On holiday, at a training or off sick: with an automatic reply (Out of Office), people emailing you know right away that you're away and who to contact instead. Because the reply lives on the Exchange Online server, it works even when your computer is switched off. This article shows how to set an out-of-office message in the new Outlook, on the web, in classic Outlook and on your phone.
In the new Outlook and on the web
- Select Settings (gear) > Accounts > Automatic replies.
- Turn on Turn on automatic replies.
- Tick Send replies only during a time period and choose the start and end date and time.
- Optionally tick Block my calendar, Automatically decline new invitations and Decline and cancel my meetings.
- Type your message for people inside your organisation.
- Tick Send replies outside your organization if you want to inform external senders too, and choose whether only your contacts or all external senders get a reply. Type a separate message below.
- Select Save.
With a time period you don't have to remember to switch it off: it stops by itself on the end date. Without a period it stays on until you turn it off. The exact option names can differ slightly between versions.
In classic Outlook
- Go to File > Automatic Replies.
- Choose Send automatic replies and optionally tick Only send during this time range.
- Fill in the Inside My Organization tab.
- On the Outside My Organization tab, tick the option to reply to external senders and choose My Contacts only or Anyone outside my organization.
- Select OK.
No Automatic Replies button? Then you're using an IMAP or POP account rather than a Microsoft 365 account. In that case it only works with a rule, and only while Outlook is running.
On your phone
In the Outlook app, tap your profile picture > Settings (gear) > your account > Automatic Replies. Turn on the switch, choose whether to reply to everyone or only your organisation and optionally set a time period. New to the app? See set up your work email in the Outlook app.
And in Teams?
Your out-of-office message also shows up automatically next to your name in Teams, and anyone who starts a chat with you sees it above the message box. You can set it there too: select your profile picture > Set status message > Schedule out of office. Read how to set out of office in Teams.
How often does someone get your reply?
Exchange sends each sender your automatic reply once per out-of-office period, even if that person sends you ten emails. If you change the settings, that counter resets. Messages identified as junk and mail from newsletters or mailing lists usually don't get a reply.
Example text
Thank you for your email. I'm out of the office until Monday 3 November and won't be reading email. For urgent questions, please contact Sarah Peters (sarah@contoso.com). I'll reply as soon as possible after my return.
Keep it short and don't share details about why or where you are with external senders. A return date and a contact person are enough.
Set it for a colleague as an admin
Colleague unexpectedly absent? An admin can set the message in the Microsoft 365 admin center > Users > Active users > the user > Mail > Automatic replies. In PowerShell, use Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration with parameters such as -AutoReplyState Scheduled, -StartTime and -EndTime. If their email should also reach someone else, consider email forwarding in Exchange Online or giving a colleague access to the mailbox. For a general address like info@, read set an automatic reply on a shared mailbox.
Common problems
- External senders get no reply: check that you ticked the option for outside your organisation. Still nothing? Your admin may have blocked automatic replies to external domains in the Exchange remote domain settings.
- Wrong time: the time period follows your mailbox time zone. Check it in settings under Time and language.
- Testing it yourself and getting nothing: send a test from another address; you usually only get your own reply once.
Questions and answers
Can I set it without Outlook running?
Yes. With a Microsoft 365 account, the automatic reply runs on the server.
Does someone who puts me in CC get the reply too?
Yes, every sender who reaches you directly gets it, including via CC.
Nederlandstalige versie: Een automatisch antwoord (Out of Office) instellen in Outlook