How To Schedule Emails In Gmail And Outlook

Think of all the moments when you’ve debated whether you really need to send an emailright now. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll forget about it if you don’t do it right then, or you’re communicating with someone in a different time zone, or it’s the middle of the night and you just remembered something, or you’ve just written an angry email and know that you may regret it an hour later. Whatever the case may be, think about scheduling that email for later instead.

Gmail and Outlook both give you the option to schedule your emails for later that day, week, or year. Here’s how to do it.

SCHEDULE EMAILS IN GMAIL USING YOUR BROWSER

Gmail makes it pretty easy.

• After you’ve drafted your email, click the arrow next to the blue “Send” button
• Click “Schedule Send”

• Click on one of the scheduling options

• If you choose the “Pick date & time” button at the bottom of the pop-up window, you can set any date and time you want the message to go out. Then click “Schedule Send.”

SCHEDULE EMAILS IN GMAIL USING YOUR MOBILE APP

You can also schedule emails in the mobile app:

• Once you’ve written your message, tap the three dots in the top-right corner
• Select “Schedule send” from the options at the bottom of the screen (iOS) or the drop-down menu (Android)
• As in the browser version, you can choose from one of the times Gmail suggests or select “Pick date & time” to select your own date and time for when the email will go out. Then, tap “Save” in the top-right corner of the pop-up window (iOS) or tap “Schedule send” in the bottom-right corner (Android).

GRID VIEW

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On mobile, you can access the “Schedule send” button by clicking on the three dots in the top-right corner of the draft window.

Whether you’re using your browser or the app, the email will end up in your Scheduled box. To edit it, you’ll have to click on the message and then click “Cancel send.” This will revert the email back into a draft so that you can make any changes. If you want to, you can then reschedule it.

SCHEDULE EMAIL IN OUTLOOK

For Outlook, you’ll have to use the desktop app; this feature isn’t available in the browser or mobile versions.

• Once you’ve started a new message, click on the Options tab at the top of the screen
• Click the three dots in the bar on the top
• Select “Delay Delivery” from the drop-down menu

• Under “Delivery options,” make sure the box next to “Do not deliver before” is checked. You can use the drop-down options or just type in the date and time you want the email to go out. Click “Close” when you’re done.

The email will end up in your Outbox where you can make any changes, including adjusting the send time.

The one drawback is that you’ll have to keep the Outlook app open in order for the email to go out on time. If you close the app, it’ll send the email the next time you open the app.

— The Verge