Set your out of office message in Outlook in under two minutes

An out of office reply tells anyone who emails you that you are away and when you will return. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right), select "Mail," then "Automatic replies." Turn on the toggle, write your message, set your return date, and save. In Outlook desktop, go to File, then "Automatic Replies" or "Out of Office." The process is the same: turn it on, write what you want people to know, pick when it stops, and confirm.

Your message should be short — one or two sentences. Tell people you are away, when you will be back, and whether they should contact someone else if it is urgent. If you do not want to give a specific date, you can write "I will respond when I return" instead.

Key Takeaways

  • Outlook's automatic reply feature sends the same message to everyone who emails you while you are away, so you only set it once.
  • You can turn the reply on and off from any device — the setting applies to your whole account, not just one computer.
  • Your message goes to everyone except people already in your contacts, unless you change that setting.
  • The reply sends only once per person per conversation, so the same person will not get ten copies if they email you ten times.
  • If you forget to turn it off when you return, you can disable it from your phone or any other device with internet access.

Where to find automatic replies in Outlook on the web

Open Outlook in your web browser and look for the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen. Click it and select "View all Outlook settings." In the left sidebar, click "Mail," then scroll down to find "Automatic replies." Click that option.

You will see a toggle switch that says "Turn on automatic replies." Click it to turn the feature on. A text box will appear where you can type your message. Write something like "I am out of the office until January 15 and will respond to your email when I return. For urgent matters, contact Sarah at sarah@company.com."

Below the message box, you will see a field that says "Only send during this time range." Click the calendar icon next to "Start time" and pick the date you are leaving. Click the calendar icon next to "End time" and pick the date you return. Outlook will automatically turn off your reply at the end time, so you do not have to remember to disable it yourself.

Where to find automatic replies in Outlook desktop

Open Outlook on your computer. At the top of the screen, click "File." In the menu that opens, look for "Automatic Replies" or "Out of Office" — the exact name depends on which version of Outlook you have. Click it.

A window will open with a tab that says "Inside My Organization." Click the radio button next to "Send automatic replies." In the text box below, type your message. If you want to send a different message to people outside your company, click the tab that says "Outside My Organization" and type a separate message there.

At the bottom of the window, you will see fields for "Start time" and "End time." Click in the "Start time" field and pick the date and time you are leaving. Click in the "End time" field and pick when you return. Click "OK" to save your settings.

What your message should say

Keep your out of office message brief. Most people just need to know three things: that you are away, when you will be back, and what to do if it is urgent. A message like "I am out of the office until January 15. I will respond to your email when I return" works fine.

If your job means people often need when ready help, add a contact name. For example: "I am out of the office until January 15. For urgent matters, please contact Michael at michael@company.com." Do not include your phone number or home address — your out of office message goes to strangers as well as people you know.

If you do not want to commit to a specific date, you can write "I am out of the office with limited email access. I will respond when I return." This works well if you are not sure exactly when you will be back.

Who receives your out of office reply

By default, Outlook sends your automatic reply to everyone who emails you, except people already in your contacts. If you want to change this, you can. In Outlook on the web, look for the option "Send replies to" and choose whether you want replies to go to everyone, only people outside your organization, or only people in your contacts.

In Outlook desktop, the tabs at the top of the Automatic Replies window let you set different messages for "Inside My Organization" and "Outside My Organization." You can turn the reply on for one group and off for the other. For example, you might send a reply to external clients but not to your coworkers.

Outlook sends your reply only once per person per conversation. If someone emails you five times while you are away, they will get your automatic reply only the first time. This prevents your inbox from looking like spam to the people who contact you.

Turn off your out of office reply when you return

If you set an end date when you created your reply, Outlook will turn it off automatically at that time. You do not have to do anything. However, if you did not set an end date, or if you return early, you need to turn it off manually.

In Outlook on the web, go back to Settings, Mail, and Automatic replies. Click the toggle to turn off the reply. In Outlook desktop, go to File, then Automatic Replies, and click the radio button next to "Do not send automatic replies." Click OK.

If you are away from your computer, you can turn off your reply from your phone. Open Outlook on your phone, go to Settings, find Automatic replies, and turn it off. The change takes effect when ready across all your devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send different messages to different people?

In Outlook desktop, yes — you can send one message to people inside your organization and a different one to people outside. In Outlook on the web, you can only set one message for everyone. If you need different replies for different groups, desktop Outlook is your better option.

What happens if I forget to turn off my out of office reply?

If you set an end date, Outlook turns it off automatically. If you did not set an end date and you forget, your reply will keep sending to everyone who emails you. You can turn it off anytime from any device with internet access — you do not have to be at your computer.

Will my out of office reply send to spam or marketing emails?

No. Outlook only sends automatic replies to real email addresses that send you messages. Spam and marketing emails do not trigger your reply, so you will not accidentally respond to thousands of unwanted messages.

Can I set up an out of office reply on my phone?

Yes. Open the Outlook app on your phone, go to Settings, find Automatic replies, and turn it on. You can type your message and set dates the same way you would on a computer. The setting applies to your whole account, so it works whether you check email on your phone, computer, or web browser.

What if I want to check my email while I am away?

Your out of office reply does not stop you from reading or sending emails. You can check your inbox anytime and reply to specific messages if you want to. The automatic reply just goes to anyone who emails you — it does not prevent you from using Outlook normally.