# How to delay delivery of an email in Outlook on Mac: Schedule send, Undo Send

> Learn how to delay delivery of an email in Outlook on Mac with Schedule send, plus Undo Send and the limits to know before you start.

URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/delay-delivery-of-an-email-in-outlook
Updated: 2026-11-07

To delay delivery of an email in Outlook on Mac, write the message, click the arrow beside Send, choose Schedule send, and pick a date and time. Outlook holds the message in Drafts and sends it at that time, but only if your account is Microsoft 365 or Exchange, not Gmail, iCloud, or Yahoo.

## Quick answer

- Click the small arrow beside Send, choose Schedule send, set the date and time, then click OK.
- The message waits in Drafts until that time. To cancel, open it in Drafts and click Cancel Send, then Yes.
- Schedule send needs a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account. IMAP and POP accounts such as Gmail do not get it.
- Mac has no rule that delays all mail. Undo Send holds every send for 5, 10, 15, or up to 120 seconds instead.

Applies to: Outlook for Mac (Microsoft 365, 2021, 2024) with an Exchange or Microsoft 365 account. Time: 3 min. Difficulty: Easy.

## What you need

- A Microsoft 365 subscription, or a supported Outlook for Mac version such as 2021 or 2024
- An Exchange account, such as Outlook.com on Microsoft 365
- At least one recipient in the To line before Schedule send appears

## How to Delay delivery of an email in Outlook on Mac in Outlook on a Mac

1. **Check your account type and version.** (Outlook > About Outlook) Make sure your mail account is Microsoft 365 or Exchange. Schedule send does not work with IMAP or POP accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, or iCloud. To see your version, click Outlook in the menu bar, then About Outlook. Tip: Older versions call the feature Send Later, so look for that name too.
2. **Start your message and add a recipient.** Start a new message or open a reply, as you normally would. Write the message and add at least one recipient in the To line. Schedule send does not appear for a message with no recipient.
3. **Open the Send dropdown.** (Send dropdown arrow) Look at the Send button at the top of the message window. Click the small arrow beside it. This opens a menu with more send options. Tip: Click the arrow, not the Send button, or the message goes out right away.
4. **Choose Schedule send.** (Send dropdown arrow > Schedule send) Select Schedule send from the menu. Outlook opens a dialog where you pick the date and time for delivery.
5. **Set the date and time and click OK.** Enter the date and time you want the email to leave. Check the time zone on your Mac. Click OK. The message moves to your Drafts folder and waits there.
6. **Confirm the message is in Drafts.** (Drafts) Open the Drafts folder in the sidebar and find your message. It stays there until the time you chose. Microsoft says a scheduled message sends even when Outlook is not open on the computer.
7. **Cancel or reschedule a held message.** (Drafts > Cancel Send) Open the message in Drafts. Click Cancel Send, then click Yes. The message stays open, so you can send it now or choose a new time. Tip: If you want to send it now, you can do that from the same open message.
8. **Set up Undo Send for short holds.** (Outlook > Settings > Composing) Click Outlook in the menu bar, then Settings, then Composing. Use the arrows beside the delay setting. Choose 5, 10, 15, or a value up to 120 seconds. Tip: Undo Send works only on Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts.
9. **Test with a message to yourself.** Send a test to your own address two or three minutes ahead. Check that it arrives at the right time before you rely on the feature for real mail.

Outlook for Mac does not hold back every outgoing email for you. You delay one message at a time, and you set the delay when you write it. Microsoft calls the feature Schedule send. Older versions of Outlook for Mac call it Send Later, so you may see either name in menus, guides, and forum posts. The message waits in your Drafts folder until the time you pick, then goes out on its own.

## Check your account and Outlook version first

Schedule send depends on your account type. Microsoft says the feature needs a Microsoft 365 subscription or Outlook 2019 or 2021 for Mac, plus an Exchange account, such as Outlook.com on Microsoft 365. It does not work with IMAP or POP accounts, including Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud. If you are not sure which type you have, check the account settings before you hunt for the option.

