How to delay sending email in Outlook

During a recent Outlook training session I was asked if it’s possible to delay sending an email? This question is a common one and is often followed by a story about an email sent a little too quickly, a forgotten attachment, or someone realising that the wording could have been a bit clearer. I can definitely relate.

Lately, I’ve had conversations with organisations about the newer (2024-2025) Australian workplace laws (Right to disconnect) around an employee’s right to disconnect outside normal work hours. More people are becoming aware of the importance of respecting boundaries and avoiding the expectation that staff should monitor or respond to emails late at night, early in the morning, or on weekends. Delaying an email can actually be a really helpful way to support this. Instead of sending a message at 10:30pm, you can schedule it to arrive the next morning during business hours.

It’s a simple Outlook feature, but it can make a big difference. It is a helpful feature on a few different fronts: it gives you a chance to reread your message and double-check attachments, it encourages more thoughtful communication and helps create healthier expectations around work hours and availability.

In this post, I’ll show you how to delay sending emails in Outlook and share a few practical tips to help you make the most of it.

Why delay email in Outlook?

As mentioned, being able to delay an email being sent provides several practical benefits.

1. Preventing common mistakes

We have all been there. You hit Send, and immediately you notice an issue, a spelling mistake, someone in the CC field who shouldn’t be there, or you attached the wrong file. Delaying your email gives you time to make changes before Outlook actually sends it.

2. Improve tone and clarity

Sometimes stepping back from an email, even briefly, can improve the tone. A short delay lets you re‑read your message with fresh eyes so you can adjust wording, remove over‑explaining, or improve structure.

3. Avoid out of hours pressure and support new workplace legislation

Many of us draft emails at night, early in the morning, or on weekends simply because that is when we finally have the time. But sending messages outside business hours can unintentionally create pressure for others to respond when they should be switching off.

This has become even more important with Australia’s new “Right to Disconnect” laws, which give employees the right to refuse employer or third‑party contact outside their ordinary working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable.

By delaying emails you write outside business hours, you help remove any expectation of an immediate response, supporting a healthier balance between work and personal time, which is exactly what the legislation aims to promote

4. Improving response rates

Timing matters. Emails that arrive during busy periods can easily get lost. By controlling when your message is sent, you can choose a time when your recipient is more likely to see and action it.

IMAP vs Microsoft Exchange: What to Know About Delayed Send in Outlook

Outlook’s delayed send feature behaves very differently depending on the type of email account you’re using. This is important to understand, especially if you support multiple clients or work across mixed environments.

Delayed Send is not available for IMAP or POP accounts in the new Outlook

The new Outlook for Windows does not currently support scheduled send or delay delivery for IMAP or POP accounts. Microsoft has confirmed this limitation and has not provided a timeline for when it might change.

If you’re using Gmail via IMAP, Yahoo, cPanel mail, or any other non‑Exchange server in the new Outlook, you won’t see the Send later / Schedule send option.

You can still use delayed send if you switch back to Classic Outlook, but the behaviour is different (more on this below).

Exchange-based accounts fully support delayed send in both Classic and New Outlook

If you are using an Exchange account, including Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, and Exchange Online, you have full support for the delayed send across Outlook versions.

In the new Outlook

Exchange accounts use cloud‑based delivery, meaning that your computer does not need to be on for the message to send. Scheduled messages send reliably at the exact time chosen.

In Classic Outlook

You can still delay send, but Classic Outlook uses a local client‑based method. This means that emails remain in the Outbox on your device and you must therefore keep Outlook open and connected for the message to send at the chosen time. Closing Outlook pauses delivery until you next open the app.

ut IMAP accounts do not gain any of the improved reliability seen with Exchange in the new Outlook.

How to delay sending a single email in Outlook

If you want to delay just one message, Outlook makes it very straightforward. In fact, Outlook uses Viva Insights to identify if you are sending an email to an internal staff member and can identify this work hours, and if you are sending outside those. It will then suggest sending during their next business hours.

To schedule a message during business hours using Viva Insights:

1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
2. Create a New Email message (press Ctrl + N on the keyboard).
3. Add a recipient to the To field plus a Subject.
4. If you are emailing someone INSIDE your organisation, Outlook will prompt you to send the message during the recipients work hours:

5. Click Schedule send to see the next suggested time.
6. If you are emailing someone OUTSIDE your organisation, the prompt will suggest sending the email during your work hours. Click Schedule Send to choose a day/time.

7. Complete the email message and click Send as normal.
8. Your email will show in the Sent Items where you can edit it until the scheduled send time. You can open it, edit it, or even delete it while it’s there.
9. You can also choose to Send now if needed:

To delay delivery for a specific day/time, rather based on business hours:

1. Create a New Email message (press Ctrl + N on the keyboard).
2. Add a recipient to the To field plus a Subject.
3. Click the Options tab on the ribbon.
4. Click Delay Delivery button.
5. The Do not deliver before option will be enabled and a date/time suggested:

6. Use the drop-down menus to choose the date and time you want the message sent.
7. Click the Close button.
8. Complete the email message and click Send as normal.

How to delay all emails in Outlook

If you’d prefer a safety net applied to every outgoing email, you can set up a rule to delay ALL outgoing emails.

NOTE: This option is currently (as of June 2026) only available in Outlook Classic. The new Outlook app does have Rules but does not currently have the Delay option to choose from.

To delay all outgoing email:

1. Open Microsoft Outlook (Classic).
2. Select the File tab and click Manage Rules & Alerts:

3. Click the New Rule button.
4. Select Apply rule on messages I send.
5. Click Next.
6. Step 1 allows you to Select conditions. We do not want to apply a specific condition as we want it applied to ALL outgoing emails. Do not select any conditions, click Next.
7. A message will appear saysing “This rule will be applied to every message you send. Is this correct?“.

8. Click Yes.
9. The next steps shows Select actions. Tick the option to defer delivery by a number of minutes.
10. Click the blue underlined reference to a number of.

11. Enter the number of minutes you’d like to delay ALL email by. E.g. 10 minutes.
12. Click OK.
13. Click Finish on the dialog box.
14. The rule will now be displayed in the Rules and Alerts window.
15. All emails sent from here on, will be delayed by the number of minutes you specified.

Delaying emails in Outlook is one of those small features that can have a surprisingly big impact on the way we work. As expectations around after-hours contact continue to evolve in Australian workplaces, features like delayed send are becoming less about convenience and more about supporting healthier and more respectful ways of working. If you haven’t tried it before, I’d encourage you to give it a go. Even a simple 2-minute delay can save you from that “I wish I could take that email back” moment.

Feel free to post any comments below or check out some of my other Outlook tips to help you improve your productivity.