How to turn on Out of Office in Outlook

In Outlook on the web, go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right), then select View all Outlook settings. Click Mail, then Automatic replies. Toggle Turn on automatic replies to the on position. Set your start and end dates and times, write your message, and click Save.

In Outlook desktop (Windows or Mac), click File in the top menu, then Automatic Replies. Check the box next to Send automatic replies. Set your date and time range, type your message, and click OK. The message takes effect when ready and stops automatically on your end date.

Your out of office message will send to everyone who emails you during the active period. Most email systems send the reply only once per sender, so the same person won't receive multiple copies if they email you several times.

Key Takeaways

  • Out of office messages in Outlook are turned on through Settings (web) or File menu (desktop), and you must set both a start and end date for them to stop automatically.
  • Your message goes to every sender once per person, not once per email, so frequent senders will not be flooded with replies.
  • You can set different messages for people inside your organization and people outside it, which is useful if you want to give internal contacts more detail.
  • The message sends from your email address and appears to come from you, so keep the tone professional and include when you will return or who to contact in your absence.

Writing a message people will actually read

Keep your out of office message to two or three sentences. Say when you will return, whether you will have email access, and who to contact if the matter is urgent. If you are returning on a specific date, say "I will return on January 15" rather than "I will be back in two weeks," because the reader may not know what today's date is.

Example: "I am out of the office until January 15 with limited email access. For urgent matters, contact Sarah Chen at sarah.chen@company.com. I will reply to your email when I return."

Do not apologize for being away or use phrases like "I will get back to you as soon as possible." The reader already knows you are gone; they want to know what to do now.

Setting different messages for inside and outside your organization

If you use Outlook through a work or school account, you can send one message to people in your organization and a different message to everyone else. This is useful if you want to give coworkers a direct contact or more detail, but keep external senders' messages brief.

In Outlook on the web, after you turn on automatic replies, you will see two text boxes: one for Inside your organization and one for Outside your organization. Fill in whichever ones you need. If you leave one blank, no message sends to that group.

In Outlook desktop, click the Inside My Organization tab and the Outside My Organization tab to set separate messages. You can also choose to send a reply to outside senders only, leaving internal senders without a reply.

Turning off your out of office message early

If you return before your end date, go back to the same settings and toggle Turn on automatic replies to the off position (web) or uncheck Send automatic replies (desktop). The message will stop sending when ready.

You do not have to wait for the end date to pass. Turning it off manually is faster than waiting, especially if your plans change and you need to respond to emails right away.

What happens to emails while you are away

Your out of office message is a reply only — it does not affect where your emails go or whether they reach you. All messages still arrive in your inbox normally. The automatic reply straightforward tells the sender that you are away.

If you want to move incoming emails to a folder or set up rules while you are gone, that is a separate setting. Out of office messages and email rules work independently, so you can use both at the same time if you need to.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is forgetting to set an end date. If you do not set an end date, your message will keep sending indefinitely, even after you return. Always fill in both the start and end date and time.

Another mistake is turning on out of office and then forgetting about it. Set a phone reminder for your return date so you remember to turn it off. If you are returning on a Friday morning, set the reminder for Thursday evening.

Do not include your phone number or home address in your out of office message unless you are certain you want external people to have it. Keep contact information limited to a work email or a colleague's name.

Out of office on shared mailboxes and group accounts

If you have access to a shared mailbox or group email account, you can set automatic replies for that account separately from your personal mailbox. In Outlook on the web, select the shared mailbox from the folder list on the left, then go to Settings and Automatic replies as usual.

In Outlook desktop, you may need to set up the shared mailbox as a separate account or use a different method depending on your organization's setup. Ask your IT department or help desk if you are unsure how to access automatic replies for a shared account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my out of office message send to mailing lists or group emails?

Yes. If you are on a mailing list and someone sends to the list, your out of office reply will go to the sender. This can result in many replies if you are on large lists. Some organizations turn off automatic replies for mailing list traffic, so check with your IT department if you are concerned about this.

Can I schedule my out of office message to start at a future date?

Yes. Set the start date and time to whenever you want the message to begin, and the end date to when you want it to stop. You can turn on automatic replies now and have them take effect later. This is useful if you are planning a vacation weeks in advance.

What if I set the wrong end date?

Go back to automatic replies settings and change the end date to the correct one. If you have already returned and the message is still sending, turn it off when ready. There is no penalty for changing it; just update it and save.

Does my out of office message send to people I have blocked or marked as spam?

No. Blocked senders and spam-filtered emails do not trigger automatic replies. Your out of office message only sends to emails that reach your inbox normally.

Can I use HTML or special formatting in my out of office message?

In Outlook on the web, you can use basic formatting like bold and italics. In Outlook desktop, the formatting options depend on your email account type. Plain text is safest and most reliable across all email systems, so keep your message straightforward unless you have a specific reason to format it.