Microsoft's support page is not fully consistent about versions. Its Applies To list names Outlook for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Outlook 2024, and Outlook 2021 for Mac. The prose also mentions Outlook 2019 for Mac, which the list leaves out. To see your version, click Outlook in the menu bar, then About Outlook. Write the number down before you look for a menu item that may not exist on your copy.

- A Microsoft 365 subscription, or a supported Outlook for Mac version such as 2021 or 2024.
- An Exchange account, such as Outlook.com on Microsoft 365.
- At least one recipient in the To line. Microsoft's steps start there.

## Schedule one email to send later

Start with a normal message. Add a recipient in the To line and write what you need to say. Then click the small arrow beside Send, not the Send button itself. Pick Schedule send, enter the date and time, and click OK. Outlook saves the message to Drafts with the send time set, and it stays there until that moment.

- **120 seconds** Longest Undo Send delay in Outlook for Mac, raised in version 16.96 on April 15, 2025 ([source](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/undo-send-in-outlook-for-mac-a01e0043-b7b7-4e62-9dca-e0275e5e8ffd))
- **120 minutes** Cap on rule-based delay in Classic Outlook on Windows, a feature Mac does not offer ([source](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/mail/delay-or-schedule-sending-email-messages-in-outlook))
- **16.114.3** Newest Outlook for Mac version on Microsoft's release notes page when checked, dated October 27, 2026 ([source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/release-notes-office-for-mac))

![Person at a Mac laptop reading a guide on how to delay delivery of an email in Outlook on Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/delay-delivery-of-an-email-in-outlook/how-to-delay-delivery-of-an-email-1-3850c9.jpg)

## A worked example: a Monday morning status report

Say it is 4:45 PM on Friday. You want a client to get a status report at 8:30 AM on Monday. Write the email, add the client in the To line, and attach the report. Click the arrow beside Send, choose Schedule send, set Monday at 8:30 AM, and click OK. The message now sits in Drafts. Open Drafts on Friday evening to confirm it is there.

Two things trip people up in this kind of example. First, the time you set is the time on your Mac, so check the time zone if the client works in another city. Second, Microsoft's Mac page does not describe editing a scheduled message, so reread the email before you set the time, not after.

## Test it before you trust it

Schedule send is easy to trust and easy to get wrong the first time. Send yourself a test message scheduled two or three minutes ahead. Watch whether it lands in your inbox at the right time. Microsoft's Mac page says a scheduled message sends even if Outlook is not open on the computer. Some guides say Outlook has to stay open. The page does not say what happens if the Mac is asleep or powered off, so test the setup you actually use.

## Cancel, reschedule, or send a held message now

Open the message in Drafts. Click Cancel Send, then click Yes. The message stays open, so you can send it now or set a new time. Microsoft's Mac page does not describe editing a scheduled message in place, so the safe move is to cancel, edit, and schedule again.

A newer change covers a different case. Outlook for Mac version 16.111, released July 14, 2026, lets you edit a message held in the Outbox. You open the queued message, change it, and send it again. That helps when a message is already waiting in Outbox, not when it sits in Drafts.

## Delay every email a few seconds with Undo Send

Undo Send is a different tool. It does not schedule anything. It holds every message you send for a short delay, and an Undo prompt appears at the bottom of Outlook each time you send. Click Undo during that delay and the message stops. To set it, click Outlook in the menu bar, then Settings, then Composing. Use the arrows next to the delay setting. Allowed values are 5, 10, 15, and up to 120 seconds.

The maximum matters. Microsoft raised the Undo Send ceiling to 120 seconds in Outlook for Mac 16.96, dated April 15, 2025, to match Windows Outlook. Undo Send only applies to Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts, so check your account type first. Treat it as a safety net for typos and wrong attachments, not as a plan to hold mail for hours.

| Method | Where to find it | How long | Account types |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Schedule send | Arrow beside Send, then Schedule send | Any date and time you pick, one message at a time | Microsoft 365 or Exchange, not IMAP or POP |
| Undo Send | Outlook > Settings > Composing | 5, 10, 15, or up to 120 seconds, on every send | Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com |
| Rule-based delay | File > Manage Rules & Alerts | Up to 120 minutes, for all mail | Classic Outlook on Windows only, not Mac |

_Three ways to hold outgoing email, and where each one works._

## Why Outlook on Mac has no all-mail delay rule

Windows users can create a rule that defers delivery of every message, up to 120 minutes. Microsoft documents that path for Classic Outlook on Windows only. Its Mac Schedule send page says systematic delay rules are not available on Mac, but you can still delay individual messages.

