Outlook Automatic Replies, often called Out of Office, can send a preset reply while you are away. Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts can use built-in automatic replies, including separate messages for people inside and outside your organization.
Does this affect you?
Use this for Outlook for Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com on Windows, Mac, or the web. Personal IMAP and POP accounts may not have built-in automatic replies and may need a rule-based workaround.
Set Automatic Replies in Outlook desktop for Windows
Use this with Microsoft 365 or Exchange work and school accounts.
- Open Outlook and go to File.
- Click Automatic Replies (Out of Office).
- Select Send automatic replies.
- Optionally choose Only send during this time range and set start and end times.
- On Inside My Organization, write the message coworkers should receive.
- On Outside My Organization, enable replies to outside senders and write a separate message.
- Choose whether replies go to contacts only or anyone outside the organization.
- Click OK.
Replies begin immediately or at the scheduled start time. If an end time is set, Outlook turns them off automatically.
Set Automatic Replies on the web
Use this for Outlook on the web or Outlook.com.
- Sign in to Outlook in a browser.
- Open Settings.
- Choose View all Outlook settings.
- Go to Mail > Automatic replies.
- Turn automatic replies on.
- Set a time period if desired.
- Enter the reply message.
- For work or school accounts, enable and write an external reply if needed.
- Click Save.
More control
Use a rule when the feature is missing
If Automatic Replies does not appear, the account may be IMAP or POP. Create an Outlook template message and a rule that replies with that template. This usually works only while Outlook is open and connected.
Set replies on mobile
In the Outlook mobile app, open the menu, tap Settings, select the account, choose Automatic Replies, and turn it on with your message.
Check the schedule
If replies do not send, confirm the feature is set to Send automatic replies and that the current date and time are inside the scheduled window.
One reply per sender is normal
Outlook usually sends an automatic reply only once to each sender during an automatic-reply session, even if that person emails you several times.
Sources
- Microsoft Support – Send automatic out of office replies from Outlook (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Automatic replies in Outlook on the web (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Reply to email messages automatically without using an Exchange account (2024)