If you want to have more time to review or edit your emails before they are sent, you can use the delayed delivery feature in Outlook. This feature allows you to specify a later date and time for your messages to be delivered, instead of sending them immediately. You can set up delayed delivery for individual messages, or for all messages by creating a rule.
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Why Use Delayed Delivery in Outlook?
There are many reasons why you might want to use delayed delivery in Outlook, such as:
- To avoid sending emails impulsively or emotionally, and have a chance to rethink or revise them.
- To schedule emails to be sent at a more appropriate or convenient time, such as during business hours or when the recipient is online.
- To avoid cluttering the recipient’s inbox with multiple emails, and send them as a batch instead.
- To ensure that your emails are delivered at the right time, regardless of your internet connection or availability.
How to Delay Delivery for Individual Messages in Outlook
If you want to delay the delivery of a single message, you can do so by following these steps:
- Compose your message as usual, and click on the Options tab in the ribbon.
- In the More Options group, click on the Delay Delivery button.
- In the Properties dialog box, under Delivery options, check the box next to Do not deliver before, and select the date and time you want your message to be sent.
- Click Close, and then click Send. Your message will be moved to the Outbox folder, and will be delivered at the specified time.
How to Delay Delivery for All Messages in Outlook
If you want to delay the delivery of all your messages by a certain amount of time, you can create a rule that applies to every message you send. Here is how to do it:
- Click on the File tab in the ribbon, and select Manage Rules & Alerts.
- In the Rules and Alerts dialog box, click on the New Rule button.
- In the Rules Wizard, select Apply rule on messages I send under Start from a blank rule, and click Next.
- In the Which condition(s) do you want to check? page, you can optionally select one or more conditions to filter your messages, such as who they are sent to, what they contain, or what category they are assigned to. If you want to apply the rule to all messages, leave all the boxes unchecked, and click Next.
- In the What do you want to do with the message? page, check the box next to defer delivery by a number of minutes, and click on the underlined phrase a number of in the Edit the rule description box.
- In the Defer Delivery dialog box, enter the number of minutes you want to delay your messages by, and click OK. The maximum delay you can set is 120 minutes.
- Click Next, and then click Finish. Your rule will be created and applied to all messages you send.
How to Check or Cancel Delayed Messages in Outlook
If you want to check the status of your delayed messages, or cancel them before they are sent, you can do so by going to the Outbox folder. There, you will see all the messages that are waiting to be delivered, along with their scheduled delivery time. You can open any message and make changes to it, or delete it if you don’t want to send it anymore.
How to Delay Delivery in Outlook for Mac and Outlook on the Web
If you are using Outlook for Mac or Outlook on the web, you can also delay the delivery of individual messages, but not for all messages. The steps are similar to those for Outlook for Windows, except that you need to click on the Send Later option next to the Send button, and select the date and time you want your message to be delivered. Your message will be saved in the Drafts folder until the delivery time.
Conclusion
Delayed delivery is a useful feature in Outlook that can help you improve your email communication and productivity. You can set up delayed delivery for individual messages, or for all messages by creating a rule. You can also check or cancel your delayed messages in the Outbox or Drafts folder. Delayed delivery works in Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook on the web.