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How to send emails x minutes/hours later in Outlook?

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2024-09-18

Managing your email communication effectively often means sending emails at the right time. Whether you want to schedule an email for later in the day or ensure your message lands in someone’s inbox at the start of their workday, Outlook offers some scheduling capabilities. This tutorial shows how to achieve the schedule sending by different methods.

Delay sending one email

Delay sending all emails with a rule


Delay sending one email

🔵 Using the Delay Delivery feature in Outlook in classic Outlook

This method will guide you to configure a composing email’s properties for delaying its delivery. Please do as follows:

1. After composing the email you will send later, please click Options > Delay Delivery. See screenshot:

the steps of using the Delay Delivery feature in Outlook in classic Outlook to delay sending one email

2. In the opening Properties dialog box, go to the Delivery Options section, check the Do not deliver before option, and then specify the proper delivery date and time as you need in the right boxes. See screenshot:

the steps of using the Delay Delivery feature in Outlook in classic Outlook to delay sending one email

3. Click the Close button to close the dialog box. And then send this email.

And now you will see the sent email is hung in the Outbox folder until the specified delivery date and time. See screenshot:

the steps of using the Delay Delivery feature in Outlook in classic Outlook to delay sending one email

🔵 Using the Schedule Email feature of Kutools for Outlook in classic Outlook (more flexible)

With Kutools for Outlook, you can take schedule sending to the next level with its powerful Schedule Send feature. Here’s how you can use it to manage your email-sending times effortlessly.

 Kutools for Outlook has a free version now, whose 70+ features are free for a lifetime (including Schedule Send feature). Download the Free Version now.

Step 1. Create a new email

After installing Kutools for Outlook, and click New Email under Home tab to create an email.

the steps of using the Schedule Email feature of Kutools for Outlook in classic Outlook to delay sending one email

Step 2. Turn on the Schedule Email feature

Then in the Message composing window, under Kutools tab, click Schedule Email to turn on it. Then you will see a Schedule button appears below the Send button.

the steps of using the Schedule Email feature of Kutools for Outlook in classic Outlook to delay sending one email

Step 3. Composing your message

Step 4. Click the Schedule button and specify the sending time

  1. Click Schedule button;

  2. Specify the sending time;

  3. Click Send.

    the steps of using the Schedule Email feature of Kutools for Outlook in classic Outlook to delay sending one email

Now the email will send in the specified time you set. Before sending, it will be stored in the Outbox folder.

the steps of using the Schedule Email feature of Kutools for Outlook in classic Outlook to delay sending one email

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This feature supports:

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This feature supports:

  • Smart email replies
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  • Keyword-based drafts
  • Intelligent content extension
  • Email summarization
  • Multi-language translation

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Delay sending all emails with a rule

This method will guide you to create a rule to delay the delivery of all sent emails in Outlook. Please follow below steps:

1. Click Home > Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts to open the Rules and Alerts dialog box. See screenshot:

the steps of using the rule in classic Outlook to delay sending all email

2. In the Rules and Alerts dialog box, please click the New Rule button. See screenshot:

the steps of using the rule in classic Outlook to delay sending all email

3. Now the Rules Wizard comes out. Please select the Apply rule on messages I send option, and click the Next button. See screenshot:

the steps of using the rule in classic Outlook to delay sending all email

4. Now in the Rules Wizard (select conditions), please click the Next button directly without checking any options, and then click the Yes button in the popping out Microsoft Outlook dialog box. See screenshot:

the steps of using the rule in classic Outlook to delay sending all email

5. Now in the Rules Wizard (select actions), please do as follows:
(1) Check the defer delivery by a number of minutes option in the Step 1 section;
(2) Click the linked text of a number of in the Step 2 section;
(3) Type the number of minutes you want to defer delivery of emails in the Deferred Delivery dialog box, and click the OK button.
(4) Click the Next button.

the steps of using the rule in classic Outlook to delay sending all email

6. Please click the Next button directly in the Rules Wizard (select exceptions).

7. Now in the last Rules Wizard, please:
(1) Type a name for this rule in the Step 1 box;
(2) Check the Turn on this rule option in the Step 2 section;
(3) Click the Finish button.

the steps of using the rule in classic Outlook to delay sending all email

8. Click the OK button in the popping out Microsoft Outlook dialog box. And then close the Rules and Alerts dialog box.

the steps of using the rule in classic Outlook to delay sending all email

From now on, the deliveries of all emails you send will be deferred automatically in Outlook.


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