How to delay email sending in Outlook (schedule emails)

In this article I'm going to tell you how scheduling Outlook emails can improve your time management skills. Besides learning to delay messages, you'll find links to some helpful 3^rd party add-ins for scheduling reoccurring emails. The steps below are for Outlook 2016, they will also work for other versions of Office.

In today's competitive world good timing can win you a dream contract or a long-awaited promotion. You can save hours on most of the mailing tasks using Outlook. Scheduling emails or delaying them is one of those clever features to make you a real correspondence pro.

If you can send personal or business messages at an appropriate time, you have got what it takes. Suppose you need to deliver an offer to a grumpy customer. It may be better to do it after the lunch when the client is in the best mood free from thoughts about food. But, oh no, you need to leave the office for several hours and won't be able to send the email at the right time. Sending a delayed email in Outlook can be your career saving tool. I will guide you through the steps and show how to get this power mailing tool send your messages later.

• Delay sending a particular email in Outlook
• Use Outlook to schedule all emails
• Schedule recurring emails with helpful add-ins for Outlook

Delay sending a particular email in Outlook

You may need to schedule just one message. It may be helpful if one of your customers appeared to be from a different time zone and you'd like your information to arrive at an appropriate hour. See below how send a delayed email in Outlook in several simple steps.

1. Start Outlook and create the very important email you need to send later.
2. When the message you want to schedule is ready, go to the Options tab in the editing window and click on the Delay Delivery icon.
   
3. You will see the Properties dialog. Tick the checkbox next to the Do not deliver before option.
   
4. Click on the small down arrow next to the date field to get the calendar for picking the final day.
   
5. Select the final hour from the time drop-down list.
   

Feel free to explore the other Outlook-delay-sending-email options on this window to see if they are helpful. You'll see your message waiting patiently in the Outbox folder.

Your recipient from a different time zone will be pleased to learn that you stayed late at work to send this email just by the time they get to the office.

Use Outlook to schedule all emails

There are days when actions outrun thoughts. You send an email to realize a minute later that your remarks were way too harsh. If such days occur more often than desired, making Outlook delay sending all emails maybe a good idea. The Defer delivery feature will let you reschedule all messages by up to 2 hours.

1. To schedule Outlook emails to send later, go to File -> Info and click on Manage Rules and Alerts.
   
2. You will get the Rules and Alerts window pop up.
   
3. Click on the New Rule button and select the Apply rule on messages I sent option from the Select a template list.
   
4. After selecting the option, click Next. Don't choose any features on the Select conditions step, just click Next again. You'll see a message saying that the rule will apply to all outgoing emails. Click Yes to proceed.
   
5. On the Select actions step, tick Defer delivery by a number of minutes.
   
6. Go to the Edit the rule description section click on the number of link and choose by how many minutes you'd like to delay sending emails in Outlook. It is possible to postpone by up to 120 minutes.
   
7. Click the Next button to name the rule.
   
8. Finally, press the Finish button to save the rule.

From now on you'll see all your outgoing mails seated in Outbox which means they are scheduled to be sent later. It's very convenient since you can open an email from there and change it, if necessary. You can also delete any letter to never reach the recipient.

Schedule recurring emails with helpful add-ins for Outlook

Though Outlook option to send emails later is quite good, it doesn't allow to schedule periodic messages. Let's have a look at 3 helpful tools for planning recurring letters like business reports, holiday and birthday e-letters. They are Email Scheduler component from MAPILab, ScheduledSend by Topalt.com and SendLater created by 4Team Corporation.

SendLater helps you schedule recurrence for any emails. You can organize your correspondence even remotely. Choose to send out the same messages daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. For SMTP accounts it will deliver messages even with Outlook closed. And... you get all these clever features for free.

Email Scheduler is a part of MapiLab Toolbox for Outlook. Besides scheduling recurring mails to certain date and time, you'll have such options as sending particular attachments periodically. It can be really helpful if you need to email reports to your boss or client every other Friday.

ScheduledSend does what its name suggests. In addition, you can preview the schedule in a separate calendar and send reminders to your mobile inbox. Oh, and it's also free.

If you use Microsoft Outlook as your main mailing instrument, you will appreciate its ability to schedule or delay emails. Hope you'll also find the links to handy automation tools helpful.

Email technology enables us to send correct emails at the correct time which boosts likelihood to succeed and get what you need. Since I begin to rhyme, it's time for me to say bye for now. And please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

You may also be interested in:

• How to get delivery receipt in Outlook
• How to view Outlook Email Headers (internet headers)
• How to configure Outlook Junk Mail Filter to stop spam email
• How to backup Outlook emails and other items (safe .pst backup)
• How to archive in Outlook automatically or manually (emails, tasks, calendar and other items)