Outlook: Delay Delivery

There are a variety of reasons that you may want to delay delivery of an email in Outlook. Perhaps you are waiting until a specific time to send a reminder, or maybe you need to delay sending emails to specific people until 4:59 pm (or 7:59 am). Outlook’s Delay Delivery feature may be just what you are looking for.

Mac Users

It looks like this feature will be coming in the future to Mac users (365 and 2019 versions of Outlook), so stay tuned! It will be called “Send Later,” and will appear as a dropdown next to the Send button.
Mac Send Later screen

PC Users: Outlook Options

To start, try testing this out on a test email, not an important one.

  1. Create a New Email.
    New email button
  2. Select the Options tab in the ribbon
  3. In the More Options group, press Delay Delivery
    Options tab, delay delivery button
  4. In the pop up screen, Delivery Options section, make sure the box next to Do not Deliver before is checked. Set the date and time for delivery and pressIf you want to see the feature in action, try delaying your test email for just a few minutes.
    Do not deliver before selected, date and time entered
  5. When you are ready to send the message, press Send, just like usual.
    Send Button
  6. The email will be in your Outbox until the delivery time. To make a change or delete the message, go to your outbox. Double click on the message to reopen and access the Options tab on the ribbon.
    Outlook folder,s Outbox circled

Important Caveats

Closing Outlook

  • When you use this feature in Outlook, your Outlook program must be up and running for the delivery to occur. So, if the delivery time occurs while your Outlook is closed, the delivery will not occur until you reopen Outlook.
  • If you Delay Delivery and close your Outlook, you will receive a reminder message that there are items in your Outbox.Warning message that there are messages in outbox

Button Defaults

  • As soon as you press the Delay Delivery button, the email will be delayed until a default time until you uncheck Do Not Deliver Before In other words, if you press this button to look at the feature but do not want to delay delivery, be sure to uncheck the box next to Do Not Deliver Before.Do Not Deliver Before box

Thoughts?

What do you think? Do you have great ideas for using this cool feature in Outlook?

Congratulations, Power Users!

Congratulations to our newest Power Users! For the full gallery, and more information about the WSU Microsoft Office Power User Program, please visit: wichita.edu/poweruser

  • Susie Jacques
    Susie Jacques
  • Heather Merchant
    (as Flash Phil!)Heather Merchant