How to Schedule an Email in Outlook (Send Later)

Outlook can hold a finished email and send it at a later time, but the steps depend on which version you have. In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, click the arrow on the Send button and choose Schedule send, and Microsoft’s server sends it for you even if your computer is off. In classic Outlook for Windows, you use Delay Delivery instead, and that only works if Outlook stays open and connected until the scheduled moment arrives.

Schedule Send in New Outlook and Outlook on the Web#

Write your message as usual, then click the small dropdown arrow next to the Send button instead of Send itself. Choose Schedule send, pick one of the suggested times or set a custom date and time, and confirm. The message moves to your Drafts folder and waits there, but the send itself happens on Microsoft’s mail servers, not on your PC. That means it still goes out on schedule if you close Outlook, shut down your laptop, or lose your internet connection in the meantime. If you change your mind, open the message in Drafts before the scheduled time to cancel it or send it right away instead. This works for Microsoft 365, Exchange, and Outlook.com mailboxes; it is not available for accounts connected over IMAP or POP.

Delay Delivery in Classic Outlook Desktop#

In classic Outlook for Windows, compose your message, then open the Options tab on the ribbon and click Delay Delivery. Under Delivery options, check “Do not deliver before,” set the date and time you want, click Close, then click Send. The message sits in your Outbox rather than going to the server right away. The catch: because the delay is tracked by the Outlook application itself, Outlook has to be running and connected at the scheduled time for the message to actually leave. Close the program, let your PC sleep, or lose your connection, and the email just waits in the Outbox until you reopen Outlook. Because the delay is handled by the app rather than the mail server, it works the same way whatever account type you use, as long as Outlook is the thing that stays running. If your Outlook keeps flagging sync problems on a personal Gmail or Yahoo account, that is usually unrelated and worth checking against our guide to the Outlook, Gmail, and Yahoo sync error 0x800ccc0e.

New Outlook vs. Classic Outlook: Which Method to Use#

	New Outlook / Outlook on the web	Classic Outlook desktop
How to open it	Send button dropdown > Schedule send	Options tab > Delay Delivery
Where the message waits	Drafts folder	Outbox folder
Sends if Outlook is closed	Yes, handled server-side	No, Outlook must be running
Account types supported	Microsoft 365, Exchange, Outlook.com	Any account (delay is client-side)
Not supported on	IMAP, POP accounts	—

Why a Scheduled Email Didn’t Send#

If a scheduled message is still sitting there past its send time, check the obvious culprit first: in classic Outlook, was the app closed, your PC asleep, or offline at that exact time? Reopen Outlook and let it sync, and the queued message in the Outbox should go out. If you scheduled from new Outlook or Outlook on the web and nothing happened, confirm the account is genuinely Exchange or Microsoft 365 based rather than IMAP or POP, since scheduled send silently isn’t offered on those connections. Also double-check you did not accidentally leave the message as a plain draft instead of confirming Schedule send, since an unconfirmed draft never gets a delivery time at all.

Scheduling a message is easy to undo if you catch it in time, but once it actually leaves your outbox it is out of your hands. If you send something too early by mistake, or realize it should not have gone out at all, see our guide on how to recall an email in Outlook for what can and cannot be pulled back.