How to Schedule an Email in Gmail

Use Gmail scheduling for a message you have finished reviewing

Gmail includes Schedule send on the web and in its mobile apps. It lets you prepare an email now and choose when Gmail should send it. This is useful when you finish work outside a contact's usual business hours or want a reminder to arrive closer to an appointment.

Start with a complete draft. Add the recipient, subject, body, and attachments before selecting a time. Gmail scheduling controls the planned send, but it cannot guarantee immediate delivery through the recipient's mail system. Allow for that uncertainty when the content concerns a deadline or an action that must happen at a particular moment.

Schedule an email in Gmail on the web

1. Open Gmail and select Compose, or open the reply you want to schedule.
2. Enter the intended recipients and review your message.
3. Click the arrow beside the Send button.
4. Select Schedule send.
5. Choose a suggested time, or use Pick date & time to set your own.
6. Check the selected date and time, then confirm Schedule send.

Gmail moves the message into the Scheduled folder. Open that folder to check the pending email and its send time. If you manage several Gmail accounts in the same browser, confirm that you scheduled it from the correct account and sender identity.

Gmail handles the pending send through its service. You do not need to leave the browser open or keep your computer awake for the email to send. The actual send can occur shortly after the selected time, so avoid treating scheduling as a precise delivery guarantee.

Schedule an email in the Gmail mobile app

1. Open the Gmail app on your iPhone or Android phone.
2. Select the correct account, then compose a message or reply.
3. Add your recipients, message, and any attachments.
4. Open the message's more options menu, usually shown as dots.
5. Tap Schedule send and choose a suggested or custom time.
6. Confirm the schedule, then open Scheduled from the app menu to verify it.

If you cannot find the option, check that you are using the Gmail app rather than another mail app connected to your Gmail account. Update the app when appropriate. Another app may provide its own scheduling behavior, which can differ from Gmail's Scheduled folder and cancellation process.

Edit, reschedule, or cancel a pending email

Open Scheduled and select the message. Choose Cancel send to return it to a draft. This stops the pending schedule, so you can change the text, recipients, attachments, or time. After making changes, follow the Schedule send steps again. Leaving the message in Drafts does not preserve the original planned send.

To cancel permanently, cancel the scheduled send and discard the resulting draft if you no longer need it. To send immediately, cancel the schedule, review the draft, and use the ordinary Send button. Once Gmail has sent the email, canceling a pending schedule is no longer an available way to retrieve it.

Check the time zone and the meaning of your message

Gmail schedules according to the time zone used by its scheduling interface. Read the displayed details rather than assuming Gmail chooses a separate local time for each recipient. If you travel or change time settings, inspect the pending message again before relying on your earlier choice.

• Use a clear calendar date when words such as tomorrow could become confusing.
• Check whether a recipient's weekend or local holiday changes your intended timing.
• Verify access to linked documents as well as attached files.
• Cancel obsolete messages when plans change before the scheduled send.

For contacts who prefer a phone message, see how native text message scheduling works. Email and text scheduling use different apps and delivery paths, so check each pending message in its own tool.

What native Gmail scheduling lacks for teams

Gmail gives an email one selected send time in one channel. A message addressed to people across regions does not automatically become a separate local time send for each recipient. The Schedule send feature also lacks configurable recipient quiet hours rules and a required teammate approval step. It does not coordinate the same communication plan across email, SMS, and WhatsApp.

ScheduleSend is a subscription service for B2B teams scheduling those channels at each recipient's local time, with quiet hours rules and approvals. Use the ScheduleSend planner to plan your team's messages and check pricing for subscription options. Your team still needs valid recipient consent and a process for following local messaging rules.