People keep asking for a Mac version. Microsoft Q&A threads from 2022 and 2025 ask for a delay of one or two minutes on all mail. The accepted answer in the 2022 thread says Mac cannot create such a rule. A moderator in a 2022 thread on Outlook 16.64 said Mac has no official option and suggested Help > Contact Support. These are community answers, not statements from Microsoft staff, so treat them as the best available guidance.

## Schedule send in Outlook on the web

If you use Outlook in a browser, the steps look similar. While you compose, select the dropdown next to Send, choose Schedule send, then pick a preset or a custom time and select Send. The message stays in the Draft folder until delivery time. To send it early, go to Drafts, open the message, select the Edit (pencil) icon, and select Send Now.

The web path is documented more clearly than the Mac path. If the Mac app is missing a control that the web version shows, check your Outlook version first, then try the same account on the web.

## Mistakes people make with delayed email

- Using a Gmail, Yahoo, or iCloud account and expecting Schedule send to appear.
- Clicking the Send button instead of the arrow beside it, so the message goes out right away.
- Expecting Undo Send to hold mail for minutes. It stops at 120 seconds.
- Assuming a scheduled message is in Outbox. It waits in Drafts until the time you set.
- Searching for a Mac keyboard shortcut. Microsoft does not document one for Schedule send.
- Setting a time without checking the time zone on your Mac first.

## Version notes and what changed recently

Microsoft's Office for Mac release notes show the changes that matter here. Version 16.94, dated February 11, 2025, added Message Recall, which lets you retract a message you sent. Version 16.96, dated April 15, 2025, raised the Undo Send maximum to 120 seconds. Version 16.111, dated July 14, 2026, added editing of messages in the Outbox.

The newest entry on that page, when checked, was 16.114.3, dated October 27, 2026. Check your own version under Outlook > About Outlook before you follow a step that depends on it. If your number is lower than the newest, run Help > Check for Updates first.

![Office worker checking email on a laptop before a scheduled message goes out](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/delay-delivery-of-an-email-in-outlook/how-to-delay-delivery-of-an-email-2-738dd3.jpg)

## When a scheduled email never leaves Outbox

A 2024 Microsoft Q&A thread describes scheduled emails that stayed in Outbox and never sent on Outlook for Mac 16.66.2 with macOS 10.15.7. The suggested fixes were community answers, and the thread has no confirmed resolution. Start with an update, then restart Outlook, then open Outbox, select the message, and click Send/Receive. Keep a copy of the message text before you try anything drastic.

## What to do when Schedule send does not work for your team

If the option is missing and your version is current, the account type is often the cause. Ask your IT team which account your Mac uses. If it is a shared or company Exchange account, IT can confirm what Outlook can do on it. For the all-mail delay request, the Q&A answers point to Help > Contact Support. Use that route for policy questions, not for a setting that Outlook does not have.

![Man typing an email on a laptop at a desk, the kind of work where delayed sending helps](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/delay-delivery-of-an-email-in-outlook/how-to-delay-delivery-of-an-email-3-1d342a.jpg)

## If it does not work

- **Schedule send is missing from the Send menu** Check Outlook > About Outlook for your version. Confirm the account is Microsoft 365 or Exchange, since IMAP and POP accounts do not get the feature. Older versions call it Send Later.
- **The scheduled message sits in Outbox and never leaves** A 2024 Microsoft Q&A thread reported this on Outlook 16.66.2. Community suggestions include Help > Check for Updates, then opening Outbox, selecting the message, and clicking Send/Receive. These are community answers, not Microsoft guidance. Back up your account before you try anything drastic.
- **Undo Send does not appear after I set it** Microsoft says Undo Send applies only to Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts. Check your account type before you troubleshoot further.
- **I want every email delayed by five minutes** Microsoft says Mac cannot set up systematic delay rules. Undo Send stops at 120 seconds. Use Schedule send for each message that needs a later send time.
- **I need to change a message already in the Outbox** Outlook for Mac version 16.111, released July 14, 2026, lets you open a queued message, change it, and send it again. Update first with Help > Check for Updates.
- **I cannot find how to edit a scheduled message on Mac** Microsoft's Mac page does not document editing a scheduled message. Cancel Send, make your changes, and schedule the message again. On the web, Drafts, then Edit (pencil), then Send Now is the documented early-send path.

