To put an out-of-office (automatic reply) message in Microsoft Outlook, follow these steps:
- Open Outlook and go to the File tab on the top left of the ribbon.
- Select "Automatic Replies" (sometimes called "Out of Office").
- If you don't see this option, it might be under "Info" or you may need to use Rules and Alerts to create an automatic reply instead
- In the Automatic Replies window, select "Send automatic replies."
- Optionally, set a date and time range for when the automatic replies should be active. This will automatically turn off the replies after the end time. If you don't set a range, you will need to turn off the replies manually
- Compose your out-of-office message in the text box on the Inside My Organization tab for colleagues within your company.
- You can also set a different message on the Outside My Organization tab for external contacts, such as clients or vendors. You can choose to send replies to all external senders or only your contacts
- Click OK to save and activate your automatic replies.
- When you return, you can disable the automatic replies by going back to File > Automatic Replies and selecting Turn off
Additional tips:
- Provide a clear, concise message stating your absence, expected return date, and alternate contact if urgent
- Avoid sharing personal details.
- You can also block out your time on the Outlook calendar as "Out of Office" to show your availability visually
This process works for the classic Outlook desktop app on Windows and Mac. For Outlook on the web or mobile, the steps are similar but accessed through settings or gear icons
. Summary:
Step| Action
---|---
1. Open Outlook| Click File
2. Select Automatic Replies| Click Automatic Replies
3. Enable replies| Select Send automatic replies
4. Set date range (optional)| Choose start and end times
5. Write message| Inside and outside organization tabs
6. Save| Click OK
7. Disable on return| Return to Automatic Replies and turn off
This setup ensures senders receive your out-of-office message automatically while you are away
