How to Schedule an Email in Gmail and Outlook in the UK

Sometimes an email is ready now but should not be sent now. Maybe you finished a work message at 11pm and want it to land at 9am, or you wrote a birthday note a week early. Both Gmail and Outlook let you schedule an email so it sends itself later, and the setup takes less than a minute once you know where the button hides.

This guide covers Gmail and Outlook on the web, on desktop, and on iPhone and Android, with the steps as they work in most recent versions. No add-ons are needed.

Schedule an Email in Gmail on the Web

Open Gmail in your browser and write your email as normal. Instead of clicking Send, click the small down arrow next to the Send button. A menu appears with a Schedule send option. Click it, and Gmail offers a few suggested times, plus a Pick date and time option.

Choose Pick date and time to set your own slot, pick the date and time, and click Schedule send. The email moves to the Scheduled folder, where it waits until the chosen moment. Gmail sends it automatically, even if your computer is off, because the sending happens on Google's servers.

If you change your mind, open the Scheduled folder, click the email, and click Cancel send. The message turns back into a draft, and you can edit it, pick a new time, or delete it. There is a cap on how many emails you can have scheduled at once, so clear out old ones you no longer need.

Schedule an Email in the Gmail App

The Gmail app on iPhone and Android works in almost the same way. Write your email, then tap the three-dot menu at the top right of the compose screen. Tap Schedule send, pick one of the suggested times or choose Pick date and time, set your date and time, and tap Schedule.

To find a scheduled email on your phone, tap the menu icon in the top left, scroll to Scheduled, and open the message. From there you can cancel the send, which returns it to drafts. The steps are the same on iPhone and Android, though the exact position of the menu can vary slightly between versions.

One detail worth knowing: Gmail schedules using your device's time zone, so if you travel, double-check the time before you schedule anything important. A 9am send set in London becomes a 9am send in local time if your phone switches zones.

Schedule an Email in Outlook on the Web

Outlook on the web, at outlook.com, also has scheduling built in. Write your email, then click the small down arrow next to the Send button. Choose Schedule send, pick a suggested time or select Custom time, then set the date and time and click Send.

Scheduled emails live in the Drafts folder, marked as scheduled, and you can open one to change the time or cancel it before it goes out. If you use Outlook through a Microsoft 365 work or school account, the same steps apply.

Schedule an Email in the Outlook App

On iPhone and Android, the Outlook app hides scheduling behind the send button. Write your email, then press and hold the send arrow instead of tapping it. A menu appears with a Schedule send option. Tap it, choose a time, and confirm.

To review a scheduled email, open the Drafts folder, where it waits with a small clock icon. Open it to change the send time or delete it. If the send button does not show the hold menu, update Outlook from your app store, since older builds may not have scheduling.

Delay Delivery in Classic Outlook on Windows

If you use the classic Outlook desktop app on Windows, scheduling goes by the name Delay Delivery. Write your email, then go to the Options tab in the message window and click Delay Delivery. In the box that appears, tick Do not deliver before, set the date and time, click Close, and then click Send.

The email sits in your Outbox until the chosen time, which matters: unlike the web version, classic Outlook sends from your computer, so the app needs to be open at the scheduled time. If your computer is off or Outlook is closed, the message waits and sends when Outlook opens again. The newer Outlook for Windows uses the same Schedule send menu as the web version instead.

When Scheduling Helps, and When It Does Not

Scheduling is at its best for messages tied to a time: a 9am note to a colleague, a reminder that should arrive the morning of a meeting, or a message to someone in another time zone that you want to land during their working day. It also lets you write when inspiration strikes and send when it is polite.

It does not help for anything that might change before the send time, since a scheduled message can go out with information that is already wrong. For those, keep a draft and send it yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I schedule an email and then edit it before it sends?

Yes, in both Gmail and Outlook. Open the Scheduled folder in Gmail, or the Drafts folder in Outlook, find the message, and cancel the send. It returns to your drafts, where you can change the text or the time and schedule it again.

Does my computer or phone need to be on for a scheduled email to send?

For Gmail and Outlook on the web, no. The sending happens on their servers, so your device can be off. For classic Outlook on Windows with Delay Delivery, yes, the app needs to be open at the scheduled time, or the message waits until Outlook opens again.

What happens if I schedule an email for a time that has already passed?

Both Gmail and Outlook handle this sensibly: the email usually sends straight away, or as soon as possible. If you meant a future date, cancel the send quickly from the Scheduled or Drafts folder and pick the right time before it goes out.