---
title: "Delay by Zapier: Control the timing of your Zaps"
description: "Don't want your Zap to carry out an action right away? In this guide, learn how you can set up Delay by Zapier to control the timing of automated workflows."
image: "https://images.ctfassets.net/lzny33ho1g45/2UiuO6lyeCYHLiXKxhIYmH/6409fe3dd206a98dc25fc118f053a749/Group_12380.jpg"
---

# Delay by Zapier: Control the timing of your Zaps

Don't want your Zap to carry out an action right away? In this guide, learn how you can set up Delay by Zapier to control the timing of automated workflows.

At their core, Zapier's automated workflows—called Zaps—are simple but powerful: When one thing happens in one app (the trigger), automatically do this thing in another app (the action). 

But what if you want more control over how your Zaps run? That's where [Delay by Zapier](https://zapier.com/apps/delay/integrations) comes in. 

Delay steps allow you to put your Zap's actions on hold for a specific amount of time, so you can space out tasks, hold a step for a set amount of time, or ensure something happens after a certain date. Here's how you can use Delay by Zapier to control the timing of your Zaps.

### Table of contents

- [What is Delay by Zapier?](#what)
- [What you can do with Delay ](#do)
- [How to get started with Delay](#start)

## What is Delay by Zapier?

Usually, once your trigger starts your Zap, the action immediately follows. That might be a new row that gets added to a spreadsheet when you receive a new form submission, for example, or a Slack notification that gets sent to your sales team when something is updated in your CRM. 

**Delay by Zapier will halt the workflow until a set time, so you control ****_when_**** your actions run**. Although it's set up like an action step in your Zap, it doesn't count towards your tasks like a typical action. Instead,** it works as a sort of pause button to delay the next action in your Zap**. 

For example, instead of automatically sending a follow-up email seconds after you get a new Facebook lead, perhaps you want that email to go out two days later (making it feel less automated and more personalized). 

By default, every step in your Zap fires one after the other. With Delay, you can add a little time buffer between those steps. You can use it directly after your trigger or between action steps. You can even add multiple delay steps to the same Zap.

Delay by Zapier features include:

- **_Delay For_**** (action event):** Delay any subsequent actions by a set amount of time of your own choosing (like hours, days, or weeks).
- **_Delay Until_**** (action event):** Pause your Zap until after a specific date or time, typically using a date from a previous step—like after a booked appointment ends or a deadline has passed.
- **_Delay After Queue_**** (action event):** Ensures each action has enough time to process before the next one runs by lining up your tasks and running them one at a time—great if you're sending information to an app that limits the amount of data you can send at once.
- **Support for flexible, multi-step Zaps:** Prevent actions that trigger in bulk from overwhelming the next step (especially useful for email marketing apps or CRM notifications).
- **Customizable time units:** Choose between minutes, hours, or days—up until one month.
- **Simple modifiers:** Adjust date or time fields that will add or subtract time (like adding a +2h modifier to delay the next action until two hours after an appointment ends).

## What you can do with a delay step

With Delay by Zapier, the possibilities are endless. While most use cases will depend on your unique business challenges, here are a few popular examples:

### Lead nurturing

Automatically delay follow-up emails or messages to nurture leads over time. This gives leads time to engage with initial communication before receiving the next step, preventing overwhelm.

**What that might look like: **

1. A lead submits their details through [Facebook Lead Ads](https://zapier.com/apps/facebook-lead-ads/integrations).
2. A _Delay For _step pauses the Zap for a period of two days.
3. [Gmail](https://zapier.com/apps/gmail/integrations) then sends that specific lead a follow-up email so it feels less automated and more personalized.

### Customer communication

Insert delays after a customer books an appointment or signs up for an event. This allows follow-up emails or messages to be sent only after the scheduled time has passed, providing timely communication.

**What that might look like: **

1. A new invitee gets added to [Calendly](https://zapier.com/apps/calendly/integrations).
2. A _Delay Until_ step waits until the scheduled meeting time has passed.
3. [Email by Zapier](https://zapier.com/apps/email/integrations) sends a follow-up email to the customer with more instructions or a thank-you message.

