Outlook’s Hidden Feature Lets You Schedule Emails for Later Delivery

Outlook’s Hidden Feature Lets You Schedule Emails for Later Delivery—Here’s How

Microsoft Outlook now supports delayed email delivery, allowing users to draft messages and set them to send automatically at a future date and time. The feature is available in both classic and modern versions, with slight variations in how it’s accessed.

Need to send an email outside normal business hours but don’t want to stay up late? Outlook’s built-in scheduling tool can handle it. The feature, available in both the legacy and updated versions of the platform, lets users compose messages now and defer delivery until a specific date and time—ideal for time-sensitive communications that don’t require an immediate response.

The process differs slightly depending on which version of Outlook you’re using, but the core functionality remains the same: no more drafting emails at midnight just to hit a deadline.

Classic Outlook: A Few Extra Clicks

Users of the traditional Outlook interface will find the scheduling option tucked away in the Options tab. After composing your email as usual, navigate to the More options section and select Delay delivery. A pop-up will appear where you can check the Delay delivery until box and set a custom date and time. Once confirmed, the email will sit in your outbox until the specified moment arrives.

Outlook’s Hidden Feature Lets You Schedule Emails for Later Delivery—Here’s How

Modern Outlook: Simplified Scheduling

The newer Outlook interface streamlines the process with a dedicated Schedule Send button. After clicking New Email, open the message in a separate window (via the square-with-arrow icon in the top-right corner). From there, switch to the Options tab and locate the arrow-pointing-right icon—clicking it reveals scheduling options. Alternatively, users can access the feature directly from the Send button’s dropdown menu, where preset times like Tomorrow or a future weekday are already selected. For precise timing, choose Custom Time and input your preferred date and time before finalizing with Send.

This functionality isn’t just for procrastinators—it’s a practical tool for professionals who need to ensure emails arrive at optimal moments, such as early mornings or late evenings when recipients are more likely to engage. The feature also eliminates the risk of forgetting to send time-sensitive messages.

Microsoft hasn’t heavily promoted the tool, but its existence underscores the platform’s ongoing efforts to integrate productivity-enhancing features into everyday workflows.