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Short out of office message

Short

Away fromBack on

These replies need a return date

Who coversTheir email

Your name

SubjectOut of office

Out until . Urgent requests: , . I will reply on my return.

Professional · short · 1 of 4

Also for your time off

Where does it go?

A short out of office message fits the facts into one or two sentences so the sender sees everything in the notification preview, as in "I am away until October 14. Email Priya Nair at priya.nair@yourcompany.com for anything urgent."

Every reply here is under 25 words, short enough for a phone screen and for tight chat limits, and the funny ones keep the joke to a few words.

All 12 replies on this page

Type your details in the writer and every reply below fills itself in.

Professional 4

Out until [Back on]. Urgent requests: [Who covers], [Their email]. I will reply on my return.
Short
I am away until [Back on]. Email [Who covers] at [Their email] for anything urgent.
Short
Away [Away from] to [Back on], replying after. [Who covers] ([Their email]) covers urgent matters.
Short
Currently out of office. Back [Back on]. For urgent help, email [Who covers] at [Their email].
Short

Warm 4

Off until [Back on]! [Who covers] at [Their email] can help in the meantime. Talk when I am back.
Short
Thanks for writing. Back [Back on], and [Who covers] ([Their email]) has you covered till then.
Short
Taking a few days off. Back on [Back on]; [Who covers] at [Their email] is your go-to until then.
Short
Hi! I am away until [Back on]. Reach [Who covers] at [Their email] if it cannot wait.
Short

Funny 4

Gone fishing (metaphorically) until [Back on]. Urgent? [Who covers], [Their email]. Everything else waits for me.
Short
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
This inbox is on a break until [Back on]. [Who covers] ([Their email]) is not, and will help.
Short
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
I am out. My autoreply is in. Back [Back on]; [Who covers] at [Their email] handles emergencies.
Short
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice
Away until [Back on], pretending email does not exist. [Who covers] ([Their email]) believes in it.
Short
Skip if: the sender list includes clients or strangers who do not know your voice

What to leave out

Dropping the return date to save words. It is the one fact every sender wants.
Abbreviations like OOO or ASAP. Saving three words is not worth confusing a client.
Cutting the cover contact. "Back Monday" alone leaves urgent senders stuck.
A greeting and a sign-off. In a short reply they take up half the space.
An exclamation mark on every sentence. One is friendly; three read as automated cheer.

Filling it in

Pick a reply, fill in the return date and the cover contact, and check the result: it should fit on one line of a phone notification. For Slack or Teams status messages, which have tighter limits, use the platform pages instead.

Questions people ask

What is a good short out of office message?

"Away until October 14. For anything urgent, contact Priya Nair at priya.nair@yourcompany.com." That is twelve words and still answers the two questions every sender has: when you are back and who can help now. A short reply should drop greetings and sign-offs before it drops either of those facts.

How short can an out of office message be?

About ten words is the floor: a return date and a cover contact with an email address. Below that something important goes missing. The replies on this page run from ten to twenty-five words, which fits a phone notification preview and leaves room for a name at the end if you want one.