Changing Your Mind: Editing or Cancelling

If you need to edit or cancel a delayed email:

Go to your "Outbox" folder (for desktop delayed messages) or your "Drafts" or "Scheduled" folder (for web/mobile scheduled messages). You'll need to locate the specific email you want to change, which is pretty obvious.
Open the email message. If it's in the Outbox, it will typically open as if it were a new message you're still composing, you know.
To edit the email, simply make your changes to the recipient list, subject, or body content. Once you're done, you'll need to remove the delay setting before clicking "Send" again. For desktop, go back to the "Options" tab, click "Delay Delivery," and uncheck "Do not deliver before." Then click "Close" and "Send." For web/mobile, you might need to cancel the scheduled send first and then reschedule it after making edits, as the options can vary.
To cancel the email entirely, open the message and simply delete it from your Outbox or Drafts folder. This will prevent it from ever being sent, which is very effective.

What Happens When Outlook is Closed?

This is a really important point to understand when you're using delayed delivery, actually. For emails delayed using the desktop version of Outlook (either individual messages or via a rule), the email sits in your local "Outbox" folder. This means that **Outlook must be open and running** on your computer at the scheduled send time for the email to actually go out. If Outlook is closed, the email will remain in your Outbox until you reopen the application.

Once restarted, Outlook resumes its normal operation, and it will process any undelivered emails from the Outbox, including those scheduled for delayed delivery. So, if your computer was off or Outlook was closed, the email will send as soon as you open Outlook again after the scheduled time has passed, which is something to keep in mind.

However, for emails scheduled using "Schedule Send" in Outlook on the web (Office 365) or the Outlook mobile app, the situation is different. These services typically store the scheduled email on Microsoft's servers. This means **you do not need to have Outlook open** on your device for these emails to send at their designated time. The server handles the delivery, which offers a lot more flexibility, especially for those who might not keep their desktop Outlook running all the time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Delaying Emails in Outlook

Here are some common questions people often ask about delaying emails in Outlook, because these features can sometimes be a little confusing.

Can I delay sending an email for a specific time, like 9 AM tomorrow?
Yes, absolutely! Whether you're using Outlook on Windows, the web, or Mac, you can set a precise date and time for your email to be delivered. When you access the "Delay Delivery" or "Schedule Send" option, you'll see controls to pick the exact day and hour you want your message to go out, which is very flexible. For instance, you could compose an email now and set it to send at 9:00 AM on Friday, so it's not a problem.

What if I need to change my mind and edit or cancel a delayed email?
That's totally possible, you know. If your email is delayed using the desktop Outlook, it will sit in your Outbox. You can open it from there, make any changes you need, and then either re-apply the delay delivery with a new time or simply delete it if you don't want it to send at all. For emails scheduled on the web or mobile, you'll typically find them in a "Drafts" or "Scheduled" folder, where you can open, edit, or cancel them before their send time. It's really quite easy to manage.

Does Outlook need to be open for a delayed email to send?
It really depends on which version of Outlook you're using, actually. If you're using the desktop version of Outlook on Windows or Mac, then yes, Outlook needs to be open and running at the scheduled delivery time for the email to leave your Outbox. However, if you're using Outlook on the web (Office 365) or the Outlook mobile app, those scheduled emails are handled by Microsoft's servers, so your device or the app doesn't need to be open for them to send, which is a big convenience. Learn how to delay email delivery in Outlook to schedule messages for later sending, improving email timing and workflow efficiency. You can find more helpful information on Microsoft's official Outlook support pages.

Improve your email efficiency today through delayed delivery in Outlook. This feature is a solid way to give yourself a little wiggle room, ensuring your messages hit inboxes at just the right moment, which is a great benefit for anyone. You know, with the right tweaks here and there, we can give ourselves a little wiggle room to really master our communication game.

Outlook delay sending email default - dromail

How to Delay Sending Emails in Outlook | Yesware

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