Published 2021-04-15 by TechNet New England
An out-of-office auto reply lets people who email you know that you are away and when you will return. It can also direct them to an alternative contact. ## Microsoft Outlook (Desktop) 1. Open Outlook. 2. Go to **File > Automatic Replies** (or **Out of Office Assistant**). 3. Select **Send automatic replies**. 4. Optionally set a time range (start and end date). If you set an end date, the auto reply turns off automatically. 5. Type your message in the **Inside My Organization** tab. This is what colleagues see. 6. Click the **Outside My Organization** tab and type a message for external contacts. Check **Auto-reply to people outside my organization** to enable it. 7. Click **OK**. ### Sample Message Subject is set automatically by Outlook. Message: Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office from [date] through [date] with limited access to email. If your matter is urgent, please contact [Name] at [email/phone]. I will respond to your message when I return. ## Outlook Web (outlook.office.com) 1. Click the **gear icon** (top right) > **View all Outlook settings**. 2. Click **Mail > Automatic replies**. 3. Toggle **Turn on automatic replies**. 4. Set the time period and type your messages (internal and external). 5. Click **Save**. ## Gmail / Google Workspace 1. Open Gmail. 2. Click the **gear icon** > **See all settings**. 3. Scroll down to **Vacation responder** at the bottom of the General tab. 4. Select **Vacation responder on**. 5. Set the **First day** and **Last day**. 6. Type the **Subject** and **Message**. 7. Optionally check **Only send a response to people in my Contacts** to limit who receives the auto reply. 8. Click **Save Changes**. ### Note Gmail sends the auto reply once per contact every 4 days. If the same person emails you multiple times, they only receive the auto reply once. ## Tips Set the auto reply a few hours before you leave, not after. This ensures the first person who emails you while you are gone gets the message. Include your return date, an alternative contact for urgent matters, and a brief, professional message. Remove or turn off the auto reply when you return. Nothing looks worse than an out-of-office message still running two weeks after you came back. If you manage other people's accounts (IT admin), you can set auto replies for them through the Microsoft 365 admin center or Google Workspace admin console.