How to Schedule a Recurring Employee Email in Gmail

How to Schedule an Email in Gmail

Email scheduling in Gmail isn’t difficult, although the process you will need to follow on a computer vs. a mobile device will be slightly different.

Basically, to schedule an employee email in Gmail, you should first compose the email and then click the arrow next to the Send button to select “Schedule send”. You can then choose a pre-set time or select “Pick date & time” for a specific send date and time, and Gmail will send the email automatically.

Step 1: Compose a New Email

On a computer, go to Gmail and click the “Compose” button.

Write your email message, being sure to include a subject and the recipients you want the email to go to.

On a mobile device, open the Gmail app and tap “Compose”. Create your email as described above.

Open Gmail → click Compose → create your message

Step 2: Use the “Schedule Send” Feature

When you’re happy with your message created on a computer, click the down arrow next to the “Send” button. Select “Schedule send” from the menu and then choose a scheduling option, such as “Tomorrow morning,” or select “Pick date & time” for a custom date and time.

On a mobile device, tap the three dots (More options) in the top right-hand corner. Confirm your schedule-send selection or simply tap “Schedule Send” to confirm your choice. Choose the desired send time and date from the options provided.

Click the arrow next to Send → choose Schedule send

Pick a suggested time or choose a custom date/time

Step 3: Manage Scheduled Emails

When learning how to schedule an email in Gmail, it’s important to focus on how to manage your scheduled emails so you can make changes if needed.

On a computer, go to Gmail and click on the Scheduled folder in the left-hand menu. Select the email you want to update and click Cancel send in the top-right corner. You can then edit your message and reschedule it by clicking the arrow next to “Send” and selecting “Schedule send” again.

On a mobile device, open the Gmail app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left. Tap “Scheduled”, select the email you want to edit, and tap “Cancel send”. After making your changes, tap the three dots (More) in the top right and choose “Schedule send” to confirm a new date and time.

Scheduled emails are sent according to the time zone you selected and may be delivered a few minutes after the scheduled time.

Scheduled emails sit in the Scheduled folder until they’re sent

You can edit, cancel, or reschedule from this folder

The Limitations of Gmail Email Scheduling: No Recurring or Campaign Scheduling

While email scheduling in Gmail is a useful feature for sending messages at a later time, it has several obvious limitations for internal communicators. Gmail only allows you to schedule one email at a time, which means there’s no built-in way to:

• Set up a recurring send, such as a weekly HR newsletter or leadership update.
• Automate a campaign, like a multi-part onboarding or training sequence spread over several weeks.
• Optimize send times based on employee engagement data or analytics.

These limitations create a major pain point for internal communication teams that often send repeat messages. Without automation, they must manually re-create, re-schedule, and track each email. This potentially wastes hours that could be spent on strategy, storytelling, or employee engagement.

Why Recurring Scheduling Matters for Internal Comms

For internal communicators, consistency is key. Many departments rely on recurring employee emails to keep information flowing and teams aligned. For example:

• HR: Weekly policy updates, benefits reminders, and compliance notices.
• IT: System maintenance alerts and monthly technology updates.
• Leadership: Regular CEO messages, department news, or strategy updates.

Without recurring scheduling, this consistency breaks down. Communicators must manually recreate and reschedule the same messages, risking missed send times, uneven communication rhythms, and decreased employee engagement. Reliable automation ensures employees receive timely, predictable updates that reinforce connection and trust across the organization.

The Cerkl Broadcast Solution to Recurring Gmail Scheduling

Cerkl Broadcast eliminates the limitations of one-time email scheduling in Gmail by giving internal communicators full control over automation, timing, and reach, all from one intuitive platform.

• Campaign Scheduling: Plan and automate multi-message campaigns in advance, ensuring each update, announcement, or reminder is delivered exactly when it should be.
• Recurring Sends: Schedule newsletters, reminders, or leadership updates to send automatically on a weekly, monthly, or custom interval. There is no manual rescheduling required.
• Optimal Send Times: Let AI determine the best delivery window based on employee engagement patterns. That way, your messages reach people when they’re most likely to open and read them.
• Omnichannel Options: Go beyond Gmail by delivering messages through multiple channels like email, mobile app, Microsoft Teams, intranet, or personalized MyNews Digests.
• Analytics: Track open rates, clicks, acknowledgements, and overall campaign performance to measure impact and continuously refine your strategy.

With Broadcast, recurring scheduling isn’t just automated. It’s a strategic benefit.

Gmail vs. Cerkl Broadcast for Employee Email Scheduling

Here’s a quick window that visually shows the differences between what Gmail and Cerkl Broadcast can achieve when it comes to employee email scheduling.

What’s Next

If you’re ready to save time and maintain consistent communication without manually rescheduling the same messages, automation is the next step. Once your scheduling is streamlined, the next challenge is measuring impact. Our free Internal Comms Metric Guide shows you which metrics matter most and how to use data to strengthen your communication strategy.