How to Set Out of Office in Outlook? Easy Way to Do It

Are you going somewhere and want to notify your colleagues that you’ll be away for some time? If you use Outlook for work-related email exchanges, you can set up Out of Office responses. Users can set Out of Office in Outlook on the Web or Outlook.com. The process is only a few minutes long, where you configure the settings to send automatic replies.

Both Windows and Mac users can use this feature. It is also possible to set up custom automatic replies on an Exchange server. This article will describe the entire process of setting automatic replies in Outlook. Further, you’ll also learn what to do if you cannot set Out of Office replies in the application.

 

The Steps to Set Out of Office in Outlook Desktop

Follow these points to create an automatic reply of being away from the office in Outlook Desktop.

• In Outlook, click the ‘File menu.
• This will give you an expanded menu.
• Here, tap ‘Automatic Replies.’
• This button is on the left part of the Outlook window.
• Now, tap the second radio button, “Send automatic replies’ at the top of the Automatic Replies window.
• After enabling this feature, you can enter the necessary details.
• For those on the Exchange server, the automatic Out of Office replies can only go to their colleagues in their organization.
• You can also choose to send Outlook vacation message.
• After turning on this feature, Outlook sends your Out of Office message as a response to the emails your colleagues send.
• Here, if you desire the ‘Away’ message in Outlook to be sent automatically between two dates and times, check the box beside ‘Only send during this time.’
• Then select a time period.
• But don’t check this box if you want to manually turn it off.

Composing Away Messages in Outlook

Use these points to write the automatic Out of Office response that Outlook will send to people who email you when you are on vacation.

• Tap on the ‘Inside My Organization’ tab.
• Some users can see just the ‘Automatic replies’ tab.
• Here, you need to compose your Out of Office reply.
• Write a message describing the dates you will not be working.
• Refer to other people who could be referred on your behalf.
• If you want to create a different message for people outside your organization, choose the ‘Outside My Organization’ tab.
• Finally, tap ‘OK’ to confirm the changes.
• Now that you have set Out of Office in Outlook, this feature will activate either immediately or on the specific dates you’ve mentioned.

 

How to Set Auto Reply in Outlook on the Web?

Are you using Outlook on the Web? Well, users of the web version can also configure Outlook vacation message. Here is how to do it.

• Go over to your Outlook page in your web browser.
• Now, sign in to your Outlook account if you haven’t already.
• After that, tap the ‘Settings’ icon. This is in the shape of a cog, and you can notice it at the top-right part.
• Now, choose ‘View all Outlook settings.’ This option is present at the lower part of the right sidebar.
• Upon selecting this option, the Settings window will display.
• In this window, click ‘Mail.’
• now, choose ‘Automatic replies.’
• Tap the ‘Turn on automatic replies’ option.
• Now, you can set the auto-reply dates by checking the ‘Send replies only during a time period’ box.
• However, if you desire to turn off auto-replies manually after coming from vacation, skip this step.
• Now create your Out of Office message.
• This is the response that people will get when they message you while you are away.
• Lastly, click ‘Save.’

 

What to Do If Your Outlook Doesn’t Have the Automatic Replies Feature?

Some users are not able to set out of Office in Outlook because their Outlook version doesn’t have the feature to create automatic replies. But it doesn’t mean you cannot create a vacation reply. You can do that by creating an Out of Office template and using rules.

• Hit ‘New email’ to create a new message.
• Begin typing out the subject and body of your away message in Outlook.
• In the subject line, input anything like ‘On vacation until 10/23/.’
• In the body, type the dates you will be away.
• It is also a good to add another contact information if someone needs urgent assistance while you are away.
• Keep the ‘To’ and ‘CC’ fields blank.
• Now, tap the ‘File’ menu.
• Click the ‘Save as’ option.
• Select ‘Outlook template (*.oft)’ as the file type.
• Now hit ‘Save.’
• Your template will get saved in the default location in C Drive.
• Move to the ‘File’ tab and choose ‘Manage Rules & Alerts.’
• Now tap the ‘New rule’ button. It is under the ‘Email Rules’ tab.
• In the ‘Rules’ dialog box, click the option ‘Apply rules on messages I receive.’
• Tap ‘Next’ to create the rule.
• Check the box beside ‘Reply using a specific template.’
• Now tap ‘ specific template.’
• From the ‘Look In’ drop-down, choose ‘User Templates in File System.’
• Choose your template and tap ‘Open.’
• Tap ‘Next.’
• You will now see the rules wizard, where you can input a rule name and set more exceptions.
• After giving your rule a name, enable it.
• Finally, tap ‘Finish’ to save the applied changes.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I set up Out of Office in Outlook for Delegate?

You can configure an Out of Office message in Exchange Admin Center. Note that you can adhere to this method only if you are the Exchange admin in your organization. If not, contact your IT department to configure the automatic response. Here are the steps to follow.

• Tap on your email account at the top-right.
• After that, choose ‘Another User.’
• Find the mailbox to modify.
• Now, select ‘Options’ followed by ‘Organize Email.’
• Lastly, choose ‘Automatic Replies.’

 

2. Can I set up Out of Office in Outlook for Delegate?

Administrators can set Out of Office in Outlook on a user’s mailbox in Microsoft 365. Follow these pointers to do so.

• Log into your Microsoft 365 portal.
• Go to ‘Users’ followed by ‘Active users.’
• If you have a shared mailbox, go to ‘Groups’ followed by ‘Shared Mailboxes.’
• Now choose a user with a Microsoft Exchange mailbox.
• Find ‘Mail Settings’ on the right.
• After that, select ‘Automatic replies.’