Setting your out of office message in Outlook, also known as an "Automatic Reply," is essential for managing professional communication when you're away. This guide shows you how to activate, schedule, and write effective out of office messages across the Outlook desktop app, the web version, and mobile. Following these steps ensures colleagues, clients, and contacts know you're unavailable, when you'll be back, and who to contact in an emergency. This prevents missed deadlines and manages expectations, allowing you to properly disconnect from work.
Fast Answer
- Outlook Desktop: Go to File > Info > Automatic Replies.
- Outlook on the Web: Click the Settings (cog) icon > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Automatic replies.
Before You Start
- You need an active Microsoft 365, Exchange, or Outlook.com email account. The standard Automatic Replies feature is not available for older POP or IMAP accounts within the Outlook desktop client, which require a different workaround.
- Know the exact start and end dates and times for your absence.
- Have the name and contact details of a colleague who can handle urgent enquiries (and make sure you've asked their permission first).
- Decide if you need separate, distinct messages for people inside versus outside your organisation.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Access the Automatic Replies Menu in the Desktop App
If you use the Outlook application installed on your Windows PC or Mac, the process starts in the File menu. This is the most common method for users in a corporate environment.
- Open the Outlook desktop application.
- Click on `File` in the top-left corner of the window.
- On the `Account Information` screen that appears, look for the `Automatic Replies (Out of Office)` button. It's usually found directly under your account details.
- Click this button to open the Automatic Replies dialogue box. If you don't see this button, you may have a POP or IMAP account; please see our Advanced Tips section for the workaround.
Schedule Your Out of Office Period
The key to a stress-free holiday is ensuring your message only sends when you are actually away. Scheduling prevents you from forgetting to turn it off upon your return.
- In the Automatic Replies window, select the radio button for `Send automatic replies`.
- Crucially, tick the checkbox for `Only send during this time range`. This is the most important setting to prevent your message from running indefinitely.
- Using the dropdown menus, set the `Start time` with the date and time your leave begins.
- Next, set the `End time` with the date and time you will be back in the office and managing your own email again. Outlook will automatically stop sending replies after this time.
Compose Your Internal Message
Outlook allows you to set two different messages: one for colleagues and one for everyone else. The first tab, `Inside My Organisation`, is for people who share the same email system as you.
This message can be more detailed. You should include:
- A clear statement that you are out of the office.
- The date of your return.
- The name, job title, and email address of the colleague(s) covering your duties for specific urgent tasks.
- A brief note about your access to email (e.g., "I will have limited access to email" or "I will respond upon my return").
Example internal message:
"Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office on annual leave and will return on Monday, 18th November. I will have limited access to email during this time.
For urgent matters regarding Project Alpha, please contact Jane Doe at [email protected]. For all other urgent enquiries, please reach out to John Smith at [email protected].
Otherwise, I will respond to your message as soon as possible upon my return."
Compose Your External Message
Next, click the tab labelled `Outside My Organisation`. This message will be sent to external clients, suppliers, and anyone else who emails you. This message should be more general to protect your colleagues' privacy and your organisation's internal information.
Make sure the checkbox for `Auto-reply to people outside my organisation` is ticked. You then have a choice:
- `My Contacts only`: This will only send the reply to people already saved in your Outlook Contacts list. This is a safer option if you get a lot of spam.
- `Anyone outside my organisation`: This will reply to every single external email. This is the most common setting to ensure all external senders are notified.
Example external message:
"Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will return on Monday, 18th November. I will respond to your email upon my return. For any urgent assistance, please contact our main office at [email protected]."
Activate Your Automatic Reply and Confirm
Once you have set your schedule and written your messages, the final step is to save and activate them.
- Double-check your start and end times for accuracy.
- Proofread both your internal and external messages for typos or errors.
- Click the `OK` button at the bottom of the Automatic Replies window.
Once activated, Outlook will display a prominent yellow banner just below the ribbon menu that says `AUTOMATIC REPLIES are being sent for this account.` This serves as a helpful reminder that your out of office is active. You can use the `Turn off` button on this banner for a quick way to disable it if you return early.
Set Out of Office in Outlook on the Web
If you don't have the desktop app, you can set your out of office message through any web browser by logging into your account at Outlook.com or your organisation's Microsoft 365 portal.
- Navigate to outlook.office.com and sign in.
- Click the Settings icon, which looks like a cogwheel (⚙️), in the top-right corner of the page.
- A settings panel will appear. At the bottom, click `View all Outlook settings`.
- In the new window, ensure you are on the `Mail` tab, then select `Automatic replies` from the sub-menu.
- The interface here is very similar to the desktop version. Click the toggle to turn on automatic replies, set your time range, and write your messages for inside and outside your organisation.
- Click `Save` at the bottom to activate.
Set Out of Office Using the Outlook Mobile App
The mobile app for iOS and Android offers the most convenient way to manage your automatic replies, especially if you've already left the office and forgotten to set them.
- Open the Outlook app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Tap your account icon or initials in the top-left corner to open the sidebar menu.
- Tap the Settings cogwheel icon (⚙️) near the bottom-left of the sidebar.
- Under `Mail Accounts`, tap on the account you want to set the message for.
- Tap on `Automatic Replies`.
- Toggle the switch to enable it. You can then set the time range and customise the messages for `Inside my organisation` and `Outside my organisation` just as you would on the other platforms.
