Your email reached me during time off: I return on . For anything that cannot wait, at is covering my accounts.
Professional · short · 1 of 1
Also for your time off
Now switch it on
Outlook on the web or Outlook.com: select Settings (gear icon) at the top right. New Outlook for Windows: on the View tab, select View settings.
Go to Accounts > Automatic replies.
Turn on the Turn on automatic replies toggle.
Select Send replies only during a time period, then enter a start and end time.
Type your message in the box (formatting options sit at the top of the box). Work or school accounts: select Send replies outside your organization if outside senders should get a reply.
Select Save.
Start
your first day away
End
the morning you are back
Two boxes here. One reply for your coworkers, one for everyone else.
Sent only once to each person who emails you while you are away (Microsoft wording).
In Outlook on the web open Settings (in new Outlook for Windows, View > View settings), go to Accounts > Automatic replies, turn on automatic replies, set the time period and paste a reply such as "Your email reached me during time off: I return on October 14. For anything that cannot wait, Priya Nair at priya.nair@yourcompany.com is covering my accounts."
Work and school accounts get two boxes, one for people inside your organization and one for everyone outside, so each reply on this page comes as a pair: a short first-name note for colleagues and a fuller one for clients.
All 6 replies on this page
Type your details in the writer and every reply below fills itself in.
Professional 2
Your email reached me during time off: I return on [Back on]. For anything that cannot wait, [Who covers] at [Their email] is covering my accounts.
For coworkers[Who covers] has my projects until I am back on [Back on]; message them at [Their email] for anything urgent.
Short
I am away from [Away from] through [Back on] and am not monitoring this mailbox. Clients and partners with time-sensitive requests should contact [Who covers] at [Their email], who has full access to my open work. Anything else will receive a reply from me after I return on [Back on].
For coworkersHeads up: I am off [Away from] to [Back on] and not reading email or chat. [Who covers] is covering my projects and knows where everything lives; reach them at [Their email]. I will catch up on threads when I am back.
Longer
Warm 2
Hello from an empty desk! I am back on [Back on], and until then [Who covers] ([Their email]) is happy to help with anything urgent.
For coworkersI am off until [Back on]. [Who covers] has the keys to my projects, so send anything urgent their way at [Their email].
Short
Thanks so much for your email. I am taking some time away from [Away from] to [Back on] and will not be checking messages while I am gone. If something needs attention sooner, [Who covers] is looking after my work; write to them at [Their email]. Otherwise, I will write back after I return.
For coworkersTaking a proper break from [Away from] to [Back on], so I will not see chats or email. [Who covers] ([Their email]) is covering; they have my notes and the shared folder. See you when I am back!
Longer
Funny 2
Plot twist: I am not at my desk. Back [Back on]; for urgent matters, [Who covers] at [Their email] is the hero of this episode.
For coworkersGone until [Back on]. Please tag [Who covers] instead of me ([Their email]), who volunteered with only mild coercion.
Short
Skip if: A client-facing inbox, or a week when the team is under pressure and the joke would land badly.
Congratulations, your email has found my auto reply, the only part of me still working until [Back on]. I return on that day with a full battery and a healthy fear of my inbox. Until then, [Who covers] at [Their email] can help with anything that cannot wait.
For coworkersI am out from [Away from] to [Back on] and my laptop is under strict orders to stay closed. [Who covers] ([Their email]) is running my projects; coffee bribes accepted on my return.
Longer
Skip if: A client-facing inbox, or a week when the team is under pressure and the joke would land badly.
How to set it up in Outlook
Steps checked against the official help pages on 2026-10-05. Menus move; if yours differs, the source link has the current wording.
New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web
Outlook on the web or Outlook.com: select Settings (gear icon) at the top right. New Outlook for Windows: on the View tab, select View settings.
Go to Accounts > Automatic replies.
Turn on the Turn on automatic replies toggle.
Select Send replies only during a time period, then enter a start and end time.
Type your message in the box (formatting options sit at the top of the box). Work or school accounts: select Send replies outside your organization if outside senders should get a reply.
Select Save.
Start and end time
Yes
Separate reply for coworkers
Yes
How often it replies
Sent only once to each person who emails you while you are away (Microsoft wording).
Microsoft's own pages disagree on the label: some say Settings > Accounts > Automatic replies, others Settings > Account > Automatic replies. Both point to the same screen.
Without a time period the reply stays on until you switch it off. Optional boxes can also block your calendar and decline or cancel meetings in the period.
Not supported for Gmail, Yahoo, or other POP or IMAP accounts added to new Outlook. Sending outside your organization replies to everything, including newsletters and junk, so Microsoft suggests Send replies only to contacts.
Select File on the ribbon. If there is no Automatic Replies button, your account type does not support it (see the rules variant).
