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How to Schedule an Email in Outlook (Every Version, Step by Step)
You wrote the email now, but you want it to land in the recipient’s inbox later. Maybe it is 11 p.m. and you do not want to look like you never sleep. Maybe your client is in a different time zone and you want your message to arrive at the top of their workday. Whatever the reason, scheduling an email in Outlook takes about ten seconds once you know where the button lives.
The catch is that Outlook has more than one way to do this, and they do not behave the same way. This guide walks you through every method, version by version, and points out the one difference that trips people up most.
Key Takeaways
• New Outlook, Outlook on the web, and mobile use Schedule send (the dropdown arrow next to the Send button). It is server-side, so your message goes out even if your computer is off.
• Classic Outlook desktop uses Delay Delivery (Options tab > Do not deliver before). For non-Exchange accounts, the message waits in your Outbox and Outlook must be open and online at send time.
• You can find, edit, or cancel a scheduled email in your Drafts, Outbox, or a scheduled folder before it sends.
• Schedule emails to reach recipients during their business hours, write now and send later, or work cleanly across time zones.
What does it mean to schedule an email in Outlook?
Scheduling an email means you write and compose the message now, then tell Outlook to hold it and deliver it automatically at a future date and time you choose. Microsoft calls this feature Schedule send in its newer apps and Delay Delivery in classic Outlook desktop.
The reasons to use it are practical:
- Respect business hours. Send to a recipient’s working window, not your own midnight burst of productivity.
- Write now, send later. Clear your inbox when you have time, without flooding people at odd hours.
- Cross time zones cleanly. A message timed for 9 a.m. their time lands fresh at the top of their day.
- Batch your work. Draft a week of follow-ups in one sitting and let them go out on their own schedule.
Now let’s get into the steps for each version.
How do you schedule an email in new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web?
This is the easiest method and the one I recommend for anything important, because it is server-side. Once you schedule it, Microsoft’s servers hold and send the message. Your laptop can be shut, asleep, or at the bottom of a lake. The email still goes out on time.
Do this:
- Click New mail and write your email as usual (recipients, subject, body, attachments).
- Find the Send button. Next to it is a small dropdown arrow.
- Click that arrow and choose Schedule send.
- Pick one of the suggested times, or click Custom time to set an exact date and time.
- Click Send (it may now read Schedule send) to confirm.
The message moves to your Drafts folder (or a scheduled view) until it fires. That’s it.
How do you schedule an email in classic Outlook desktop?
Classic Outlook desktop (the long-standing version with the ribbon) uses a feature called Delay Delivery. The steps are slightly different and the behavior is important, so read the caveat below carefully.
Do this:
- Click New Email and compose your message.
- In the compose window, go to the Options tab on the ribbon.
- In the More Options group, click Delay Delivery.
- In the Properties box, under Delivery options, tick Do not deliver before and set your date and time.
- Click Close, then click Send.
Here is the part people miss. The message does not leave immediately. It sits in your Outbox until the scheduled time.
This is the single most important thing to understand about scheduling email in Outlook. There are two fundamentally different mechanisms at work, and confusing them can cause a scheduled email to silently never send.
- Classic desktop “Delay Delivery” holds the message in your local Outbox. For a standard POP or IMAP account, Outlook itself must be open and connected to the internet at the scheduled moment to actually push the message out. If you set a 7 a.m. send, then shut your laptop overnight, the email will not go out at 7 a.m. — it goes out the next time you open Outlook while online. (If your account is on Exchange or Microsoft 365, the server can handle the send, so it is more forgiving.)
- New Outlook / web / mobile “Schedule send” is server-side. Microsoft’s servers hold and dispatch it. Your device being off makes no difference.
So the rule is simple: if you are scheduling something important and then walking away from your computer, use Schedule send (new Outlook, web, or mobile), not the classic desktop Delay Delivery — unless you are certain your account is Exchange/M365 and Outlook will remain reachable. When in doubt, use the server-side method.
How do you compare the methods at a glance?
