Introduction
Gmail offers several email management features, including the flexibility of scheduling emails. This convenient feature comes in handy in various scenarios. It helps improve work productivity and send emails at optimal times, especially when communicating across different time zones.
This article covers the step-by-step process of scheduling emails in Gmail, its benefits, best practices, and troubleshooting tips for some common issues associated with email scheduling.
What is Email Scheduling?
Email scheduling is the process of writing emails in advance and setting them to be automatically sent later at a scheduled date and time. Most email providers, such as Gmai,l already have this feature, eliminating the need for a third-party tool.
Without this feature, email planning would be very inconvenient. You would have to draft your emails and manually send them at the desired date and time, which you may forget to do. Email scheduling makes your life easier by automating this task.
Benefits of Scheduling Emails
Scheduling Emails in advance is a handy feature. It offers several benefits.
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Event Reminders: With email scheduling, you can send reminders for events such as meetings. The reminder email will be sent at the specified time.
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Sending Emails During Work Hours
Scheduling emails allows you to write them at any time of the day but send them during your work hours. This allows you to maintain professionalism by not disturbing your colleagues outside working hours. -
Communicating Across Different Time Zones
When communicating with people living in different time zones, it is important to act professionally and avoid sending emails at odd times. You can do this by scheduling your emails and strategically timing them. This ensures your message is delivered at the right time and lowers the chance of accidentally getting ignored by the recipient. -
Compose Important Emails in Advance
Composing important emails right before sending them is risky. You may make typos or other mistakes while typing in a rush. Scheduling emails provides the convenience of planning your emails in advance and ensuring timely delivery. -
Sending Emails Offline
One advantage of email scheduling is that you can send emails without being connected to the Internet. You only need to be online to schedule the email but not to send it. The email is saved on the server and automatically sent at the scheduled time, even if you are offline.
How to Schedule Emails in Gmail
Scheduling Emails on Desktop
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Log in to Gmail.
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Click "Compose" to write a new email.
- After writing the email, click the small downward arrow close to the "Send" button.
- Click "Schedule Send". A small window will pop up.
- You can select one of the suggested options or set a custom date and time by clicking the "Pick date and time" button at the bottom.
Scheduling Emails on Mobile(Android, iOS)
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Open the Gmail app.
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Tap on the "Compose" button located at the bottom of the screen.
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After finishing writing up the email, tap on the three dots menu at the top-right corner.
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Click "Schedule Send".
- You can select one of the suggested options for scheduling the email or set up a custom date and time by tapping the last option, "Pick date and time."
How to Find Scheduled Emails in Gmail
Gmail organizes all your scheduled emails in a separate folder for easy management. Here's how to view the scheduled emails:
- Click on the hamburger icon and expand the menu by clicking "More."
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Open the "Scheduled" folder.
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In the "Scheduled" folder, you can view all the scheduled emails that have yet to be sent. You can edit or cancel them if needed.
How to Edit or Cancel Scheduled Emails in Gmail
What if you want to change the date or time set for a scheduled email or need to make any edits to the email content? What if you scheduled emails to send invites for an event that later gets cancelled? If the email hasn't been sent yet, you still have time to make any adjustments.
- Navigate to the "Scheduled" folder and open the required email.
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To cancel: Click on the "Cancel Send" button. This will cancel the scheduled email and open it in draft mode. You can delete the draft if you don't want to send it anymore.
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To edit: Click "Cancel Send" to cancel the scheduled email. Then, make the necessary changes in draft mode.
Note: Do not delete scheduled emails before they are sent. Deleting scheduled emails automatically cancels them.
Common Issues
Here's how to troubleshoot some common issues experienced with email scheduling.
Email Failed to Send
Your scheduled email may fail to send at the designated time due to a temporary Gmail outage. All scheduled emails are usually sent as soon as the issue is resolved.
Email Not Sent at the Designated Time
If you notice that your scheduled emails in Gmail are not being sent at the correct time, there could be a few reasons.
- Gmail may not send scheduled emails at the exact time but a few minutes later.
- You may accidentally send emails based on your time zone when you intend to send them according to the recipient's.
Best Practices
Email Scheduling is the most efficient when used correctly. Follow these tips to make the most of email scheduling.
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Content Relevance
When scheduling an email for later, ensure that it will not become irrelevant by the time the recipient reads it. Don't write scheduled emails too early, as the details might change. Consider setting a reminder to review the scheduled email before the set time and revise any details if needed. -
Timing Consideration
Avoid sending emails at the weekend or outside working hours. Research the recipients' time zones and strategically time your emails to be sent during their working hours to appear professional and improve engagement. -
Task Reminders
You can leverage the email scheduling feature to set reminders for yourself. For example, you could schedule an email for a day before a meeting to serve as a reminder.
Conclusion
In this article, we explained email scheduling and presented a step-by-step guide to scheduling emails in both the Gmail mobile and desktop apps. Email scheduling has many benefits, such as convenience, increased productivity, and enhanced professionalism. Utilizing this feature will streamline your email interactions and optimize your email workflow.
