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It's a business related e-mail, and I want it to get to the person before I wake up in the morning, but I don't want their first impression of me to be that I was awake at 3am sending e-mails. Is there a way to set it to delay the sending of an e-mail I already typed by a few hours?

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7 Answers

up vote 5 down vote

You could use Boomerang.

  • Free
  • Works with Gmail
  • Easy to use
  • Mentioned in lots of reputable sources like Inc magazine But
  • It asks for information on your gmail account. I'm not sure how safe that is.
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1  
I am using Boomerang on a regular basis. Worked every time so far. You need to install a Browser plugin, though. – user 99572 is fine Jan 10 '12 at 18:47
support.google.com/accounts/bin/… This page explains what information Google shares with websites like Boomerang. Does not seem to be anything to worry about, as long as you trust the website, because the code that Google sends does not reveal any personal information and when you try to use Boomerang, it will ask for the email address associated with your account, so that it can contact you. At least this is my understanding of it. – user22088 Jul 12 '12 at 6:08
But wouldn't Boomerang need to have access to my email account to be able to send email on my behalf (delayed), etc.? That seems like more than just 3rd party verification/signin. – Clay Nichols Jul 27 '12 at 3:43
I recently started using Boomerang too. Yes, it sends e-mail later on my behalf. I have to set when the e-mail gets sent. – Kevan Sheridan Dec 31 '12 at 16:06
Boomerang is only free for under 10 emails per month. See my answer for a much better alternative. – Dan Dascalescu Mar 27 at 8:01
up vote 5 down vote

Not via the web UI, no. You would need to use POP or IMAP and send the email from a client (such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and others) that supports delayed sending.

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up vote 5 down vote

You can't do this natively with GMail but you can do it with browser extensions:

  • Streak is free and has a "Send later" feature.
  • RightInbox is free for up to 10 emails per month
  • Boomergang is free for up to 10 emails per month
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up vote 2 down vote

There is now a bit of script that you can install through Google docs that will let you save a draft with the delivery time and apply a label to have the email automatically sent. I have not tried this myself, but it came up while I was looking for a solution to this problem.

http://code.google.com/p/gmail-delay-send/

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up vote 2 down vote

You would need to use a third-party app for that.

TimeCave looks like it might do that for you. From their "about" page:

The idea is simple: drop an email message into Time Cave and tell it when to come out. It'll stay there for as long as you'd like, within reason. (We wouldn't want stalactites to dissolve it.) So for days, weeks, months, or even years, Time Cave will hold onto your message. Once the message's time comes, it's speedily sent on its way back toward you (or whomever you addressed it to).

(emphasis mine)

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timeCave requires their own email account. Can I use my own gmail/hotmail/yahoo/pop account to do that ? – Ankit Jul 22 '10 at 5:29
The OP is looking for a Gmail-specific solution (probalby to easily schedule replies, and to keep the correct email trail in the Sent folder). TimeCave requires you to use their own website, and DeferredSender is dead. Please consider deleting this answer? – Dan Dascalescu Mar 27 at 8:16
There is no solution in Gmail. A third party solution is the only option. – Al Everett Mar 27 at 12:17
While there is no solution in Gmail itself (as in, provided by Google), there are solutions that worth with Gmail, such as the ones I pointed out in my answer. – Dan Dascalescu Mar 29 at 3:59
up vote 1 down vote

Despite requests for this feature since 2009, the Gmail team refused to implement it.

There are however browser extensions and apps that let you schedule new emails or replies:

  • Streak is a free CRM for Gmail and has a "Send later" feature (you don't need to bother with the CRM at all). You can conveniently schedule a reply right from the Compose box. I've been using it for about a year and it works very well, except that if I change the Subject line, the message won't go through. You need to go in Drafts and Send it Later from there again, under the new Subject line. Works for Google Apps accounts, as well as Gmail. Best choice.
  • RightInbox is free for up to 10 emails per month, and supports email tracking via an embedded image (web bug). I've used it in its early stage while it was very buggy and corresponded with its author. You can schedule replies right from the Compose window.
  • Boomergang is free for up to 10 emails per month. After that, it's $5/mo for Gmail accounts and $15 for Google Apps accounts.
  • Gmail Delay Send is a script you have to install via Google Docs. I tried it; the process was somewhat convoluted and the tool is rough and immature. It is however fully free and open source, and won't add any additional load to your browser (unlike extensions). This is the most promising and most lightweight solution. Unfortunately, it has seen no development since May 2012.
  • Momento Mail is a Google App (not a browser extension), and you have to use their own website. To schedule a reply, you have to copy/paste the To, CC and email body from Gmail. Quite cumbersome. Their "To" field doesn't support the standard address format
    Name <address@company.com>. The message won't end up in your Gmail Sent folder, but you have an option to BCC yourself. Least recommended.
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Great answer, upvoted it. But I don't see an option to vote it THE selected answer and I'm signed in) – Clay Nichols Mar 28 at 11:39
@Clay: You can't accept an answer. This isn't your question. – Al Everett Mar 28 at 12:51
@AlEverett. Duh... This was closely related to a question I'd asked. Sigh... not running on all cylinders this week. – Clay Nichols Mar 29 at 1:20
up vote -2 down vote

I stumbled on this thread while trying to answer this question my self. I've just installed Send Later and it seems to work well.

  1. Go to tools - Addons
  2. Type "send later" in the search bar.
  3. Install and restart Thunderbird.

To add a timer to a message hit control-shift-enter. Set your time for sending and press the "send later at time(s) specified above". Relax in the knowledge that no one knows you write your work emails at 3 in the morning. :)

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2  
So this is a Thunderbird tool? That's great, except that this is Web Apps, so the assumption is that there is a web-based solution for this. The OP did not mention anything about using a desktop client. – Al Everett Jun 19 '12 at 13:21

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