How to set automatic out of office reply (away message) in Outlook

Determine Outlook email account type

To set up an automatic out-of-office message in Outlook, you need to know what type of email account you have. There are different methods for Exchange, POP/POP3, IMAP and SMTP accounts.

Here is how you can find out your account type and create your auto reply accordingly.

1. Go to the File tab on the top left corner of the ribbon.
2. In the Info section, under Account Information, select the account you want to use and look at the options below.
   • For Microsoft Exchange account, you will see the Automatic Replies (Out of Office) option. Click on it and follow the instructions.
   • For POP3 and IMAP accounts, the Automatic Replies feature is not available. Instead, you can create a rule to send your out of office notification.

Now, let's explore how to set up an automatic reply for each of these account types.

How to set automatic out of office message in Outlook

To send an auto reply in Outlook with an Exchange account, follow these simple steps:

1. In the Outlook desktop app, click on the File tab in the top left corner.
2. In the Info section, click the Automatic Replies (Out of Office) button.
3. In the dialog window that appears, select Send automatic replies.

   Optionally, you can define a date range to deactivate auto replies when the specified end date is reached. If you don't set a date range, you'll need to turn them off manually when you return.

4. On the Inside My Organization tab, enter the message you want your coworkers to receive while you are away.
5. On the Outside My Organization tab, write the message you want to send to external contacts. Be careful when choosing to auto reply to Anyone outside my organization, as this will send your “away message” to every incoming email, including advertisements, newsletters, and junk email. To prevent this, it's advisable to choose My contacts only.
6. Click OK to save your settings.

That’s it! Your Outlook out-of-office message is now set up and will be automatically sent to people who email you during your holiday or business trip.

How to set an away message for Outlook POP/IMAP accounts

When it comes to setting up out-of-office notifications for POP and IMAP/SMTP accounts in Outlook, the process is a bit different from Exchange accounts. These types of accounts lack the built-in feature for automatic replies, so you'll need to create an email template and configure a rule to respond with that template to every message you receive. This method is applicable across various versions of Outlook, from 2010 to 365. Let's get started!

How to set out of office reply in new Outlook

The new Outlook for Windows has a simpler way of creating an out-of-office message:

1. Click the View tab and select View settings.
2. Choose Accounts > Automatic Replies and toggle on the Turn on automatic replies switch.
3. To define a time period, check the Send replies only during a specific time period box. Then, enter the start and end dates and times.
4. Under Send automatic replies inside your organization, type the message that you want to send to your colleagues. You can use the formatting options to change the font, size, color, or alignment of your text.

   If you also want to send an out of office message to people outside your organization, tick the Send replies outside your organization box and write the message that you want them to receive.

5. To limit the recipients, you can select the Send replies only to contacts box. This option ensures that your away messages are exclusively sent to contacts in your address book, excluding emails from unknown or unwanted sources.
6. Once you've configured all the desired settings, hit Save.

Your out-of-office reply in the new Outlook is good to go and will be sent to anyone who emails you while you're away.

For more details, please refer to New Outlook rules guide.

How to create auto reply in Outlook on the web and Outlook.com

Creating an out of office reply in Outlook Online and Outlook.com is a straightforward process, much like in the new Outlook for Windows. Here's a simple guide to get you started:

1. In the upper right corner, click Settings (the gear icon). Alternatively, on the View tab, click View Settings.
2. In the left pane, click Mail, then choose Automatic replies.
3. Click on the Turn on automatic replies toggle to activate the feature.
4. You can choose to send automatic messages only for a specific time period by checking the box next to Send replies only during a time period and entering the start and end dates. If you don't choose a time period, your away messages will stay on until you turn them off manually.
5. You can also select some additional options for your calendar and meetings.
6. Type the message that you want to send as an auto reply to people inside your organization and, optionally, to people outside your organization as well.
7. When you're done, click the Save button at the bottom of the window.

How to turn off out of office messages in Outlook

The method of turning off your Outlook auto replies vary depending on your Outlook version and account type. Below are instructions for the most common scenarios.

Disable out-of-office rule in Outlook

If you've set up an away message rule for a POP or IMAP account, you need to disable the rule manually when you come back because the rule does not have a built-in time limit.

Here's how you can do that:

1. In Outlook, click File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. In the Rules and Alerts dialog box, look for the rule associated with your “away message” and uncheck the box next to it.
3. Click OK to save the changes.

Tip. To ensure you don't forget to disable your rule, you can set a reminder in Outlook by creating a new task with a reminder alert.