How to schedule an email to send later
Schedule-send in Gmail and Outlook step by step — and the gap it leaves for students turning in work.
Last updated June 1, 2026
Both Gmail and Outlook can send an email at a future time — handy for getting an assignment into your professor's inbox exactly at the deadline. Here's how, plus the catch that matters for students.
- 1Gmail: write your email
Compose the email and attach your file as usual. Don't click Send.
- 2Gmail: use Schedule send
Click the small arrow next to the 'Send' button and choose 'Schedule send.' Pick a date and time, and Gmail queues it to go out then — even if your device is off.
- 3Outlook: write and delay
In Outlook, compose the email, then go to Options → 'Delay Delivery' (desktop) or the send dropdown arrow → 'Schedule send' (web/new Outlook). Set the time and confirm.
- 4Verify it's queued
Check your 'Scheduled' folder in Gmail or 'Outbox' in Outlook to confirm the email is waiting. You can edit or cancel it up until it sends.
The catch for students
Schedule-send only helps if the assignment is already written, formatted, and attached. It doesn't write the work, and if you forget to draft it, a scheduled empty email is worse than nothing. It's the last 5% of the job, not the 95% before it.
The version built for assignments
Minutely does the whole chain: it writes the assignment in your voice, formats it as a PDF, and schedules the send from your own inbox to your professor at the exact deadline. Schedule-send, but with the assignment actually done — and you approve it before it's queued.
Minutely is schedule-send with the assignment already written and attached — it drafts, formats, and sends to your professor at the deadline from your own inbox.
Try Minutely freeFree to start · no credit card · you approve every send
Frequently asked questions
Can I schedule an email to send at a specific time?+
Yes. Gmail's 'Schedule send' (arrow next to Send) and Outlook's 'Delay Delivery' / 'Schedule send' both let you pick an exact date and time. It sends even if your device is off.
Will a scheduled email send if my computer is off?+
Yes — the send happens on the mail server, not your device. Your laptop can be closed and offline.
Can I cancel a scheduled email?+
Yes, until it sends. In Gmail it sits in the 'Scheduled' folder; in Outlook, the Outbox or Drafts. Open it to edit or cancel.