How to Schedule an Email in Outlook (Step-by-Step for Every Version)

Scheduling an email should take 10 seconds.

But well… we’re talking about Outlook here… where figuring things out itself is a headache.

You know… when I first time I tried it, I spent way too long looking for a "Schedule Send" option that didn't exist in the version of Outlook I was using.

Turns out, Microsoft has like four different versions of Outlook, and the scheduling flow is slightly different in each one.

Classic desktop app? It's buried under "Delay Delivery."

New Outlook? They finally added a proper "Schedule Send" button. Web version? Different again. Mobile? Surprisingly straightforward.

So I put together this guide covering every version, so you don't have to guess which set of instructions actually applies to you.

Let's get into it.

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How to Schedule an Email in Outlook (Web Version)

This is probably the most common version people use, especially if you're accessing Outlook through a browser via Microsoft 365.

The good news – Microsoft actually made this one pretty intuitive.

Here's how to do it:

• Step 1 → Open Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com or outlook.com) and sign in.
• Step 2 → Click New Mail to compose your email. Add your recipient, subject line, and body – the usual.
• Step 3 → Instead of hitting the Send button directly, look for the small dropdown arrow right next to it.
• Step 4 → Click that dropdown arrow. You'll see the Schedule Send option.
• Step 5 → Outlook will suggest a couple of default time slots (usually something like "Tomorrow morning" or "Tomorrow afternoon"). If those work, just click one and you're done.
• Step 6 → If you want a custom date and time, click Custom time. Pick your preferred date and time from the calendar picker, then hit Send.

That's it. Your email will sit in the Drafts folder (in some versions) or a dedicated Scheduled folder until it's sent at the time you picked.

VERY Important Note: If you close the browser tab after scheduling, the email still goes out on time. Unlike the classic desktop app (which I'll get to), the web version handles scheduling server-side. So you don't need to keep anything open.

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How to Schedule an Email in New Outlook (Desktop)

If you've recently updated Outlook on Windows, there's a good chance you're on the "New Outlook" version. Microsoft has been aggressively pushing this one, and honestly, the scheduling flow here is almost identical to the web version.

Here's how it works:

• Step 1 → Open the New Outlook desktop app on your computer.
• Step 2 → Click New Mail (top-left corner) to start composing your email.
• Step 3 → Write your email as usual – recipients, subject, body.
• Step 4 → Look at the Send button. You'll see a small dropdown arrow right next to it (same as the web version).
  
• Step 5 → Click the dropdown and select Schedule Send.
• Step 6 → You'll get the same default suggestions – "Tomorrow morning," "Tomorrow afternoon," etc. Pick one, or click Custom time to set your own date and time.
• Step 7 → Hit Send, and the email is locked in for that time slot.

Now, how do you know if you're on "New Outlook" vs. the classic version?

Simple – look at the top-right corner of the app. If you see a toggle that says "Try the new Outlook" or "New Outlook", that tells you which version you're on.

If the toggle is switched on, you're on the new one.

One more thing: just like the web version, New Outlook handles scheduling on Microsoft's servers. So even if you shut down your computer after scheduling, the email still goes out on time. No need to keep the app running.

Pretty painless overall. The classic desktop version, though? That's where things get a little clunky.

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How to Schedule an Email in Classic Outlook (Desktop)

Alright, this is the one that confuses people the most.

Classic Outlook (the older desktop app that's been around forever) doesn't have a clean "Schedule Send" button.

Instead, it uses something called "Delay Delivery", which does the same thing, just buried in a place you wouldn't naturally look.

Here's the step-by-step:

• Step 1 → Open Classic Outlook and click New Email to compose your message.
• Step 2 → Add your recipients, subject line, and email body like normal.
• Step 3 → Now, instead of looking near the Send button, go to the Options tab in the top ribbon of the compose window.
• Step 4 → Click Delay Delivery. A properties dialog box will pop up.
• Step 5 → Under the Delivery options section, check the box that says "Do not deliver before."
• Step 6 → Set the date and time you want the email to go out.
• Step 7 → Close the dialog box and hit Send.

Here's the part that gets most people – the email doesn't actually leave right away.

It moves to your Outbox folder and sits there until the scheduled time. So far, so good.

But here's the catch.

