How to set a reminder for an email in Outlook on Mac: new and classic steps

Outlook for Mac has no separate reminder button for email. The reminder lives inside a flag. You flag the message, then attach a date and time to that flag. Outlook is meant to remind you when that time arrives, so the flag does two jobs at once.

Check which Outlook version you run first

Microsoft's features page lists flag for follow up and reminders as available in Outlook 16.58 and later. That is the version floor. Open Outlook and choose Outlook > About Outlook to read your version number. If your number is lower, update Outlook before you look for the menu.

Microsoft also states that support for legacy Outlook for Mac would end in October 2026. That date has passed. I could not confirm whether the end took effect, so your menu names may differ from the ones on this page. Use the names you see on screen. Expect Flag in new Outlook and Follow Up in classic Outlook.

Set the reminder with the menus, new and classic

Both versions follow the same pattern: right-click, pick a reminder option, set a date and time, then click OK. Only the first menu name changes. The list below gives the exact path for each version.

• New Outlook: right-click the email, then Flag > Add reminder > Set Date and Reminder > OK.
• Classic Outlook: right-click the email, then Follow Up > Add Reminder > Set Date and Reminder > OK.
• Classic Outlook may also show a Follow Up button in the ribbon. If you see it, that button can save a right-click.

Sent email, received email, and the compose window

The community answers use a sent email as the example, and that choice matters. In Outlook for Mac you cannot set a follow-up while you compose, the way you can in Outlook for Windows. If you want a nudge about a message you sent, send it first. Then open Sent Items and set the reminder on the sent copy.

The same 2023 answer says flagged outgoing mail in classic Outlook may not keep its flag. After you set the reminder, look at the sent copy again. If the flag is gone, set it again. Then check the email list once more before you move on.

For mail you received, I did not find a Microsoft Mac page that confirms the flag reminder steps. Test it on one message before you depend on it. A quick test costs little and shows how your version behaves.

Keyboard shortcuts for flags and due dates

Microsoft's Mac shortcut page writes Control as ⌃. It covers Outlook for Microsoft 365, 2024, and 2021 for Mac. The shortcuts below matter most for reminders.

The due date shortcuts cover today, tomorrow, this week, next week, no date, and custom. For a reminder on a set day, the custom option fits best. Microsoft's page lists no shortcut for clearing a flag.

A 2023 community answer also says new Outlook for Mac has no flag shortcuts. That conflicts with Microsoft's own page. Press ⌃= on a test email first, and watch what happens before you build a habit around it.

A worked example: following up on a proposal

Say you sent a proposal on a Monday morning. You want a nudge on Thursday afternoon if the client has not replied. Open Sent Items and find the proposal. Right-click it, then choose Flag > Add reminder in new Outlook, or Follow Up > Add Reminder in classic Outlook.

In the Set Date and Reminder box, pick Thursday and an afternoon time. Click OK. The flag should now sit on the sent copy with that date. If the date looks wrong, open the flag menu again and reset it before you forget. When the client replies, select the email and press ⌃0 to mark the flag complete.

Microsoft's features page mentions reminders in the macOS Notification Center, but I could not confirm how that shows up in each Outlook version. Set a short test reminder for later today before you rely on the Thursday one.

Mistakes people make with email reminders

• Flagging in the compose window. Outlook for Mac does not let you set a follow-up while you write. Send first, then flag the sent copy.
• Expecting a pop-up. A December 2025 Microsoft Q&A report says New Outlook for Windows no longer pops up flagged emails. The alert goes to the Notifications pane. That report covers Windows, so check how your Mac behaves.
• Trusting the shortcut without testing. Microsoft lists ⌃=, but a 2023 answer says new Outlook for Mac has no flag shortcuts.
• Expecting the recipient to get a reminder. Microsoft documents Flag for Recipients for Windows only.
• Missing alerts because macOS notifications are off. A reminder with no alert is easy to miss. Check Outlook's notification settings in System Settings.

When the reminder does not show up

A 2024 Microsoft Q&A thread reports that Outlook for Mac calendar reminders did not save. A moderator suggested checking whether reminders work in Outlook on the web. That check rules out a server problem. The thread has no confirmed fix, and it is about calendar reminders, so it may not match a flag exactly.

Work through it in this order. Open the same account in Outlook on the web and look for the reminder there. If it appears on the web but not on your Mac, the problem sits in the Mac app. Quit Outlook, reopen it, and check again. If it still fails, contact Microsoft support and give them your version from About Outlook.

Snooze and To Do: other ways to bring an email back

If a flag feels too heavy, Snooze may fit better. A 2026 Microsoft Q&A moderator describes it for new Outlook. Right-click the email, choose Snooze, then pick a preset such as Later today or Tomorrow, or a custom time. The email moves to the Snoozed folder and returns to the inbox at that time.

That thread is tagged for Windows. I did not confirm these Snooze steps on Outlook for Mac or on the web. Look for Snooze in your own right-click menu before you plan around it.

The same thread describes a To Do route. Flag the email, open To Do, choose Flagged emails, click the message, then set the date and time in the task pane. Like Snooze, that route is not confirmed for Mac, so test it once before you rely on it.

Reminders, calendar events, and delayed sends

Use a flag reminder when the email itself is the thing to act on. Use a calendar event when the task needs time blocked out, such as a call or a review. The calendar event steps walk through that.

If you want to send a message later rather than remind yourself, use delayed delivery. That page covers Schedule send and Undo Send, which solve a different problem.

To keep an email in view while you wait, pin it. If flags start to pile up, categories can sort them by topic.