1. Home
  2. Email and Calendar
  3. Set an Automatic Reply message

Set an Automatic Reply message

This article will walk you through setting and configuring your Automatic Reply (Out-of-office Message) in Outlook.

Outlook Online

  1. Log in to Outlook Online.
  2. Click the Gear icon near the upper-right corner to open the Settings menu.Settings gear icon
  3. Under Mail, click Automatic replies.
    Settings window with Account and Automatic Replies highlighted
  4. Toggle Automatic replies on, then optionally set the time period, checking the boxes beneath as desired.
    Exchange Online Automatic replies time period settings.
  5. Enter your automatic reply for those inside your organization.
    Exchange Online Compose replies for inside organization.
  6. Optionally, check the box to Send replies outside your organization and enter another automatic reply.
    Exchange Online compose reply for outside organization.
  7. Click Save.
    Exchange Online click Save.

You should now have an automatic reply configured for this email account. To make changes, edit your messages, then click Save again.

(new) Outlook for Windows

  1. Open Outlook. One way to do this is to open the Start Menu (), click All >, and then scroll down to Outlook.
    New Outlook app icon
  2. Click the Settings icon () in the upper-right corner of the window.
  3. Under Mail, click Automatic replies.
    Settings window with Account and Automatic Replies highlighted
  4. Toggle Automatic replies on, then optionally set the time period, checking the boxes beneath as desired.
    Exchange Online Automatic replies time period settings.
  5. Enter your automatic reply for those inside your organization.
    Exchange Online Compose replies for inside organization.
  6. Optionally, check the box to Send replies outside your organization and enter another automatic reply.
    Exchange Online compose reply for outside organization.
  7. Click Save.
    Exchange Online click Save.

Outlook (classic) for Windows

  1. Open Outlook (classic). One way to do this is to open the Start Menu (), click All >, and then scroll down to Outlook (classic).
    Outlook Classic app icon
  2. Open the File menu from the Outlook Ribbon.
    Outlook 365 File tab.
  3. Click Automatic Replies.
    Outlook 365 Automatic replies.
  4. Toggle Send automatic replies on. Optionally, choose Only send during this time range and choose the dates you’ll be away. Compose your reply for Inside My Organization in the provided box.
    Outlook 365 compose Automatic Reply.
  5. Optionally, select Outside My Organization, check the box to Auto-reply to people outside my organization, compose a new or the same reply in the box provided, and click OK.
    Outlook Replies Outside Organization.

(new) Microsoft Outlook for macOS

    1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
      Outlook app icon
    2. Expand the Tools menu at the top of the screen and select Automatic Replies….
      Tools menu with Automatic Replies highlighted

Outlook Versions

If your Automatic Replies window does not look like the one described here, scroll down to the (legacy) Microsoft Outlook for macOS instructions instead.

  1. Ensure the account that needs to send automatic replies is selected to the right of Accounts and toggle the Send Automatic Replies switch on.
    Automatic Reply Account and toggle switch
  2. Select your preferred font settings and compose your automatic reply Message for inside your organization in the text box.
    Automatic Reply Inside Your Organization text box
  3. Optionally, check the box to the left of Message for outside your organization and compose an additional message below.
    Message for Outside Your Organization checkbox and text box
  4. Close the Automatic Replies window (there is no “save” button).

(legacy) Microsoft Outlook for macOS

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
    macOS Spotlight search for Outlook
  2. Expand the Tools menu from the top of the screen.
  3. Select Automatic Replies….Outlook for Mac Automatic Replies selected from Tools menu
  4. Check the box to Send automatic replies for account “youremail@uvm.edu”.
  5. Compose your reply for senders within my organization, optionally select the time period and outside my organization options, compose your reply for senders outside my organization, and click OK.
    Automatic Replies window example

Updated on March 13, 2026

Related Articles

Not the solution you were looking for?
Don’t worry we’re here to help!
Submit a Help Ticket