How to Postpone an Email in Outlook for iOS

Send an email in Outlook for iOS on your own schedule

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
  • University of Vienna
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Updated on November 15, 2021
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
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What to Know

  • In Outlook, long-press the message you want to postpone. tap the three-dot menu and then tap Schedule.
  • Choose the desired time for the delay: Later Today, Tomorrow, Next Week or Choose a Time.
  • If you select Choose a Time, scroll to the date and time you want. Tap the check mark to schedule the email.

This article explains how to postpone an email in Outlook for iOS so it disappears from your inbox and reappears at a time you designate. It also includes information about swiping to postpone, locating the message before it is due, and canceling a schedule for an email. This information applies to Outlook for iOS on iPhone and iPad.

Postpone an Email in Outlook for iOS

If you prefer not to see a certain Outlook message right now, don't delete the message. Instead, schedule the email so that it is removed from your inbox and reappears when you need it. The Outlook for iOS scheduling command does the trick. Here's how to schedule a message for later.

  1. Long-press the message you want to postpone.

    Outlook for iOS showing the inbox and unread emails.

  2. Tap the three-dot menu button and select Schedule.

    Outlook for iOS showing the options menu.

  3. Choose the desired time: Later Today, Tomorrow, Next Week, or Choose a Time.

    Options for scheduling an email in Outlook for iOS.

  4. If you selected Choose a Time, scroll through the dates and times until the time you want is highlighted.

    Selecting a day and time to postpone an email.

  5. Tap the check mark to schedule.

Postpone by Swiping

To set up a swiping gesture to schedule messages in Outlook for iOS:

  1. Tap your email avatar (in the upper-left corner) to open the folder view, then tap Settings.

    Folder view in Outlook for iOS.

  2. Tap Swipe Options.

    Outlook settings menu for iOS.

  3. Select Schedule for either Swipe Left or Swipe Right.

    Swipe options in Outlook for iOS.

  4. Tap the current action for the swiping gesture you want to use to postpone an email, then tap Schedule.

  5. To postpone an email by swiping, swipe left or right (depending on which gesture you set up for scheduling) over the message in the email list.

  6. Choose the desired scheduled time for the message to return.

Find a Postponed Message Before Its Due Time

To open an email that you have scheduled before it has been returned to the Outlook inbox folder:

  1. Open the Scheduled folder for the account that holds the postponed email.

    Folder view in Outlook for iOS.

  2. Find and open the desired message in the list.

    A scheduled email within Outlook for iOS.

  3. Or use Search to find the desired email; it will include messages from the Scheduled folder.

Unschedule a Message in Outlook for iOS and Return It to the Inbox Instantly

To have an email returned to the Inbox instantly (and unschedule its future return):

  1. Select the Scheduled folder and find the message you want to move back to the Inbox.

  2. Use swiping or the message's menu to open the scheduling menu.

  3. Select Unschedule (or another time) from the menu.

    Unscheduling a postponed email in Outlook for iOS.

  4. The email is moved to your Inbox.

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