Here is how scheduling works across the versions you are likely to use.
| Outlook version | Feature name | Where to click | Sends if your computer is off? |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Outlook for Windows | Schedule send | Dropdown arrow next to Send | Yes (server-side) |
| Outlook on the web | Schedule send | Dropdown arrow next to Send | Yes (server-side) |
| Outlook mobile (iOS/Android) | Schedule send | Send menu / dropdown | Yes (server-side) |
| Classic Outlook desktop (Exchange/M365) | Delay Delivery | Options tab > Delay Delivery | Usually (server handles send) |
| Classic Outlook desktop (POP/IMAP) | Delay Delivery | Options tab > Delay Delivery | No — Outlook must be open and online |
The pattern is clear: server-side Schedule send is the reliable, set-and-forget option. Delay Delivery on a non-Exchange desktop account depends on your machine being awake.
How do you schedule an email in Outlook mobile?
The Outlook app on iPhone and Android also supports Schedule send, and like the web version, it is server-side.
Do this:
- Open the Outlook mobile app and start a new message.
- Write your email as normal.
- Instead of tapping Send straight away, tap the three-dot menu (or press and hold the Send arrow, depending on your version).
- Choose Schedule send.
- Pick a suggested time or set a custom date and time, then confirm.
Your scheduled message waits in Drafts until it goes out — no need to keep the app open.
How do you find, edit, or cancel a scheduled email in Outlook?
Plans change. A scheduled email is not locked in — you can reach it before it sends.
In new Outlook, web, and mobile (Schedule send):
- Open your Drafts folder (scheduled messages live here, often flagged with the send time).
- Click the message to open it.
- To reschedule, use Schedule send again and pick a new time.
- To send now, click Send normally.
- To cancel, choose Cancel send (or Delete) to pull it back into a regular draft or bin it.
In classic Outlook desktop (Delay Delivery):
- Go to your Outbox folder.
- Double-click the held message to open it.
- To edit the time, open the Options tab > Delay Delivery and change the Do not deliver before value, then Send again.
- To send immediately, remove the delay and click Send.
- To cancel, delete the message from the Outbox before its scheduled time.
A quick tip: if a desktop message is stuck in the Outbox past its time, it usually means Outlook was closed or offline when the moment passed. Open Outlook, confirm you are online, and it will go.
Send and schedule from your own domain with DarazHost
Scheduling works best on an email account that is reliable and yours. With DarazHost professional email on your own domain, you get a mailbox that connects cleanly to Outlook over IMAP/SMTP, so you can schedule and manage your business mail the way you like. You get dependable delivery so the messages you schedule actually arrive on time, and 24/7 support to help you set up your email client correctly the first time. If you want your scheduled mail going out from `[email protected]` instead of a generic address, that is exactly what this is for.
Which Outlook scheduling method should you use?
Keep it simple:
- For anything important, or any time you will be away from your computer — use Schedule send (new Outlook, web, or mobile). Server-side, fire-and-forget.
- For routine internal email on an Exchange/M365 desktop account — Delay Delivery is fine; the server covers you.
- On a POP/IMAP classic desktop account — only use Delay Delivery if Outlook will stay open and online at send time. Otherwise, switch to the web or new Outlook and use Schedule send.
When the stakes are high, default to the server-side method and stop worrying about whether your laptop is awake.
Frequently asked questions
Will my scheduled Outlook email send if my computer is off?
It depends on the method. Schedule send (new Outlook, Outlook on the web, and mobile) is server-side and will send even with your computer off. Classic desktop Delay Delivery on a POP or IMAP account will not — Outlook must be open and online. Exchange/M365 desktop accounts are usually handled by the server.
Where do scheduled emails go before they send?
In new Outlook, web, and mobile, scheduled messages sit in your Drafts folder, typically labeled with the scheduled time. In classic Outlook desktop, a delayed message waits in your Outbox until its delivery time.
Can I cancel or change a scheduled email in Outlook?
Yes. Open the message from Drafts (Schedule send) or the Outbox (Delay Delivery), then reschedule it, send it now, or cancel/delete it — as long as you act before the scheduled send time.
Why is my scheduled Outlook email not sending?
The most common cause is the classic desktop Delay Delivery method on a non-Exchange account: Outlook was closed or offline when the scheduled time passed, so the message is still in the Outbox. Open Outlook while connected and it will send. For guaranteed delivery, use server-side Schedule send instead.
Can I schedule emails on Outlook for Mac?
Newer versions of Outlook for Mac support Schedule send through the dropdown next to the Send button, working the same server-side way as new Outlook for Windows. If you do not see it, update the app to the latest version.