Your computer needs to be on, and Outlook needs to be open for the email to actually send.

If you shut down your laptop or close Outlook before the scheduled time, the email just sits in the Outbox.

It won't go out until you open Outlook again, and at that point, it sends immediately, regardless of what time it is.

So if you're on Classic Outlook and you're scheduling something time-sensitive, make sure your machine stays on, and Outlook stays running.

Or better yet, consider switching to the web version or New Outlook, where scheduling is server-side and doesn't depend on your computer being awake.

How to Edit or Cancel a Scheduled Email in Classic Outlook

Since the email sits in your Outbox, you can still make changes before it sends.

• Go to your Outbox folder.
• Double-click the email to open it.
• If you want to reschedule, go back to Options → Delay Delivery and change the time.
• If you want to cancel it entirely, just delete it from the Outbox.

Simple enough – just don't forget it's there.

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How to Schedule an Email in Outlook for Mac

If you're on a Mac, the experience is actually pretty smooth now.

Microsoft updated Outlook for Mac a while back and added a proper Schedule Send option.

So… now you don't have to deal with the "Delay Delivery" workaround like on Classic Windows Outlook.

Here's how to do it:

• Step 1 → Open Outlook on your Mac and click New Message.
• Step 2 → Compose your email – recipients, subject, body, the whole thing.
• Step 3 → Look at the Send button. You'll see a small dropdown arrow next to it (same pattern as the web and New Outlook versions).
• Step 4 → Click the dropdown arrow and select Schedule Send.
• Step 5 → Pick from the suggested time slots, or click Custom Time to set your own date and time.
• Step 6 → Confirm, and you're done.

The email will show up in a Scheduled folder in your sidebar. You can go there anytime to review, edit, or cancel upcoming emails before they send.

One thing worth mentioning – older versions of Outlook for Mac (pre-2021 updates) didn't have this feature natively.

If you're running an outdated version and can't find the Schedule Send option, updating the app should fix it. Just go to Help → Check for Updates and grab the latest version.

Also, same as the web and New Outlook, scheduling on Mac is server-side. You can close the app, shut down your Mac, and go take a nap. The email still goes out at the scheduled time. No Outbox drama like Classic Windows Outlook.

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How to Schedule an Email in Outlook Mobile App (iOS & Android)

This one surprised me, honestly. I expected mobile to be stripped down, but Microsoft actually made scheduling on the Outlook mobile app really simple.

The flow is almost identical on both iOS and Android. Here's how:

• Step 1 → Open the Outlook app on your phone and tap the Compose button (the pencil/new mail icon, usually at the bottom right).
• Step 2 → Write your email – add recipients, subject, body.
• Step 3 → Instead of tapping the regular Send button (the arrow icon), look for the three dots (⋯) menu or tap and hold the Send button (depends on your app version).
• Step 4 → You'll see a Schedule Send option. Tap it.
• Step 5 → Pick a suggested time or set a custom date and time.
• Step 6 → Confirm, and the email is queued up.

That's literally it.

The scheduled email will appear in your Scheduled or Drafts folder depending on the app version. You can go back and edit or cancel it anytime before the send time.

A couple of things I noticed while using this:

• It's server-side. So you can close the app, turn off your phone, whatever. The email still goes out on time.
• The UI varies slightly between iOS and Android. On some Android versions, the Schedule Send option is behind the three-dot menu. On iOS, you might see it when you long-press the Send button. Either way, it's there. Just poke around for a second if it's not immediately obvious.
• You can't schedule recurring emails from mobile. If that's something you need, you'll have to do it from desktop.

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Things to Watch Out For When Scheduling Emails in Outlook

By now you know how to schedule emails across every version of Outlook. But there are a few things that can trip you up if you're not paying attention.

I've run into most of these myself, so consider this a "learn from my mistakes" section.

1. Classic Outlook Needs to Stay Open

I already mentioned this above, but it's worth repeating because it's the single biggest gotcha.

If you're on Classic Outlook (desktop), your computer needs to be on, and Outlook needs to be running for the email to actually send at the scheduled time. If either one is off, the email just sits in the Outbox and fires the moment you reopen Outlook.

Web, New Outlook, Mac, and Mobile all handle scheduling server-side, so this issue only applies to Classic.

