How to Set Up Reminders and Follow-Ups in Outlook

Microsoft Outlook reminders help you stay on top of emails that need follow-up, upcoming calendar events, and task deadlines. You can flag emails for follow-up with a specific reminder date, set calendar alerts from 5 minutes to 2 weeks before an event, and create tasks with due date notifications. For other productivity features, see our guide to creating Outlook rules to automate your inbox.

Key Takeaways

• Flag any email for follow-up with a reminder by selecting Home > Follow Up > Add Reminder and setting the date and time.
• Calendar event reminders default to 15 minutes before but can be changed globally under File > Options > Calendar > Default reminders.
• Task reminders pop up at a specified date and time, keeping you accountable for to-do items alongside your email and calendar.

How Do I Set a Follow-Up Reminder on an Email in Outlook?

Right-click any email, select Follow Up > Add Reminder, then set the flag type, due date, and reminder time — Outlook will pop up a notification at the specified time.

Classic Outlook Desktop

1. Select the email you want to follow up on.
2. Click Home > Follow Up > Add Reminder (or right-click the email > Follow Up > Add Reminder).
3. In the Custom dialog:
4. Flag to: Choose the action (Follow Up, Call, Reply, etc.)
5. Start date: When you plan to start the follow-up
6. Due date: When the follow-up should be completed
7. Reminder: Check the box and set the date and time for the pop-up
8. Click OK.

A flag icon appears on the email, and Outlook will display a reminder pop-up at the scheduled time.

New Outlook for Windows

1. Right-click the email or click the flag icon that appears on hover.
2. Select Add reminder.
3. Choose a preset time (Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Next Week) or click Custom to set a specific date and time.
4. Click Save.

Quick Flags (No Custom Reminder)

For faster flagging without setting a specific reminder time:

Flag Option	Due Date	Reminder
Today	End of today	Today at close of business
Tomorrow	End of tomorrow	Tomorrow at start of business
This Week	End of this week	Two days before end of week
Next Week	End of next week	Start of next week
No Date	No due date	No automatic reminder
Custom	You choose	You choose

According to Microsoft Support, flagged emails also appear in your Outlook To-Do list, making them visible across Outlook, Microsoft To Do, and Teams.

How Do I Set Calendar Event Reminders in Outlook?

Open any calendar event and use the Reminder dropdown to choose when the notification appears — from 0 minutes (at event time) to 2 weeks before.

Set a Reminder on a New Event

1. Click Calendar in Outlook’s navigation.
2. Click New Appointment or New Meeting.
3. Fill in the event title, date, time, and location.
4. Click the Reminder dropdown in the ribbon (classic) or the bell icon (new Outlook).
5. Select the reminder time: 0 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 2 days, or 1 week.
6. Click Save & Close.

Set a Reminder on an Existing Event

1. Double-click the calendar event to open it.
2. Change the Reminder dropdown to your preferred time.
3. Click Save & Close.

Reminder Times Explained

Reminder Setting	Best For
0 minutes	Events that need attention right at start time
5-15 minutes	Regular meetings (time to wrap up current task)
30-60 minutes	Meetings requiring preparation
12 hours – 1 day	Events needing advance preparation or travel
1-2 weeks	Major deadlines or events requiring significant prep

How Do I Change the Default Reminder Time in Outlook?

Change the global default so all new calendar events automatically include your preferred reminder time — no need to set it on each event individually.

Classic Outlook Desktop

1. Click File > Options.
2. Select Calendar from the left sidebar.
3. Under Calendar options, check Default reminders and set the time (e.g., 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour).
4. Click OK.

All new calendar events will now use this default reminder time. Existing events are not affected.

New Outlook for Windows / Outlook on the Web

1. Click the gear icon (Settings).
2. Select Calendar > Events and invitations.
3. Under Events you create, find the Default reminder dropdown.
4. Select your preferred default time.
5. Click Save.

Disable All Reminders

To turn off reminders for all calendar events:

1. Go to File > Options > Calendar (classic) or Settings > Calendar (new).
2. Uncheck Default reminders or set the dropdown to None.

How Do I Create Task Reminders in Outlook?

Create a task with a reminder to get a pop-up notification at a specific date and time — tasks appear in your To-Do list alongside flagged emails.

1. Click Tasks in Outlook’s navigation (or the checkmark icon).
2. Click New Task.
3. Enter the Subject (task name).
4. Set the Start date and Due date.
5. Check the Reminder box and set the reminder date and time.
6. Set Priority (Low, Normal, High) if needed.
7. Click Save & Close.

Recurring Task Reminders

For tasks that repeat on a schedule:

1. Create a new task and set the reminder as above.
2. Click Recurrence in the ribbon.
3. Choose the pattern: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly.
4. Set the range (no end date, end after X occurrences, or end by date).
5. Click OK, then Save & Close.

The reminder will trigger each time the task recurs, automatically creating the next instance when you mark the current one complete.

How Do I Snooze or Dismiss Reminders in Outlook?

When a reminder pops up, click Snooze to postpone it or Dismiss to clear it permanently — you can also snooze all reminders at once or set a custom snooze duration.

Reminder Window Options

Button	Action
Dismiss	Clears the individual reminder permanently
Dismiss All	Clears all pending reminders at once
Snooze	Postpones the reminder by the selected duration
Open Item	Opens the email, event, or task associated with the reminder

Snooze Duration Options

Classic Outlook offers these snooze times: 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 0.5 days, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 1 week, 2 weeks.

In the new Outlook, default snooze options are more limited (5, 10, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours), but you can type a custom time value in the snooze field.

According to Microsoft Support, snoozed reminders will reappear at the new time. Dismissed reminders are gone permanently — there is no undo for dismiss.

Why Are My Outlook Reminders Not Popping Up?

The most common cause is Outlook not running or reminder notifications being disabled in settings — check both before troubleshooting further.

1. Make Sure Outlook Is Running

Classic Outlook desktop reminders only trigger while the application is running. If you close Outlook, no reminders will appear until you reopen it.

2. Enable Reminder Pop-Ups

Classic Outlook: 1. Go to File > Options > Advanced. 2. Under Reminders, check Show reminders. 3. Click OK.

New Outlook / Web: 1. Go to Settings > General > Notifications. 2. Under Calendar, toggle notifications to On.

3. Check Windows Notification Settings

1. Open Windows Settings > System > Notifications.
2. Scroll down to Microsoft Outlook and make sure notifications are On.
3. Ensure Do Not Disturb / Focus Assist is turned off.

4. Reset the Reminders Folder

If reminders are completely broken in classic Outlook:

1. Close Outlook.
2. Press Windows + R and type outlook.exe /cleanreminders.
3. Press Enter. Outlook will open and rebuild the reminders folder.

5. Check Dismissed Reminders

If you accidentally clicked Dismiss All, those reminders cannot be recovered. Re-flag the emails or re-set the calendar event reminders manually.

For managing your Outlook workflow further, set up automatic out-of-office replies when you are away, or create email templates for quick responses to follow-up emails. If you need Outlook with full reminder support, Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus ($199.99) includes the classic Outlook desktop application.

Frequently Asked Questions

---