First, you need to access your Outlook Rules.
The way you access Outlook Rules depends upon your version of Outlook.
Activate Outlook Rules in Outlook 2007 and earlier:
- Select “Tools”.
- Select “Rules and Alerts”.
Activate Outlook Rules in Outlook 2013:
- Select “File“.
- Select “Info“.
- Select “Manage Rules and Alerts”.
The Rules and Alerts screen will now be displayed:
-
- Select “Next”.
- Select “New Rule”.
- Select “Next”.
- You may receive a warning about this rule being applied to every message you send. This is what you are trying to accomplish, so select "OK".
- Select "on this computer only".
- Select "Next".
- Select “Defer delivery by a number of minutes".
- Select the "a number of " link.
- Select the number of minutes for "Defer Delivery by". (Note that 1 minute is the default, but I use 2 minutes in my rule. I find this is enough time for me to “realize” that I need to make a change, but not so long that it impacts needed messages from being sent).
- Select "OK".
- Select "Next".
- Select "Next".
- Provide your rule with a "name" and select “Turn on this rule".
- Select "Finish".
- Accept the final notification screen and you are done
Now your Outlook Delay Send Rule is set-up
- First, add your “Outbox” Email folder to your "Favorites" section. (Note: If you want help setting up your Favorites section in Outlook, review my post on Outlook Folders Tips and Tricks).
- Now, anytime you hit “send”, your Email will be sitting in your “Outbox” for the number of minutes you specified.
- To stop it from being sent, just double-click on the Email message in your Outbox. (It will be opened again as a “composing” Email. Don’t worry! Outlook won’t send it if you have it open!)
- Or, you can just drag it from your "Outbox" to your “Drafts” folder.
Now, just go ahead and make any changes you want to this "Draft" Email.
- When you have made your changes, just hit “send” again.
- The process will then repeat itself again, with the Delay Send Rule started all over again.
But what if, sometimes, you want an Email to go out right away?
Create special conditions to bypass your rule:
Add special words or conditions that will bypass this rule from the "exceptions" section of the Outlook Rule.
Here are some exception options:
- Any message marked as “Important”.
- That contain specific words in your subject line, such as "IMP:".
- When the message is sent “TO” specific people.
In the Rules Wizards, just select and create your desired “Exceptions” and define them as you wish!
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