2. Time Zone Mismatches

Outlook schedules based on the time zone set in your account or device settings. If you're scheduling an email for a prospect in New York but your Outlook is set to IST or GMT, the email might land at a completely different time than you intended.

Before scheduling anything time-sensitive, double-check your time zone settings. In the web version, go to Settings → General → Language and time to confirm.

3. Editing a Scheduled Email

Good news – you can edit scheduled emails across all versions. Just find the email in your Scheduled folder (or Outbox in Classic Outlook), open it, make your changes, and reschedule or send it.

But here's a small thing – if you open a scheduled email in Classic Outlook's Outbox and hit Send again without resetting the delay, it might send immediately. So if you're editing in Classic, re-apply the Delay Delivery settings before closing.

4. You Can't Schedule Recurring Emails Natively

This one catches a lot of people off guard. Outlook lets you schedule a single email to go out later, but there's no built-in option to schedule the same email to go out every Monday at 9 AM, for example.

If you need recurring scheduled emails, you'd have to either use Power Automate (Microsoft's automation tool) or look into a dedicated outreach platform that handles sequences for you.

5. Attachments and Large Files

Scheduling works the same whether your email has attachments or not. But if you're attaching large files, make sure you're not hitting Outlook's attachment size limit (25 MB for most accounts). The last thing you want is a scheduled email failing silently because the attachment was too big.

6. Don't Rely on Scheduling for Cold Outreach at Scale

If you're scheduling one or two emails, Outlook's scheduling is perfect.

But if you're sending cold outreach to 50, 100, or 500 prospects, manually scheduling each email is not realistic.

You'll burn hours doing what a proper outreach tool handles automatically. On top of that, sending high volumes from a regular Outlook mailbox without proper warmup is a fast track to the spam folder.

I'll touch on this more in the next section.

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Scheduling Works, But What If You're Sending More Than a Few Emails?

Everything above works great for day-to-day emails.

But if you're doing cold outreach? Outlook's scheduling hits a wall fast.

No sequences. No automated follow-ups. No mailbox rotation. No personalization at scale.

And there's a bigger problem most people miss… Sending cold emails from the same Microsoft 365 mailbox you use for daily work is risky.

One spam complaint and your domain reputation tanks. That affects everything, not just outreach.

In such cases, it’s best to have dedicated Microsoft 365 mailboxes via a platform like Primeforge.

It has mailboxes with automated DNS and US IPs, ready in 30 minutes. No EDU tricks, no loopholes. Built for cold outreach deliverability, not daily use.

If you just need to schedule a few emails, the steps above have you covered. But if you're doing outbound at any real volume, separating your cold infrastructure from your daily inbox is the move.

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FAQs

1. Can I schedule emails in Outlook for free?

Yes. Scheduling is available across all versions of Outlook – web, desktop (new and classic), Mac, and mobile. You don't need a premium Microsoft 365 subscription for this. Even a free Outlook.com account lets you schedule emails.

2. Can I edit or cancel a scheduled email in Outlook?

Absolutely. Find the email in your Scheduled folder (or Outbox if you're on Classic Outlook), open it, and make your changes. You can reschedule it, edit the content, or delete it entirely. Just make sure you do it before the scheduled send time.

3. Does Outlook need to be open for a scheduled email to send?

Depends on the version. If you're using Classic Outlook (desktop), yes – your computer and Outlook both need to be running. If you're on the web version, New Outlook, Mac, or mobile, scheduling is handled server-side. So the email goes out even if your device is off.

4. Can I schedule recurring emails in Outlook?

Not natively. Outlook's schedule send feature only works for one-time emails. If you need to send the same email on a recurring basis (like every Monday at 9 AM), you'd have to set it up through Microsoft Power Automate or use a dedicated outreach tool that supports sequences.

5. What happens if I lose internet before my scheduled email is sent?

For web, New Outlook, Mac, and mobile – nothing changes. The email is already queued on Microsoft's servers, so it sends regardless of your internet status. For Classic Outlook, the email sits in the Outbox and sends the next time Outlook connects to the internet, which may not be at your originally scheduled time.

6. Can I schedule a send from Outlook on my phone?

Yes. Both the iOS and Android versions of the Outlook mobile app support “schedule send”. Tap the three-dot menu or long-press the Send button (varies by version), pick your time, and you're set.

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