- Tap the tick or checkmark icon in the top-right corner to save your changes.
Quick Reference
| Situation | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You're going on a standard holiday. | Automatic Replies with a date range. | It's the standard, built-in feature. It fires once per sender and turns off automatically. |
| You're still working but want to manage email expectations. | A message without a date range, turned on/off manually. | Lets people know you're busy and may not reply immediately. You must remember to turn it off. |
| You use a POP/IMAP account (e.g., from a personal ISP). | An Inbox Rule with a message template. | This is the manual workaround since the `Automatic Replies` button won't be available for your account type. |
| You need to forward urgent emails from your manager. | An Inbox Rule combined with your Automatic Reply. | The rule can automatically forward specific, important emails to a colleague or your personal account while the OOO handles everything else. |
Common Problems When You Set Out Of Office In Outlook
| My automatic reply is still active even though I'm back at work. | This is the most common issue and almost always happens because you did not tick the `Only send during this time range` box. To fix it, go back to File > Automatic Replies and select the `Do not send automatic replies` radio button and click OK. Alternatively, click the `Turn off` button on the yellow warning banner in your main Outlook window. |
|---|---|
| External contacts say they are not receiving my out of office message. | This happens when you've written a message in the `Outside My Organisation` tab but haven't properly enabled it. Go back into the settings and ensure the main checkbox for `Auto-reply to people outside my organisation` is ticked. Also, check if you have it set to `My Contacts only` when you really meant for `Anyone outside my organisation` to receive it. |
| The `Automatic Replies` button is missing from my File menu. | This indicates that your email account is configured as a POP or IMAP account, which does not support the server-side Out of Office feature. Your email provider (like a personal ISP) doesn't use a Microsoft Exchange server. You will need to use the Inbox Rules workaround described in our Advanced Tips section. |
| My out of office is replying to mailing lists or newsletters. | Modern Outlook is quite good at identifying and avoiding replies to bulk mail, but it's not perfect. There isn't a direct fix for this, but it's one reason to keep your external message generic and professional. Creating an inbox rule to automatically delete replies from "mailer-daemon" or "postmaster" can help clean up bounce-backs from your OOO message. |
Advanced Tips for Out Of Office In Outlook
- Block Your Calendar: An out of office message is reactive; it responds after someone has tried to contact you. A proactive step is to also block the time in your Outlook Calendar. Create an all-day appointment for your leave period and set your status to `Out of Office`. This will automatically decline new meeting invitations sent to you for that period and visually show colleagues you are unavailable.
- Create Rules to Triage Your Inbox: While you're away, your inbox can become overwhelming. Set up temporary inbox rules to manage the flow. For example, you could create a rule that automatically moves emails from your manager to a 'High Priority' folder, or moves emails from known newsletters or low-priority senders directly to a 'Read Later' folder (or even deletes them). Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts to set these up before you leave.
- Workaround for POP/IMAP Accounts: If you don't have the Automatic Replies button, you must use a client-side rule. First, compose a new email with your out of office message and save it as an Outlook Template (`.oft` file). Then, go to Manage Rules & Alerts, create a new rule that `applies to messages I receive`, set any conditions you want (or none to apply to all mail), and for the action, choose `reply using a specific template`. Select the `.oft` file you saved. Crucially, this only works when your computer is on and the Outlook application is running. It will not work if Outlook is closed.
How To Set Out Of Office In Outlook FAQ
Does the out of office message reply to every single email?
No. Outlook is designed to only send one automatic reply to each unique sender. It keeps a list of people it has replied to, and it will not send them another reply until you turn your out of office message off and then on again. This prevents email loops where two out of office systems reply to each other endlessly.
Can I format my out of office message with bold, italics, or links?
Yes. The message box in the Automatic Replies window is a rich text editor. You have access to basic formatting tools like bold, italics, underlining, colours, and the ability to insert hyperlinks, just as you would when composing a normal email.
Will my out of office reply to emails that go to my Junk Email folder?
Generally, no. The Junk Email filter processes incoming messages first. If a message is identified as spam and moved to the Junk Email folder, the Automatic Reply rule will not be triggered for it.
How do I know for sure if my out of office is working correctly?
The simplest way is to ask a colleague to send you a quick test email after you've activated it. They should receive the 'Inside My Organisation' reply almost instantly. To test the external message, you can send an email from a personal account (like a Gmail or Yahoo address).
Can I set a unique out of office message for one specific person?
Not using the standard Automatic Replies tool. However, you can achieve this with a clever Inbox Rule. You would need to create a rule that looks for an email 'from' a specific person's email address and uses the action 'reply using a specific template'. You would create a separate template just for them. This is an advanced use case and can be complex to manage alongside a general out of office reply.
Final Checklist for Setting Out Of Office In Outlook
- You have confirmed the start and end dates and times are absolutely correct.
- You have proofread the internal message for tone, clarity, and correct contact details.
- You have proofread the external message, ensuring it is professional and protects internal privacy.
- You have received permission from any colleague you've named as an alternative contact.
- You have enabled replies for people 'Outside My Organisation' if required.
- You have also blocked out the corresponding time in your Outlook Calendar with an 'Out of Office' status.
- You have clicked 'OK' or 'Save' to activate the automatic replies and can see the confirmation banner in Outlook.
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