Select Automatic Replies.
In the Automatic Replies box, select Send automatic replies.
Optionally set a date range so replies turn off at the end time.
Type the reply on the Inside My Organization tab and, for outside senders, on the Outside My Organization tab (choose My contacts only or anyone outside).
Select OK.
Start and end time
Yes
Separate reply for coworkers
Yes
How often it replies
Once to each person who emails you during your absence (Microsoft wording).
Needs a Microsoft 365, Exchange or Outlook.com account. Gmail, Yahoo, POP and IMAP accounts have no Automatic Replies button.
Replies to anyone outside the organization go to newsletters, ads and possibly junk too; Microsoft recommends My contacts only.
To switch off, select Turn off in the banner under the ribbon. Without a date range it stays on until you do.
Classic Outlook for Windows with a POP or IMAP account (rules)
Create a new email with your out of office subject and text, then select File > Save As and save it as Outlook Template (*.oft).
Select File > Manage Rules & Alerts, then New Rule.
Under Start from a blank rule, select Apply rule on messages I receive, then Next, and confirm Yes to apply it to all messages.
Select reply using a specific template, select the underlined a specific template, set Look In to User Templates in File System, and pick your template.
Name the rule (for example Out of Office), keep Turn on this rule checked, and select Finish.
Start and end time
No
Separate reply for coworkers
No
How often it replies
Not stated on the current page. Long-standing Outlook behaviour is one reply per sender per Outlook session (until Outlook is restarted).
Outlook must stay open and running on your computer for the whole time you are away, or nothing gets sent.
No start or end date: you have to turn the rule on and off yourself in Manage Rules & Alerts.
Pick the account from the drop-down and turn on the Send Automatic Replies toggle.
Enter your reply under Message for inside your organization.
Turn on Set next to Send replies during a specific time period and choose the Time Period.
Optionally check Message for outside your organization, choose Send only to my contacts or Send to everyone, enter that reply, then close the window.
Start and end time
Yes
Separate reply for coworkers
Yes
Not supported for Gmail, Yahoo, POP or IMAP accounts.
The outside-your-organization option only appears if your Exchange administrator has enabled it.
Legacy Outlook for Mac (labels: Send automatic replies for account, Reply once to senders within my organization) reaches end of support in October 2026.
Optionally turn on Reply during a time period and set the start and end time, and turn on Block my calendar.
Choose whether to reply to everyone or only your organization, and enter the message (separate messages for your organization and external senders are possible).
Tap Save.
Start and end time
Yes
Separate reply for coworkers
Yes
Works for Microsoft 365, Exchange, Exchange (Hybrid) and Outlook.com accounts only, not for Gmail or IMAP accounts added to the app.
Settings is reached from your account picture or the home icon at the top left in current app versions, which the Microsoft page does not spell out.
Leaving the time period unchecked, so the reply runs until you remember to switch it off.
Sending the outside reply to anyone: newsletters and junk get it too, so choose your contacts only unless clients write from new addresses.
Pasting the same text in both boxes. Colleagues need a first name to message; clients need a role and an email address.
Expecting it to work on a Gmail, Yahoo or other IMAP account added to Outlook. Automatic replies needs a Microsoft 365, Exchange or Outlook.com account.
Ticking the calendar options without reading them, since they can decline or cancel meetings inside the period.
Filling it in
Type your dates and who covers, pick a tone, and copy both versions. Paste the colleague version into the inside box (or the only box on a personal account) and the client version into the outside one, set the same start and end dates, and save. Classic Outlook keeps the setting under File > Automatic Replies.
Questions people ask
How do I set an out of office message in Outlook?
In Outlook on the web open Settings, or in new Outlook for Windows choose View > View settings, then go to Accounts and Automatic replies, turn on the toggle and choose Send replies only during a time period. Type the message, add one for outside your organization if you have a work account, and select Save. In classic Outlook the same setting lives under File > Automatic Replies.
Why is there no Automatic Replies button in my Outlook?
Automatic replies run on the mail server, so they need a Microsoft 365, Exchange or Outlook.com account. Gmail, Yahoo, POP and IMAP accounts added to Outlook do not show the button. In classic Outlook you can build a rule that replies with a saved template instead, but Outlook must stay open on your computer for the whole time you are away.
How often does Outlook send the automatic reply?
Once to each person who emails you while you are away, in Microsoft's own words. Someone who writes five times gets one reply, so that first reply has to carry everything: your return date, who covers and how to reach them. Set a time period too, and the reply stops on its own when you are back.
To
Everyone leaving soon
From
Department of Being Elsewhere
Re
Before you go
The auto reply is one of five things. The other four take about ten minutes and prevent most of the emails you will read when you get back.