You are heading out, and you want every incoming email to get an automatic "I'm away" reply without you touching your inbox. Outlook.com calls this an automatic reply (you may also see it called Out of Office), and it runs on Microsoft's servers, so it keeps replying even with your computer and phone switched off.
The fastest way is the web version at Outlook.com, but the same feature lives in the Outlook apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. This guide walks through each surface, quickest first, with the exact menu paths, then covers the limits worth knowing before you leave.
One thing to check before you start: true server-side automatic replies are built for Microsoft accounts (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, Exchange, or Microsoft 365). If you added a Gmail, Yahoo!, or other POP/IMAP account to Outlook, that account does not support the native feature, and you will need the rules method covered near the end.
Turn On Automatic Replies in Outlook.com (Web)
This is the quickest route and works from any desktop browser. The reply lives on Microsoft's servers, so it fires whether or not you are signed in.
- 1.Sign in to Outlook.com (Outlook on the web) in a desktop browser.
- 2.Select the Settings icon (gear) at the top of the page.
- 3.Go to Accounts > Automatic replies. In the classic web layout this may instead appear under Mail > Automatic replies.
- 4.Turn on the "Turn on automatic replies" toggle.
- 5.(Recommended) Select the "Send replies only during a time period" check box, then enter a start time and an end time. If you skip this, the reply stays on until you turn it off by hand.
- 6.In the message box at the bottom, type the message you want senders to receive while you are away. Use the formatting toolbar to change font, color, or add an emoji.
- 7.(Optional) Select "Send replies outside your organization" to also reply to external senders.
- 8.Select "Save" at the top of the pane.
To turn it off, return to Settings > Accounts > Automatic replies and switch the "Automatic replies on" toggle off. If you set an end time, it switches off on its own at that moment.
Add Calendar Options for the Same Time Period
When you set a time period on the web, Outlook.com unlocks a few calendar controls that apply only for that period. They are optional, and they appear once a time range is enabled.
- "Block my calendar for this period" marks you busy.
- "Automatically decline new invitations for events that occur during this period" turns down fresh invites.
- "Decline and cancel my meetings during this period" clears meetings already on your calendar.
Each of these is tied to the dates you chose for the auto-reply, so they only act during that window.
Set It Up in New Outlook for Windows
If you use the new Outlook desktop app on Windows, the setting moved into View settings.
- 1.Open the new Outlook for Windows app.
- 2.On the "View" tab, select "View settings".
- 3.Select "Accounts" > "Automatic Replies".
- 4.Turn on the "Turn on automatic replies" toggle.
- 5.(Optional) Check "Send replies only during a time period" and enter start and end times.
- 6.Under "Send automatic replies inside your organization", type your away message.
- 7.(Optional) Select "Send replies outside your organization" and add a separate message for external senders. Microsoft recommends choosing "Send replies only to contacts" to avoid replying to newsletters and ads.
- 8.Select "Save".
To stop replies, reopen the same Automatic Replies pane and switch the toggle off.
Set It Up in Classic Outlook for Windows
The classic desktop app uses the File menu, but only for Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts. Confirm support first.
- 1.Select "File" on the ribbon. If you see an "Automatic Replies" button, your account supports it. If you do not, the account type is unsupported (Gmail, Yahoo!, POP/IMAP), and you must use the rules method instead.
- 2.Select "File" > "Automatic Replies".
- 3.Select "Send automatic replies".
- 4.(Optional) Check the box to set a date and time range so replies turn off automatically.
- 5.On the "Inside My Organization" tab, type your auto-reply message.
- 6.(If enabled) Use the "Outside My Organization" tab to set an external message and choose contacts-only versus everyone.
- 7.Select "OK".
To turn it off, select the "Turn off" button shown under the ribbon, or wait for your end date.
Set It Up in the Outlook Mobile App (iOS and Android)
The mobile app supports automatic replies for Microsoft 365, Exchange, Exchange (Hybrid), and Outlook.com accounts.
- 1.Open the Outlook app, tap the menu or profile icon, then tap the "Settings" (gear) icon.
- 2.Tap the mail account you want the auto-reply for.
