Microsoft Outlook had a great feature to schedule an email to be sent later, you can create an email, attach a file, and send the email even if you are offline, your mail will be saved in the outbox as soon as you click the send button.
It will be delivered automatically when you connect online.
We all know about that! what so great about that ~
What if you send a delayed email even if you are online? In this article, you will learn “how to delay an email in outlook”.
The next question that comes to your mind is why to time delay emails.
For an event or some specific occasion like Christmas, or a new year, a user likes to send emails to their clients or employee or some other group of people as a greeting.
Delay Delivery is one of the great options available in Outlook, Users easily schedule the pre-drafted email to their senders for some particular period.
Let’s begin to understand “how to delay sending a single message” and “how to create a rule to delay the delivery of all messages“.
How to delay sending an email in Outlook?
Sending a delayed email, to begin with creating an email.
- Open Outlook >> Click New Mail >> Options Tab >> Delay delivery
- The properties dialog box appears, go to the Delivery options section and select the Do not deliver before check box.
- Outlook sends emails at a specific time check (do not deliver before) and set your date and time, for instance, I like to deliver the email on Christmas at 23:00 hours.
- Close that window, and you can easily click send button now, your email will be scheduled to send on a particular time and date, and that message stayed in your Outbox folder until it meets the time frame.
You can also schedule the expiration date, why this option exists in outlook?
There is a limitation in delay delivery in outlook, the system where your email is generated must be online at that specified time.
In some corporate or some special working scenarios, the system is 24X7 online, there is no such issue with the time slot.
If you are using such a computer or laptop which is not online 24X7, it is recommended to set outlook delay delivery expires after option, it will parallelly instruct outlook to abort the mail if it is not delivered in your time frame.
If you like to save a copy of or send a message, check the box and you can also select the contacts by clicking the contacts and also set the category.
How to check scheduled email delivery?
After all the settings you can check whether your outlook follows your command or not. Your message is already saved in the outbox, Click Send/Receive all folders to update incoming and outgoing mails in outlook.
Your mail is still intact in the outbox, because of the boundaries you created. You can also check your sent mail; the mail is not there till your deadline. Outlook will send emails at a later time.
How can I stop these messages from sending?
As you have learned earlier that your scheduled mail is saved in the Outlook outbox and will be delivered in the time slot.
If you want to cancel the schedule, all you have to do is click to outbox and select that mail, click the right button on your mouse and click delete.
Your mail is deleted from the outbox, so you can stop the message from sending.
How to change delay delivery time in Outlook?
You can easily modify your delayed delivery in outlook. Some user likes to deliver the mail prior to the scheduled date or need to extend it.
Here is the step-by-step guide ~
- Open outlook >> Go to Outbox
- Double click on the mail relaxing and wait for the time.
- You will be forwarded again to the mail generation page.
- Click that symbol (mentioned in the picture below) to change the default delay delivery time in outlook.
- You will be forwarded back to the properties section where you can modify your delivery time and date.
- Close the tab and again click send mail button. Your mail is saved in the outbox ready to deliver as per the modified input.
What if you want to deliver the mail immediately?
Sometimes you like to cancel delayed delivery in outlook, you have to follow the same processor above all you have to do is uncheck the “Do not deliver before” option and close the tab and send your mail.
Basically, you are aborting your delay delivery option and asking outlook to deliver your mail immediately.
Does Outlook Need to be Open for Delayed Delivery?
Outlook 365 is a web-based platform any scheduled task would be automatically executed on the time frame, whether you are online or office.
In the case of the Outlook application, it is mandatory for the user to online Outlook, the email scheduled will be delivered at the time mentioned in the delay delivery option, if accidentally outlook application is offline or closed, the email message wait for connectivity.
How to Create a Rule to Delay the Delivery of All Messages?
Rule function set delay delivery in outlook with a certain number of minutes (up to 120), You can create a template that automatically includes a send delay for all messages you create and send.
Let’s begin with how to delay messages delivery (using the rule) ~
- Open Outlook >> Click File Tab >> Info >> Manage Rules & Alerts
- Rules and Alerts dialog box appears, find the Email Rules tab and select New Rule.
- Rule wizard dialog box popup, go to start from the blank rule >> Click Apply rule on message I send >> Click Next.
- The next Dialog box asks you to select the condition you want to check, there are multiple ones, and you can select accordingly to your requirement, but in this scenario leave all the boxes unchecked and click next. As you have not selected any option Outlook to reconfirm by showing you pop up a prompt box, please click the Yes button.
- The next step again asks me ” What do you want to do with the message”, Now here I got my solution, check to defer delivery by a number of minutes.
- Now it’s time to set the number of minutes of deferred delivery. Click on the hyperlink in the step 2 portion (see the snapshot above).
- The maximum limit to set the deferment is 120 minutes, Click Ok, now back to the rule wizard, you can see the defer delivery by 120 minutes in the step 2 section, click Next.
- Next Step – Select if is there any exemptions, or leave them unchecked, then click Next.
- Finally, the Finish setup rules dialog box appears, Specify the rule’s name, Turn On the rule, review your rule & Click Finish.
Your rule is set Click Apply and OK, every mail you send will be delayed by 120 minutes and you can check your mail in the outbox until 120 minutes.
Outlook Delay Delivery not Working
It is mandatory that your outlook is opened and connected online, to execute the delivery on the time you freeze. If your computer/laptop is not connected, your message will not be delivered until you get an online connection, that was the resulting Outlook not running at the delivery time.
If you use web-based Outlook, such as Outlook.com, scheduled emails are sent at the correct time whether you have the website open or not.
Will a Delayed Email still send if Outlook is closed?
Outlook is required online if you have delayed mail in the queue, or delayed delivery execute on the time you command. If you try to close Outlook before a delayed message has been sent.
Outlook will remind you that you have unsent emails in your Outbox and even if you close the mail will be delivered as soon as you get online.
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