If you don’t have Office 365 at home, you can use the Windows 10 Mail app or Outlook.com to send automatic out-of-office replies.
If you’re using the Outlook app at work, chances are it’s running on your corporate mail server that the IT team manages. In that case, setting up an out-of-office reply is a simple process. If you’re at home, you can use Windows 10 Mail & Calendar app or Outlook.com to set up automatic replies, too. This is an excellent way to let people know that you’re away and don’t have access to your email (or that you’re ignoring messages).
Create an Auto-Reply in Windows 10 Mail
While it can be done in the Windows 10 Mail app, the features aren’t as robust as the actual Outlook app in Office 365. Launch the Mail app and head to Settings, and click on Automatic Replies.
Next, flip the Send Automatic Replies button to On and check the “Send replies outside of my organization” box. Then type in the message and info you want the recipients to know. You can also choose to have the auto-reply sent only to people in your contacts. This is a good option if you don’t want it going out to marketing emails and autogenerated ones from services you’re subscribed to.
Unlike Outlook.com or the desktop version, the Mail app doesn’t currently allow scheduling of auto-replies.
Create Auto Reply on Outlook.com
If you don’t use Outlook or the Mail app, you can create an auto-reply using Outlook on the web. Note that the following screenshots are from the current version of Outlook.com and not the newer Beta version. After logging in, click Settings (gear icon) in the upper-right corner and choose Automatic replies.
Next, select the “Send automatic replies” option and check “Send replies only during this time period,” and choose the dates when you’ll be away. Type in the message explaining why you’re out and anything else you want the recipient to know in the text box. You can also select optional settings like blocking your calendar and choosing who sees the auto-reply message. When you have everything set, click OK at the top.
I should also note that if you’re using a personal email account, like Gmail or from your ISP, the process is more complex than using Outlook with Exchange. You need to create a template and a new rule. Sound complicated, but we have your back — read our article on how to create an auto-reply in Outlook with POP or IMAP accounts.
If you’re using Outlook with a shared calendar at home, make sure to check out our article on how to create an Outlook Calendar out of office entry. And, if you’re running a version of Office older than 2013, check out one of the articles listed below on creating automatic out-of-office replies.
An out of office message is an essential tool for anyone who sends and receives a lot of email, since you can use it to keep contacts informed if you're unable to reply to messages, whether it's just for an afternoon or for a weeklong vacation.
Unfortunately, support for out of office messages is spotty on the iPhone. The default Mail app only allows you to set up automated responses for Microsoft Exchange email accounts.
If you use Gmail on your iPhone, you can set up out of office responses in the Gmail app. And if you use the Outlook app, you have slightly more options, as it supports out of office messages for Exchange, Office 365, and Outlook.com accounts.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
iPhone Xs (From $999.99 at Best Buy)
How to set an out of office message on the iPhone's Mail app
1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap "Passwords and Accounts."
3. Tap the account you want to configure an out of office message for. Remember that this will only work for Microsoft Exchange accounts – if you try any other kind of account, like Gmail or IMAP, the option will not appear.
Tap the account you want to configure, as long as it's an Exchange account.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
4. Tap "Automatic Reply."
5. Turn Automatic Reply on by swiping the button to the right.
6. Set your away message and enter the end date, then tap "Save" in the upper right corner.
Complete the automatic message and tap "Save."Dave Johnson/Business Insider
How to set an out of office message on the iPhone's Outlook app
1. Start the Outlook app and tap the menu button at the top left of the screen.
2. Tap the gear icon at the bottom of the screen to open the Settings menu.
Open Settings by tapping the gear at the bottom of the side menu.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
3. Tap the account you want to configure an out of office message for. This will only work for certain kinds of accounts, like Microsoft Exchange, Office 365, and Outlook.com. The option will not appear for other accounts.
Tap the account you want to set up an automatic response for.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
4. Tap "Automatic Replies."
5. Turn on Automatic Replies by swiping the button to the right.
6. Enter the message you want to send for your out of office message.
How to set an out of office message on the iPhone's Gmail app
1. Start the Gmail app and tap the three horizontal lines at the top left of the screen to open the menu.
2. Tap "Settings."
You'll find the automatic replies in Gmail's Settings menu.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
3. Tap the Gmail account that you want to send out of office messages for.
4. Tap "Vacation responder."
The vacation responder is nestled among the app's many settings.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
5. Turn on Vacation responder by sweeping the button to the right.
6. Configure the message and dates of your autoresponder.
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:
How to sign a document on your iPhone using the markup tool in your Mail app
How to easily delete all of your emails on an iPhone
How to block specific companies or individuals from sending emails to your iPhone
How to add any email account to your iPhone
Dave Johnson
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.