The fastest way to flag an email for later
Open the email you want to remember. At the top of the message, look for a flag icon — it looks like a small banner or ribbon. Click it once. The flag turns red, and Outlook adds that email to your task list automatically. That's the quickest reminder: one click, and the message moves to a section called "Flagged" that you'll see every time you open Outlook.
The flag alone works for most people who just need a visual cue that something needs action. But if you want Outlook to actually alert you at a specific time — say, Tuesday morning before you call the landlord — you need to set a due date and a reminder time instead. That takes 30 seconds more, but it means Outlook will pop up a notification when the moment arrives.
Key Takeaways
- A single click on the flag icon marks an email as flagged and adds it to your task list without setting a specific time.
- To get a notification at a specific date and time, right-click the flag and choose "Add Reminder" or "Mark Complete" to set the due date.
- Outlook reminders appear as pop-up notifications on your screen at the time you set, even if you have Outlook minimized.
- You can change or remove a reminder by clicking the flag again and selecting a different option from the menu.
- Flagged emails stay in your task list until you mark them complete, so they won't disappear from view until you take action.
Setting a reminder with a specific date and time
Right-click on the flag icon in the email. A small menu appears with options like "Today," "Tomorrow," "This Week," "Next Week," and "Custom." Choose the timeframe that matches when you need to act. If none of those fit — say you need to follow up on the 15th of next month — click "Custom" to pick an exact date.
When you click "Custom," a dialog box opens. Set the due date by clicking the calendar icon and choosing the day. Then set the time you want the reminder to pop up. Outlook defaults to 9 a.m., but you can change it to any hour and minute. Click "OK" when you're done. The flag now has a small clock symbol next to it, showing that a timed reminder is attached.
On the date and time you set, Outlook will display a notification box on your screen. The notification shows the email subject and gives you options to mark it complete, snooze for a few minutes, or dismiss it. If you dismiss it, the email stays flagged until you manually mark it complete.
Where to find all your flagged emails in one place
In Outlook's left sidebar, look for a section called "Tasks" or "To Do." This is where all your flagged emails live, sorted by due date. Emails due today appear at the top. Emails due in the future appear below, organized by when they're due. Overdue emails — ones where the due date has passed — appear in a separate section at the very top, usually marked in red.
Click on any flagged email in this list to open it and see the full message. Once you've taken action on the email (replied, forwarded it, or resolved whatever it asked), right-click the flag and select "Mark Complete." The email disappears from your task list and no longer shows as flagged. This keeps your task list clean and prevents you from re-reading the same message over and over.
Changing or removing a reminder you've already set
Click on the flagged email to open it. Right-click the flag icon. The menu shows your current reminder setting — for example, "Due Tomorrow at 9:00 AM." To change the date or time, click "Custom" and adjust the calendar or clock. To remove the reminder entirely but keep the flag, click "Clear Flag." To remove both the flag and the reminder, click "Remove Flag."
If you've already set a reminder and want to snooze it — delay the notification by a few hours or days — wait for the reminder notification to pop up on your screen. The notification box includes a "Snooze" button. Click it and choose how long to delay: 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 1 day, or 1 week. Outlook will show the notification again after that time passes.
Why reminders matter for spotting scams and staying organized
A reminder forces you to come back to a suspicious email at a planned time rather than letting it sit in your inbox and fade from memory. If you receive an email claiming to be from your bank asking you to "verify your account," you might flag it with a reminder to call your bank directly in the morning. When the reminder pops up, you'll contact the bank's official number (not any number in the email) and confirm whether the message was real. Without the reminder, you might forget and accidentally click a link days later when you're tired.
Reminders also prevent important emails from getting buried. If a landlord sends you a lease renewal notice with a 30-day important date, flag it when ready with a due date 5 days before the important date. The reminder ensures you review it in time to ask questions or negotiate, rather than discovering on day 29 that you missed something.
Reminders across devices and Outlook versions
If you use Outlook on your computer, reminders appear as pop-up notifications on that computer only. If you also use Outlook on your phone or tablet, flagged emails sync across devices, but the timed reminder notification may not pop up on your phone the same way it does on your desktop. The flag itself will be visible on all devices, so you can see which emails need action wherever you check your email.
Outlook on the web (the version you access through a browser) also supports flags and reminders, though the interface looks slightly different. The flag icon is in the same place at the top of the email, and right-clicking it opens a similar menu. If you switch between Outlook desktop and Outlook on the web, your flags and due dates stay in sync, but desktop reminders are more reliable for timed notifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between flagging an email and setting a reminder?
A flag marks an email as important and adds it to your task list, but it doesn't alert you at a specific time. A reminder is a flag with a due date and time attached — Outlook will pop up a notification at that moment. Use a flag for "I need to deal with this soon," and use a reminder for "I need to deal with this on Tuesday at 2 p.m."
Can I set a reminder for an email I've already archived or moved to a folder?
Yes. Open the email from wherever it is, and flag it the same way. The flag works on any email in any folder. The flagged email will appear in your task list even if the original message is in a subfolder you rarely check.
What happens if I don't respond to a reminder notification when it pops up?
The notification disappears, but the email stays flagged and marked as overdue. You'll see it in your task list with a red indicator showing it's past the due date. You can snooze it, change the due date, or mark it complete whenever you're ready.
Can I set the same reminder for multiple emails at once?
Not in a single action. You have to flag each email individually. However, if you have several related emails — like multiple messages about a housing process — you can flag them all with the same due date by setting each one to "Custom" and choosing the same calendar date.
Will Outlook remind me if I close the program?
Outlook must be running for the reminder notification to appear. If you close Outlook before the reminder time, you won't see the pop-up. However, when you open Outlook again, the email will show as overdue in your task list, and you can manually review it then.