Out-of-office & auto-replies

Going on vacation, attending a conference, or taking any time away from your inbox? An out-of-office auto-reply lets everyone who emails you know when to expect a response. This guide shows you how to set one up.

What you'll need

• Access to your email account (webmail or desktop app)
• Your away dates
• An alternative contact name and email (optional but recommended)

What to write in an out-of-office message

A good auto-reply is short and helpful. Include:

1. That you're away and when you'll return
2. Whether you're checking email periodically or not at all
3. Who to contact if the matter is urgent

Example:

Thank you for your email. I'm out of the office from Monday 2 June and returning on Monday 9 June. I'll respond to your message when I'm back.

For urgent matters, please contact Sarah at sarah@yourbusiness.com.

Keep it brief. Avoid listing your personal mobile number in an auto-reply — it's publicly visible to anyone who emails you.

Setting up an out-of-office reply

Tips

• Set an end date. Forgetting to turn off your out-of-office after you return looks unprofessional. Setting an automatic end date prevents this.
• Keep it professional. Your out-of-office is sent to clients, suppliers, and anyone who emails you.
• Gmail leaves some mail alone. Google says emails that land in your spam folder, or that were sent to a mailing list you subscribe to, don't get your vacation reply.
• Include a contact for urgent matters. Make sure that person knows they're listed — and that they'll check their email.
• For shared mailboxes: Out-of-office replies can be set on shared mailboxes too. See Shared mailboxes explained.

Setting up auto-replies for your website contact form

If your contact form sends notifications to your email, those notifications will still arrive while you're away — but your website's contact form itself doesn't know you're gone. If you want visitors to see a message about your availability, you'll need to update the form confirmation message or your website's content separately.

Common questions

Will everyone get an auto-reply, or only the first email from each person?

Mostly the first email. Google says your Gmail reply is "only sent to people the first time they message you" in most cases — but the same person can get it again if they email you more than four days later while the responder is still on, or if you edit the reply after they've already had it. Microsoft says Outlook "automatically sends a customized message once to each person who emails you during your absence."

Can I set different messages for colleagues vs. external contacts?

Yes in Outlook: classic Outlook gives you an Inside My Organization tab and an Outside My Organization tab on a work or school account. Microsoft's own advice is to be careful with external replies, because they go out to every email you receive — newsletters, advertising and possibly junk — so it suggests limiting them to your contacts. In Gmail there's a single message, but you can choose to send it only to people in your contacts.

My out-of-office is still running after I came back. How do I turn it off?

Go back into the same settings and switch the responder off. In Gmail, a banner shows across the top of your inbox while the responder is on — click End now there. In classic Outlook, a message appears under the ribbon with a Turn off button.

Can I set an out-of-office on a shared inbox?

Yes, with a caveat on each platform. In Microsoft 365, only an admin can do it: in the admin center, go to Teams and groups → Shared mailboxes, select the mailbox, then click Edit under Automatic replies. In Google Workspace the vacation responder is a setting on the account itself, so if the shared address is its own user account, sign in to that account and set its responder as usual.

Related guides

• Email signatures
• Shared mailboxes (like support@) explained
• Gmail basics for business
• Outlook basics for business

Learn more

• Send an automatic reply when you're out of office — Gmail Help
• How to set up out of office automatic replies in Outlook — Microsoft Support