- 3.Tap "Automatic Replies" and toggle the switch on.
- 4.(Optional) Turn on the time-period option and set a start and end time.
- 5.(Optional) Turn on the calendar-block option to create an event showing you out of office, and give the event a name.
- 6.Choose "Reply to everyone" or "Reply only to my organization".
- 7.If you chose "Reply to everyone", choose whether to "Use different messages" for internal versus external senders.
- 8.Type your message, then tap the check mark to save.
Set It Up in Outlook for Mac
On Mac the feature lives under the Tools menu. It is not supported for Gmail, Yahoo!, or other POP/IMAP accounts.
- 1.In the navigation pane, select "Mail".
- 2.Select the "Tools" menu, then select "Automatic Replies".
- 3.Select your account from the drop-down menu, then turn on the toggle next to "Send Automatic Replies".
- 4.Under "Message for inside your organization", enter your reply text.
- 5.(Optional) Check the box to "Send replies during a specific time period" and set start and end dates and times; replies turn off automatically when the end time passes.
- 6.(Optional, if your Exchange admin allows it) Check "Message for outside your organization", choose "Send only to my contacts" or "Send to everyone", and enter that reply text.
- 7.Close the Automatic Replies window to save.
To turn it off, go back to Mail > Tools > Automatic Replies and toggle off "Send Automatic Replies".
Use a Rule When Automatic Replies Is Not Available
If your account is Gmail, Yahoo!, or another POP/IMAP type, or classic Outlook does not show the Automatic Replies button, the documented fallback is a rule-based reply. You compose a reply template, then create an Inbox rule that replies using that template (Microsoft's article "Use rules to create an out of office message in Outlook" walks through it).
Two caveats matter here. A rules-based reply is client-side, so Outlook and the PC generally need to stay running for it to send. And a stray template rule can keep replying even after you think you have turned things off, so remember to remove it when you return.
Know These Limits Before You Leave
The built-in reply behaves in specific ways that are easy to misread as bugs.
- The reply is sent only once to each person while you are away, no matter how many emails they send you.
- Toggling automatic replies off and then on resets that once-per-sender history, so people who already got a reply can receive another one.
- To reply to every single message instead of once per sender, the built-in feature cannot do it; you would need a server-side rule.
- External replies are all-or-nothing: turning on replies outside your organization sends to every external email, including newsletters, ads, and possibly junk. Where the "Send replies only to contacts" option exists, Microsoft recommends it to limit exposure. The personal Outlook.com web page offers only "Send replies outside your organization", not a contacts-only checkbox.
- If a message is classified as spam and lands in Junk, no automatic reply is generated for it.
- A mailbox cannot have SMTP forwarding and automatic replies active at the same time; with forwarding enabled, no out-of-office replies are generated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to set an end date?
No. The end date is optional. If you do not set a time period, your automatic reply stays on until you manually turn it off by switching the "Automatic replies on" toggle off.
Why did one sender only get a single reply, even though they emailed me several times?
That is by design. The out-of-office reply is sent only once to each person who emails you while you are away, even if you receive multiple messages from them.
Will replies go to people outside my company or contacts?
Only if you turn on the external option. Be aware it is a firehose: it replies to every external email, including newsletters and ads. Where a contacts-only choice is offered (Mac, mobile, and work or school Exchange), use it to narrow who gets a reply.
My Gmail or Yahoo! account in Outlook has no Automatic Replies button. What now?
That feature is built only for Microsoft accounts on Exchange, Microsoft 365, or Outlook.com. For other account types, use the rules method: create a reply template and an Inbox rule that replies with it. Note the rule needs Outlook running to send.
I turned the feature off, but replies are still going out. Why?
A manual rule made earlier from an out-of-office template can keep sending even when the built-in feature is off. In classic Outlook, check File > Automatic Replies > Rules, select the stray rule, and delete it.
The web setting is under Accounts for me but Mail for a friend. Which is right?
Both are valid. Microsoft's pages show the path as either Accounts > Automatic replies or Mail > Automatic replies, because the menu grouping varies by which web layout has rolled out to your account. Open Settings and look for "Automatic replies" in either spot.
