# How to Schedule a Mail Merge in Outlook (3 Ways)

> Yes, you can schedule a mail merge in Outlook: delay it up to 120 minutes with a rule, or pick a date, sending hours and weekdays with a free add-in.

You can schedule a mail merge in Outlook, but Word's Finish & Merge dialog has no date or time option. Either delay outgoing messages by up to 120 minutes with an Outlook rule, or use an add-in such as SecureMailMerge to set a start date, sending hours and weekdays; Microsoft 365 then sends even while Outlook is closed.

That gives you three ways: two stopgaps that hold the merge back a little (a rule, or Work Offline), and an add-in that schedules a real date and time. The stopgaps come first below, then why they fall short, then the add-in. For the whole picture of merging from Outlook, see the [Full guide: mail merge in Outlook](https://www.securemailmerge.com/mail-merge-outlook/).

## What Word and Outlook can do on their own

### Word's mail merge has no schedule option

Word's Merge to E-mail dialog has no date or time field. The messages go straight to Outlook and leave as fast as it can send them.

### Delay Delivery works for one email, not a merge

Outlook's Delay Delivery (called Schedule send in New Outlook and Outlook on the web) lets you pick any date and time for one email: in classic Outlook it is under Options, Delay Delivery, "Do not deliver before". It has no 120-minute limit. The catch for a mail merge is that you set it per message in the compose window. Word's merge never opens that window, so there is nowhere to set it, and opening hundreds of merged messages one by one to schedule them is not practical. That leaves two stopgaps.

### Stopgap 1: a rule that defers delivery (up to 120 minutes)

Classic Outlook for Windows can hold back your outgoing messages for up to 120 minutes. You create a rule that defers delivery, then run the merge from Word as usual; Microsoft's steps are in [Delay or schedule sending email messages in Outlook](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/delay-or-schedule-sending-email-messages-in-outlook-026af69f-c287-490a-a72f-6c65793744ba).

It is a delay, not a schedule: two hours is the maximum, so tomorrow morning is out of reach. The messages wait in your Outbox, so Outlook must stay open until it is empty. The rule delays every email that matches its conditions, so give it a condition such as a subject word, or switch it off afterwards. This stopgap is for classic Outlook for Windows: Word cannot merge into [New Outlook](https://www.securemailmerge.com/help/mail-merge-for-new-outlook/) or Outlook on the web at all.

### Stopgap 2: Work Offline, then send later

In classic Outlook, select Send / Receive > Work Offline, run the merge from Word, and the messages collect in the Outbox. When you want them to go, select Work Offline again to reconnect. This is a manual trigger, not a schedule: someone has to be at the computer at the right moment with Outlook open, and the whole batch goes at once.

## Why that isn't enough, and what you actually need

Both stopgaps only hold the merge in your Outbox for a while. If the merge should go out a little later today and you will keep Outlook open, they do the job. They cannot give you a set date and time, sending hours such as 09:00 to 10:00, weekdays only, or sending while Outlook and your computer are off. And if you want to send later from New Outlook or a Mac, you need an add-in anyway.

That is why you need an add-in that schedules the merge itself. SecureMailMerge puts each message in Drafts with its own send time, and Microsoft 365 sends it from there.

  Messages wait in the **Outbox**. Outlook must stay open.
  Messages sit in **Drafts** and Microsoft 365 sends them on time.

## Schedule the merge with SecureMailMerge: date, hours and weekdays

SecureMailMerge runs inside New Outlook, classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac and Outlook on the web with a Microsoft 365 work or school account. Scheduling is part of the free version, which adds a short promotional footer to each email; a [paid licence](https://www.securemailmerge.com/pricing/) removes it.

### Step 1: Open a new email and start the campaign manager

Create a new email in Outlook, then open SecureMailMerge from the "Apps" menu to start the campaign manager.

### Step 2: Load your list and write the template

Upload your Excel or CSV file and write your email with merge fields such as `{{FirstName}}`. The [Excel mail merge guide](https://www.securemailmerge.com/knowledge/how-to-mail-merge-from-excel-the-easier-way/) covers the spreadsheet side.

### Step 3: Open the advanced options

Select "Show advanced options", open the "Schedule" group, then "When to send".

![The When to send subgroup in SecureMailMerge, with Start sending on, Send only on, Send between and Limit how many are sent each day](https://www.securemailmerge.com/screenshots/advanced-options-schedule-when.png)

### Step 4: Set "Start sending on"

Pick the date the campaign should begin under "Start sending on". By default sending starts immediately.

### Step 5: Optionally set hours, weekdays and a daily limit

Set a start and end time under "Send between", for example 09:00 and 10:00 to land in inboxes first thing. Untick days under "Send only on" to skip weekends, and tick "Limit how many are sent each day" to spread a large list and stay inside the [Outlook sending limits](https://www.securemailmerge.com/knowledge/outlook-email-sending-limits/). Times use your computer's time zone.

### Step 6: Start the campaign

Select "Start sending campaign". Keep Outlook open while the add-in generates one message per recipient in your Drafts folder. Each is set to send on your chosen day, and Microsoft 365 sends it on time even if Outlook or your computer is off. The help pages [schedule a mail merge for a specific day](https://www.securemailmerge.com/help/sending-mail-merge-on-a-specific-day/) and [send only on certain days and hours](https://www.securemailmerge.com/help/sending-mail-merge-during-specific-hours/) explain how the settings combine.

![A scheduled merge message in Drafts in New Outlook, showing Schedule Send and its send time](https://www.securemailmerge.com/screenshots/scheduled-send-in-new-outlook.png)

## How to stop or change a scheduled mail merge

Select "Cancel campaign" to stop the add-in generating the remaining messages, then delete the already scheduled recipient messages (not the template you composed in) from Drafts in [Outlook on the web](https://outlook.office.com/) before their send times. To change the date, do the same and start a new campaign with a new "Start sending on" date. Full steps: [pause, resume or stop a campaign](https://www.securemailmerge.com/help/pause-resume-or-stop-a-campaign/).

Scheduling sends each person one personalised email, once. For the same reminder every week or month, see [how to schedule recurring emails in Outlook](https://www.securemailmerge.com/knowledge/how-to-schedule-and-send-recurring-emails/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can you delay a mail merge in Outlook?

Yes. A classic Outlook rule that defers delivery can hold messages for up to 120 minutes. In SecureMailMerge, "Start sending on" moves the whole merge to a later date, and ["Delay before the first message"](https://www.securemailmerge.com/help/sending-mail-merge-with-message-preview/) holds it for up to 10 minutes.

### Does Outlook need to stay open for a scheduled mail merge?

With SecureMailMerge, only while the messages are generated in Drafts. Microsoft 365 then sends each one at its scheduled time, even if Outlook or your computer is off.

### Can I schedule a mail merge in New Outlook or Outlook for Mac?

Yes, with SecureMailMerge, which runs in New Outlook, classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac and Outlook on the web. Word's own mail merge works only with classic Outlook for Windows or Outlook for Mac, not New Outlook or Outlook on the web.

### Can I send a mail merge only during business hours?

Yes. Set a start and end time under "Send between" and untick weekend days under "Send only on". Messages that fall outside the window wait for the next allowed time, which may be the next allowed day.

### How do I cancel a scheduled mail merge?

Select "Cancel campaign" to stop generating messages, then delete the already scheduled recipient messages from Drafts in Outlook on the web before their send times.

### Are test emails scheduled too?

No. Test emails ignore the schedule and are sent immediately, so you can check the result before the campaign goes out.