## With Lazur

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download

- “Where is the arrow beside Send?”: Lazur circles the arrow beside Send and labels it, so you can open the Schedule send menu without hunting for it. (Points at it)

## FAQ

### Can I delay all outgoing email in Outlook on Mac?

Not with a rule. Microsoft says Mac has no systematic delay rules, so you delay one message at a time with Schedule send. For a short hold on every message, Undo Send can wait up to 120 seconds.

### Does Schedule send work with Gmail?

No. Microsoft says Schedule send does not work with IMAP or POP accounts, including Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud. Use a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account for the feature.

### Do I need Outlook open for a scheduled email to send?

Microsoft says a scheduled message sends even if Outlook is not open on the computer. Some guides say Outlook must stay open, and Microsoft's page does not cover a sleeping Mac. Send a test message to yourself to see how your setup behaves.

### What is the difference between Schedule send and Undo Send?

Schedule send picks a date and time for one message, and the message waits in Drafts. Undo Send holds each message you send for 5, 10, 15, or up to 120 seconds, and an Undo prompt appears after each send.

### Can I cancel a scheduled email on Mac?

Yes. Open the message in Drafts, click Cancel Send, then click Yes. The message stays open so you can send it now or schedule it again.

### Why does my Outlook say Send Later?

Microsoft says previous versions of Outlook for Mac call this feature Send Later. Check Outlook > About Outlook for your version, then look for the same function under that name.

### Is Schedule send available in Outlook on the web?

Yes. Choose Schedule send from the dropdown next to Send, pick a time, and select Send. To send early, open the message in Drafts, select the Edit pencil icon, and select Send Now.

### What is the newest Outlook for Mac version?

The newest entry on Microsoft's Office for Mac release notes page, when checked on November 7, 2026, was 16.114.3, dated October 27, 2026. Check Outlook > About Outlook on your own Mac to confirm which version you run.

## Sources

1. [Use Schedule Send in Outlook for Mac](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/use-schedule-send-in-outlook-for-mac), Microsoft Support, checked 2026-11-07
2. [Undo Send in Outlook for Mac](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/undo-send-in-outlook-for-mac-a01e0043-b7b7-4e62-9dca-e0275e5e8ffd), Microsoft Support, checked 2026-11-07
3. [Schedule send for Outlook on the web](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/schedule-send-for-outlook-on-the-web), Microsoft Support, checked 2026-11-07
4. [Delay or schedule sending email messages in Outlook](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/mail/delay-or-schedule-sending-email-messages-in-outlook), Microsoft Support, checked 2026-11-07
5. [Release notes for Office for Mac](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/release-notes-office-for-mac), Microsoft Learn, checked 2026-11-07
6. [1 Min Delivery Delay for ALL Messages in Outlook for Mac?](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4561751/1-min-delivery-delay-for-all-messages-in-outlook-f), Microsoft Q&A, checked 2026-11-07
7. [Delay or Schedule Sending Email in Outlook on Mac](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4586419/delay-or-schedule-sending-email-in-outlook-on-mac), Microsoft Q&A, checked 2026-11-07
8. [1 Minute Email Send Delay](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5630021/1-minute-email-send-delay), Microsoft Q&A, checked 2026-11-07
9. [My scheduled emails won't send, they just stay in outbox](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4642418/my-scheduled-emails-wont-send-they-just-stay-in-ou), Microsoft Q&A, checked 2026-11-07
10. [Outlook for Mac, where I can find send schedule option?](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4644576/outlook-for-mac-where-i-can-find-send-schedule-opt), Microsoft Q&A, checked 2026-11-07