### Data management

Streamline data operations by spacing out the timing of tasks in your Zap—like adding customer data to a spreadsheet. You can line up each task to be processed one by one, with a short pause between them. This helps if you're sending data to an app that uses [rate limiting.](https://zapier.com/blog/api-rate-limiting) 

**What that might look like: **

1. A new customer is logged in [Shopify](https://zapier.com/apps/shopify/integrations).
2. A _Delay After Queue_ action delays your Zap for two minutes.
3. Each new customer gets added to a new [Google Sheet](https://zapier.com/apps/google-sheets/integrations) row after that specified delay. That way, if Shopify ever receives several customers at once, the Zap won't try to write on the same row in the sheet (and cancel out any previous entries).

### Task management

Use delays to create pauses between task creation and execution, ensuring employees or team members have time to prioritize existing tasks before taking on new ones.  

**What that might look like: **

1. A new project gets added to [Asana](https://zapier.com/apps/asana/integrations).
2. Your team receives a notification in [Microsoft Teams](https://zapier.com/apps/microsoft-teams/integrations) so they can begin work.
3. A _Delay Until_ step waits until the task deadline passes.
4. Once the deadline has passed, a follow-up notification is sent in Teams to review the task, providing a clear reminder for any final actions or updates.

## How to get started with Delay by Zapier

Want to try out a delay step? Follow the steps below to get started. 

### Step 1: Set up your trigger step

Let's start with your trigger step, the event that starts your Zap. Once you're logged into Zapier, head over to the [Zap editor](https://zapier.com/app/zaps). 

Set up your trigger step by searching for and selecting your trigger app, then connecting your account.

Next, set up your trigger step by filling in the trigger step fields. Depending on your trigger app and event, you'll have different fields to customize. Once you've set up your trigger, you should test the step and click **Continue**. 

### Step 2: Choose your delay step

Next, it's time to add a delay step to your Zap. Search for and select **Delay** in the search bar. 

Next, decide which type of delay step will fit your needs. 

If you want to delay a Zap for a set period of time, you'll use the _Delay For_ action. Under _Action event_, select **Delay For**. Click **Continue**.

In the _Time Delayed For (value)_ field, enter the amount of time (in numbers) the Zap should delay before it moves onto the next step. You can enter a static number value or [map a number field from a previous step](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496343026701). Click the _Time Delayed For (unit)_ dropdown and select a unit of time. Click **Continue**.

If you want to delay a Zap until a specific date passes, you'll use the _Delay Until_ action event. Under the _Action event _field, select **Delay Until**. Click **Continue**.

In the _Date/Time Delayed Until_ field, enter the date and time the Zap should delay before proceeding to the next step. You can enter a static date and time or [map a date/time field from a previous step](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496343026701).

Under _How should we handle dates in the past,_ choose how Zapier should handle instances where the date has already passed when the _Delay Until_ step is reached. Click **Continue**.

If, instead, you want to create a queue of actions to run at a later time, select **Delay After Queue**. Click **Continue**.

In the _Queue Title_ field, enter a title for your queue. It's helpful to give this a descriptive name that you’ll recognize. Generally, you'll only need one _Delay after Queue_ step in your Zap, but if you do have more than one, you can add the data to the same queue by giving it the same name. 

In the _Time Delayed For (value)_ field, enter the amount of time (in numbers) the Zap should hold a task for. You can enter a static number value or [map a number field from a previous step](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496343026701).

Click the _Time Delayed For (unit)_ dropdown menu and select a unit of time. Click **Continue**.

Once you've finished setting up your delay step, click **Continue** to test your action, then click** Continue** once you've tested that step.

### Step 3: Set up your action

Now it's time to add the second action to your Zap. Search for and select your action app, add your action event, then connect your account to Zapier. 

Depending on the app you've chosen for your action, you'll have different fields to customize. Fill in your action step details. Once you've finished, remember to test it and turn on your Zap. 

**For more information on setting up delays in your Zap, check out **[**our help guide**](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496288754829-Add-delays-to-Zaps#01H919TMMAZQQJTCJADB372J1C)** for step-by-step instructions.**

## Use delays to time your workflows

If you need more control over when certain actions occur in your favorite apps, you don't need to lift a finger. Delay by Zapier can pause your Zaps for a certain amount of time, allowing you the freedom and flexibility to automate tasks when you'd like. [Visit Delay by Zapier's integration page](https://zapier.com/apps/delay/integrations) to find more popular Zaps or [create your own](https://zapier.com/editor) with your favorite apps.

_This guide was originally written by Krystina Martinez and previously updated by Elena Alston. It was most recently updated by Steph Spector in July 2025._