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The Out of Office Assistant in Microsoft Outlook allows you to set up an automatic reply that is sent to people who email you when you are unavailable or out of the office. The Out of Office feature is only available for users with a Microsoft Exchange account; however, Home users with non-Exchange accounts can create an out-of-the-office template and create a rule to have Outlook send the reply automatically. If you're unsure of which account you have, know that Exchange accounts are most commonly business or school accounts. This wikiHow will show you how to set up an out-of-office response in Outlook with both an Exchange and non-Exchange account.

1

Launch Microsoft Outlook on your personal computer. You'll find this application in the Start Menu.
2

Click Info in the File tab. You'll see this in the ribbon above your inbox, along with Home, Send/Receive, Folder, View, and Groups.
3
Click Automatic Replies (Out of Office) . This will open the Automatic Replies dialog box.
- If this option is not available, you may be using a non-Exchange account. Follow the method in this article to enable automatic replies for non-exchange accounts.
4
Click to select the box next to "Send Automatic Replies. " When you click the box, it will fill with a checkmark to indicate it has been enabled.
- If you want to specify a time, click to select the box next to "Only send during this time range," then select a start time and end time. For example, if you plan on going on vacation for two weeks, select the date range during which you'll be on vacation so the automatic response will only be active while you're out.
5

Click the Inside my organization tab. You'll see this above the large, blank text box.
6

Type the automatic reply you want sent to people who email you from your office or company. Only the addresses from the same domain (@wikiHow.com) will get the message you type here.
7

Click the Outside my organization tab. You'll see this above the large, blank text box.
8
Type the automatic reply you want sent to people who email you from outside your organization. For example, type a message explaining that you're unavailable, and refer questions and concerns to another contact from your office. Only emails sent from outside your domain (@wikiHow.com) will see the message you write here.
- There is a drop-down for font type and font size as well as buttons to format the text in your message.
9

Click OK . Individuals who email you while you're out of the office will receive the automatic replies you created. If you did not select a time range, the automatic response will send until you turn off the feature.^[1]

1

Launch Microsoft Outlook on your personal computer. You'll find this in the Start Menu.
2
Click Out of Office Assistant in the Tools tab. You'll find the Tools tab in the menu along the top left of the program window. The Out of Office Assistant dialog box will open.
- If this option is not available, you may be using a non-Exchange account. Follow the method in this article to enable automatic replies for non-exchange accounts.
3
Click to select the circle next to "Send Out of Office auto-replies. "
- If you want to specify a time, click to select the box next to "Only send during this time range," then select a start time and end time. For example, if you plan on going on vacation for two weeks, select the date range during which you'll be on vacation so the automatic response will only be active while you're out.
4

Click the Inside my organization tab. You'll see this above the large, blank text box.
5

Type the automatic reply you want sent to people who email you from your office or company. Only the addresses from the same domain (@wikiHow.com) will get the message you type here. For example, explain you'll be out of the office for the day, and that your manager will be responsible for your duties while you're gone.
6

Click the Outside my organization tab. You'll see this above the large, blank text box.
7
Type the automatic reply you want sent to people who email you from outside your organization. For example, type a message explaining that you're unavailable, and refer questions and concerns to another contact from your office. Only emails sent from outside your domain (@wikiHow.com) will see the message you write here.
- There is a drop-down for font type and font size as well as buttons to format the text in your message.
8

Click OK . Individuals who email you while you're out of the office will receive the automatic replies you created. If you did not select a time range, the automatic response will send until you turn off the feature.^[2]

1

Launch Microsoft Outlook on your personal computer. You'll find this program in the Start Menu.
2
Click Out of Office Assistant in the Tools tab. You'll find the Tools tab in the menu along the top left of the program window. The Out of Office Assistant dialog box will open.
- If this option is not available, you may be using a non-Exchange account. Follow the method in this article to enable automatic replies for non-exchange accounts.
3

Click to select the circle next to "I am currently Out of the Office. "
4

Type a message in the text box. Individuals who email you will receive your reply just one time until you arrive back at the office.
5

Click OK . All parties who email you will receive your Out of Office reply indefinitely, or until you select "I am currently in the office."^[3]

1

Launch Microsoft Outlook on your personal computer. You'll find this in the Start Menu.
2

Click New Email in the Home tab. You'll see the tab in the ribbon above your inbox, along with File, Send/Receive, Folder, View, and Groups. A blank email will open.
3
Edit the out-of-office template email. Leave the To… and CC… lines blank.
- Type a subject for the email, like "Out of office" so people know they are getting an automatic response from you.
- Type the reply you want automatically sent to those who email you into the body of the email message. This message will be used as your "out-of-the-office" template.
4

Click the File tab and click Save As . This will open the "Save As" dialog box.
5

Click Outlook Template from the "Save as type" dropdown menu.
6

Type a name for the message template, then click Save . This template can now be used whenever you're not available via email on your personal Outlook account.
7

Click the File tab and click Manage Rules and Alerts . To have your template automatically sent to users while you're unavailable, you must create a rule that instructs Outlook to automatically reply to emails using this template.
8

Click New Rule . You'll see this under the Email Rules tab. A Rule Wizard dialog box will pop up to walk you through creating a rule.
9
Click to select "Apply rules on messages I receive. " You'll see this under the "Start from a blank rule" header.
- Click Next twice to proceed creating the rule. You'll be clicking Next in a page with options, but you want to leave the boxes blank for Step 1 and 2 blank for your rule to work.
10

Click the box next to "reply using a specific template. " You'll see this under the header "What do you want to do with the message?"
11

Click the "a specific template" link in Step 2. A box will pop up.
12
Select "User Templates in File System" from the "Look In" dropdown menu.
- Double-click to select the template you created earlier to use as your out-of-office automatic reply.
13
Click Next . You're directed to the last step in the Rules Wizard where you can name your rule, set exceptions, and review it.
- Type a name for the auto-reply rule you created.
14

Click Finish . Any users who email you will now receive the automatic reply you created using the template.^[4]

Add New Question

Question

How do you set an out of office reply to go out anytime you are out of the office on the calandar? Or set it to send out of office replies every Monday if that is your day off?

You can choose specific date span while creating Outlook rules. Each time after that period you will need to reset the rule dates for next vacation/out of office period.
Question

How do I stop the out-of-office reply in non-Exchange accounts?

Use the same method which started to send auto replies. For exchange account, choose Out of Office Assistant and uncheck the option of sending auto replies. For template method, you just simply remove the rule you created.
Question

How do I get Out of Office Assistant?

You need to have an Exchange server or Office365 account.
Question

Do I need to leave computer on, or can it be switched off?

If you are using and Exchange account, then you do not need to leave computer on. For template options with rules, you need to leave the computer on.

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Consider adding the actual dates during which you'll be out of the office, as well as alternate points of contact to your automatic out-of-the-office reply. This can help keep individuals informed as to when they can reach you again, and who they need to contact in your absence.

About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Launch Outlook.
2. Click File and Info.
3. Click Automatic Replies.
4. Select the box next to "Send Automatic Replies."
5. Write email messages in Inside my organization and Outside my organization tabs.
6. Click OK.

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