How to Schedule Messages in Teams and Outlook
Have you ever had an important message to send after hours?
You don’t want to bother your co-workers after 5 p.m., but you know you’ll forget to send it the next day.
Microsoft Teams and Outlook allow you to schedule a message for a future date with just a few clicks.
Let’s walk through how to do it.
Scheduling Messages in Teams
To schedule a message in Teams:
- Type your message
- Select the plus icon to the left of the “Send” button
- Select “Schedule message.”
If you’re composing your message after hours, a pop-up will ask if you want to send it during normal business hours.
If you want to cancel your scheduled message:
- Hover your cursor over the message
- Click the three horizontal dots
- Select “Delete.”
Scheduling Messages in Outlook
Scheduling emails in Outlook is a bit tricky, depending on which version of Outlook you are using.
In new Outlook, the process is quite easy.
- Start a new message
- Compose your message
- Select the down arrow next to the “Send” button and select “Schedule send”
- Select the time and day you wish to send your message
- After you select “Send,” the message remains in your Drafts folder
Note: It’s important you finish your message before scheduling the time and date. Once you schedule the email, you will no longer be able to edit it.
If you want to cancel the message, go to your Drafts folder and delete the email.
In classic Outlook, the process is a little more involved:
- Start a new message
- Compose your message
- Select the “Options” tab at the top of the ribbon
- Select “Delay Delivery”
- Under “Delivery options,” select the time and date you wish to send
- Select “Close”
- When you finish your message, select “Send”
- After you select “Send,” the message remains in your Outbox folder
Note: Unlike scheduling a send in new Outlook, you don’t need to finish your message before selecting the date and time you wish to send.
If you want to edit or cancel the message, you can find it in your Outbox folder.
Microsoft 365 Shortcuts
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