Setting Out-of-Office Automatic Email Replies

Modified on Sat, Nov 28, 2020 at 1:20 PM

Going on vacation? Out of town for a conference? Use the Automatic Replies feature in Outlook while you are out of the office.
  1. 1. Access Automatic Replies Settings

    In Outlook, click the File menu in the top-left corner, then click Automatic Replies.
  2. 2. Set Replies

    Set the top radio button to "Send automatic replies."
    Check the "Only send during this time range" box, and enter the date(s) you will be away.
    Type in your custom message in the bottom text box. You can create a message that will be sent internally in response to FFL e-mails, and a separate message that will be sent outside FFL.
  3. 3. Set E-mail Rules

    In the bottom-left of the Automatic Replies window, you can set "Rules..." for incoming e-mails during your absence.
    Click Rules, then click Add Rule. Set the conditions for an inbound message on which you would like an action to be taken.
    For example, an e-mail from "John Smith" can be moved to a specific folder you choose, or an e-mail with a subject line that you indicate (e.g. "Emergency") can be immediately forwarded to another employee.
    Once you set the action(s) you would like, click OK and the rule will be added to the Automatic Reply Rules list.
  4. 4. Turn off Automatic Replies early

    If you return to the office before the scheduled Out-of-Office setting end time, you can simply go to the File menu in Outlook and click "Turn off" under the Automatic Replies header.

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