Outlook’s out of office reply (also called an automatic reply) sends a preset message to anyone who emails you while you are away. You can set different messages for internal colleagues and external contacts, and schedule it to turn on and off automatically. Here is how to set it up.
Setting an Out of Office Reply in Outlook (Desktop)
- Go to File → Automatic Replies
- Select Send automatic replies
- Tick Only send during this time range and set your start and end dates — this means the reply turns on and off automatically without you needing to remember
- Write your reply in the message box
If you do not tick the time range, the auto-reply stays on until you turn it off manually. This is easy to forget, so the time range option is recommended.
Different Messages for Inside and Outside Your Organisation
The Automatic Replies dialog has two tabs: Inside My Organisation and Outside My Organisation. This lets you send a more detailed or personal message to colleagues while sending a professional generic message to external contacts.
Under the Outside My Organisation tab, you can also choose to reply only to people in your contacts list, or to everyone. Limiting it to contacts reduces the risk of confirming your absence to spam senders.
Setting an Out of Office in Outlook Web Access (OWA)
If you use Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com):
- Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right
- Search for “automatic replies” or go to Mail → Automatic replies
- Toggle on Turn on automatic replies
- Set the start and end dates
- Write your message — separate boxes are available for inside and outside your organisation
- Click Save
What to Include in Your Out of Office Message
A good out of office reply should cover:
- Dates: when you are away and when you return
- Response timing: when you will reply (e.g. “I will respond on my return on 15 April”)
- Urgent contact: who to contact if the matter cannot wait — a colleague’s name and email address
- Context (optional): brief mention of why you are away — not required but normal for internal messages
Keep it concise. A two to three sentence internal message is sufficient. External messages should be slightly more formal.
Checking If an Out of Office Is Active
To check if your auto-reply is currently on: go to File → Automatic Replies in the desktop app, or the Settings → Automatic replies in OWA. The current status is shown at the top. A yellow information bar also appears at the top of Outlook when automatic replies are enabled — easy to spot if you forgot to turn it off after returning.
Turning Off an Out of Office Reply
If you did not set an end date, turn it off manually:
- Desktop Outlook: File → Automatic Replies → select Do not send automatic replies
- OWA: Settings → Automatic replies → toggle off
- From the yellow info bar: click Turn off in the yellow bar at the top of Outlook
Out of Office on a Shared Mailbox
To set an automatic reply on a shared mailbox (not your personal mailbox), open the shared mailbox in OWA by switching accounts, or ask your IT administrator — shared mailbox auto-replies can only be configured from OWA or via PowerShell, not from the desktop app directly.
