How To Delay Sending A Message In Outlook

Contributor Icon Contributed by shamanstears Date Icon September 15, 2006  
Tag Icon Tagged: Microsoft Outlook

In some cases, you may want to delay sending a message in Outlook. normally, e-mail messages are sent immediately when you click the Send button in the Message window unless you aren’t connected to the internet (then it will sit in your Outbox until you connect).

You can delay sending the message by postponing the send date as follows:


In the Message window, Click the Options.

In the Message Options dialogue box, select Do Not Deliver Before check box, and choose the desired send date in the calendar drop-down and the desired time you want the message sent in the appropriate drop-down.

Click Close and Send.

Your message will go to the Outbox folder until the assigned date and time to send it.

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  • John Williams
    This should be retitled/reworded as ... A Way to Delay "Delivery."

    That's because this method does NOT delay the sending. I.e., if you use this method, your email will still show the original time you sent it. E.g.:

    If you send an email on Weds, Feb 03, 2010 at 8:00 AM -- but make it a "do not deliver" time/date of the next day, in the early morning...

    e.g.: Thurs, Feb 04, 2010 - 4:00 AM

    ... your "delayed delivery" email will arrive as specified, but it will also show the original time you sent it -- this information WILL appear in your email when it's opened:

    From: Your Name
    Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 8:00 AM

    In essence, your email recipient gets ONE email from you that has TWO dates/times listed. From the INBOX view, they see when they received it (that's the result of the "Delayed Email" function). But once they open your email, they see when you actually sent it.

    This double date/time showing on your email might be fine in some instances, but could raise eyebrows in others ("Why did the sender delay my receiving this email?"). In the latter instances, you might want the recipient assume that the date/time it was received is basically also when you sent it (not that you actually sent it hours or days earlier, but just delayed its delivery.

    Anyway, it would be great if one could get the two times to look the same, or very close to each other, rather than showing perhaps hours or days difference between the two. I.e., it would be great if a "delayed" email showed as its "Sent" date, the time/date when it actually mailed FROM the OUTBOX, not the time/date it went INTO the OUTBOX.

    Let's tell Microsoft to give us this functionality! Peace Out...
  • amandaismom
    I have done this and it works EXCEPT when I cc myself, I never get the cc'd version. Any ideas about this?
  • ppieklo
    1. Does Outlook have to be running on the local PC?, or,
    2. If there is an Exchange Server, the above does not matter . . .
    as the Exchange Server has the email waiting in the User's Outbox and the Exchange Server's clock times out for the delay for when to send?
  • cecilia
    I am restating the question written by Joe. Can someone provide a solution?

    I think this is a great feature.

    However the only downside is that the email will have the timestamp of when you actually hit "send". In other words, if you compose an email at 10am , do a delay for 1pm, and then hit 'send', the email will be received at 1pm but it will show as being sent at 10am. Is there a way to adjust the timestamp to reflect the time the email is actually received?
  • Joe
    I think this is a great feature.

    However the only downside is that the email will have the timestamp of when you actually hit "send". In other words, if you compose an email at 10am , do a delay for 1pm, and then hit 'send', the email will be received at 1pm but it will show as being sent at 10am. Is there a way to adjust the timestamp to reflect the time the email is actually received?

    Thanks
  • tom
    However, Outlook will require you to send (empty your Outbox) if you close down Outlook. it would be better if the SEND occurred and the Outlook server would take care of the delay request.
  • Anonymous
    You can implement a continous delay system following this set of instructions http://www.friedbeef.com/2006/05/29/4-ways-to-save-time-using-outlook/
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