How to Schedule an Email in Outlook: A Step by Step Guide

The Mail Delay Delivery feature in Microsoft Outlook is an all-important tool for scheduling the dispatch of emails at a predefined future date and time. The said functionality can be put to practice in 2 distinct ways. Firstly, by configuring the setting on individual emails, as per the choice or requirement of the sender, and secondly, by creating and enabling rules where the delay would be triggered under a specific set of conditions.

This Delay Delivery Outlook functionality extends to all those Outlook accounts that use POP, IMAP, and exchange server connections and is compatible with Office 365, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2010. In this article, we intend to explore the nuances of scheduling future mail features with respect to their configuration and method of application.

Delay Delivery – How to Schedule an Email in Outlook

As mentioned below, two perceptible ways exist to explore the delay delivery feature. First, while creating a new email, and second, by using rules for delayed delivery to send emails in the future.

Delay Delivery When Creating a New Email

• After the email is composed in Outlook, switch to Options on the ribbon menu and check for the Delay Delivery button.
• If the option is not visible, click on the More Options arrow from the Tags group.

• Clicking on More Options opens the Properties window where the delivery date and time can be entered in the Delivery Options section after populating the Do Not Deliver Before

• Click on Close for the changes to save the changes made.

Once the mail is composed and Sent, the incorporated changes will apply. If you wonder where do delayed emails go in Outlook, they will remain in the Outbox until their scheduled delivery date and time.

Read: How to Schedule emails in Gmail to send at a later date

Creating Rules for Delayed Delivery of All Emails

Office 365 Outlook allows scheduling emails for delivery at a later date and time by setting up specific rules through a predefined template. Users can enter the criteria and set the delay of the delivery in Outlook delay delivery by following the below-mentioned steps:

1] Rule Creation to Set up Email for Future Delivery in Outlook

• Click on the Rules option under the Home tab on Outlook 365 and then select either Create Rule or Manage Rules and Alerts.

• Click on the New Rule option in the following window

• Select a template box under Start from a Blank Rule, click Apply rule on messages I send, and then click Next.

• Select the applicable conditions to govern the mail scheduling rule in the next step of the template and click Next.

• Click Yes when prompted This rule will be applied to every message you send. Is that correct?

2] Setting up the time

• After clicking Yes on the preceding step, select the deferment option on the following screen and set the defer delivery time. 

• Click the underlined phrase several times and enter the number of minutes for which you want the messages to stay in the outbox before they go out before clicking on Next.
• The maximum delay permitted for Outlook send email later is 120 minutes.

 3] Confirming the rule setup

• On the next screen, Enter the name of the Rule and Click on Finish to complete the setup.

Thats it. This is how to send a future email in Outlook.

Conclusion

Setting up the email scheduling or delay delivery in Outlook for individual emails is pretty much uncomplicated. By following the steps mentioned above, the process can be effectively composed or undertaken to send an email in the future. This feature is also a great way to delay Outlook send, a feature that is available on Gmail.

Where is the Delayed Delivery Folder in Outlook?

There is no delayed delivery folder, but it is a feature. This feature ensures that emails that need to be sent in the future sit in the Outbox, and when the time arrives, they are triggered to be sent the usual way.