OUTLOOK – Delay Email Delivery

[NOVICE] Have you ever wanted to create an email, but not have it go out until later . . . maybe a few hours or a few days down the road?

For instance, you may have several reminders to send out for an upcoming program — and want them spaced out over several days. Or perhaps you’ve got invoices for the month, some of which are to be delivered at a later date.

Or maybe your working late into the night or on the weekends . . . and don’t want others to get an email from you at 2:00 A.M. in the morning. It would would lend a more professional image to have it go out at 7:00 A.M. the following day. You can write it at 2 and have it sent at 7!

Delay Delivery

If your email is set up in Outlook, there is a simple way to delay the sending of an email until a specific date and time. You can still work and write the email on a Sunday afternoon for example, but not have it sent until Monday morning at 8 A.M.

This tool is available in other email programs too, just look for “delivery options” or do a search in the Help menu for Delay Delivery.

Schedule Your Email to Send at the TIME and DAY You Want
~ In Outlook 2007 (or 2003)

• Compose the email like you normally would.
• Click on the Options tab (Outlook 2003, use the Options drop down menu).
• Click the Delay Delivery icon (Outlook 2003, use the Delivery Options).
• The Message Options box will open.
• Under Delivery Options, check the Do not deliver before box.
• Select the Date and Time that you would like your email sent.
• Click Close.
• Click on Send – just as you usually would. The email will remain in your Outbox until the time and date you indicated.

TIP: When closing down Outlook, it will remind you that there are unsent messages and ask if you still want to shut down. Just say “yes”.

NOTE: You must have your computer turned on and Outlook open at the time you want the message to be sent for this to work. If you use Outlook Exchange, it is server based so you do not need to have Outlook open.

Once it is time for your message to be sent, it will disappear from your Outbox and move to your Sent items folder. Try sending an email to yourself at a later date and see how it works!