Author:
Robert Simon
Date Of Creation:
21 June 2021
Update Date:
24 June 2024
Content
The Out of Office Assistant feature of Microsoft Outlook lets you set up automatic replies for those who send email when you're away or not at the office. This feature is only available to users with a Microsoft Exchange account; however, Home users who don't use an Exchange account can create their own out-of-office message templates and rules for Outlook to respond automatically. If you are unsure of your account type, understand that an Exchange account is commonly used by most businesses or schools. This wikiHow teaches you how to set up an Outlook out of office response in both cases: using an Exchange account and another account.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: On Outlook 2010-2019 and Outlook for Office 365
Launch Microsoft Outlook on the personal computer. This application is usually located in the Start Menu.
Click Info (Information) in the File tab. This option is in the ribbon above the inbox, next to options like Home, Send / Receive, Folder, View and Groups.
Click Automatic Replies (Out of Office) (Automatic answer). The Automatic Replies dialog box opens.- If this option isn't available, it's likely that your account isn't an Exchange type. Follow the methods in this article to turn on automatic replies for other accounts other than Exchange.
Click to select the box next to the text “Send Automatic Replies”(Send automatic answer). When you click the box, a checkmark will appear indicating that the option is enabled.- If you want to specify a time, click the box next to the “Only send during this time range” option, then choose a start and end date. For example, if you plan to travel for two weeks, you can choose the period of time you will take a break so that the answer will only work at that time.
Click the Inside my organization tab. This option is above a large, blank text frame.
Enter the autoresponder that you want to send to the colleagues at the same office or company that will email them. Only addresses with the same domain name (eg @ wikiHow.com) will receive the messages you enter here.
Click the Outside my organization tab. This option is above large text frames with no content.
Enter the autoresponder that you want to message to people outside of your organization who will email you. For example, you can enter a message explaining that you are on vacation, and forward questions and inquiries to other contacts in the office. Only emails sent from a domain address other than yours will see this message.
- There will be a drop-down box for you to choose the font and size, as well as function buttons for the text format of messages.
Click OK. Individuals who send emails during your absence will receive a ready-made automatic response. If you do not select a time period, an automatic reply will be sent until you turn off the feature. advertisement
Method 2 of 4: On Outlook 2007
Launch Microsoft Outlook on the personal computer. This application is usually located in the Start Menu.
Click Out of Office Assistant (Out of Office Assistant) in the Tools tab. Card Tools in the menu bar located along the upper left of the program window. The Out of Office Assistant dialog box opens.
- If this option isn't available, it's likely that your account isn't an Exchange type. Follow the method in this article to enable automatic replies for accounts other than exchange.
Click to select the circle next to the text “Send Out of Office auto-replies”(Send out of office message).
- If you want to specify a time, click the box next to the “Only send during this time range” option, then choose a start and end date. For example, if you plan to travel for two weeks, you can choose the period of time you will take a break so that the answer will only work at that time.
Click the Inside my organization tab. This option is above a large, blank text frame.
Enter the autoresponder that you want to send to the colleagues at the same office or company that will email them. Only addresses with the same domain name (eg @ wikiHow.com) will receive the messages you enter here. For example, you might explain that you are on leave and that the manager will handle the work for you during this time.
Click the Outside my organization tab. This option is above a large, empty text frame.
Enter the autoresponder that you want to message to people outside of your organization who will email you. For example, you can enter a message explaining that you are on vacation, and forward questions and inquiries to other contacts in the office. Only emails sent from a domain address other than yours will see this message.
- There will be a drop-down box for you to choose the font and size, as well as function buttons for the text format of messages.
Click OK. Individuals who send emails during your absence will receive a ready-made automatic response. If you do not select a time period, an automatic reply will be sent until you turn off the feature. advertisement
Method 3 of 4: On Outlook 2003
Launch Microsoft Outlook on the personal computer. This application is usually located in the Start Menu.
Click Out of Office Assistant in the Tools tab. Card Tools in the menu bar located along the upper left of the program window. The Out of Office Assistant dialog box opens.
- If this option isn't available, it's likely that your account isn't an Exchange type. Follow the method in this article to enable automatic replies for accounts other than exchange.
Click to select the circle next to “I am currently Out of the Office” content”(I am currently absent).
Enter your message in the text box. Individuals who email in the near future will receive this answer only once until you return to the office.
Click OK. All organizations emailing you will get an indefinite out of office answer, or until you choose “I am currently in the office” (I've been back to office). advertisement
Method 4 of 4: For non-Exchange account
Launch Microsoft Outlook on the personal computer. This application is usually located in the Start Menu.
Click New Email (New email) in the Home tab. This tab is in the ribbon above the inbox, next to the tabs File, Send / Receive, Folder, View and Groups. A blank email will open.
Edit out of office email templates. First, leave the line blank Big… and CC ....
- Enter a subject for the email, such as "Out of office" so people know they're getting an automatic response from you.
- Enter the reply you want to automatically send to the people who will email you in the body of the email. This message will be used as an "out-of-the-office" template.
Click the File tab and click Save As. The “Save As” dialog box will open.
Click Outlook Template (Outlook template) from the “Save as type” drop-down menu.
Enter a name for the message template, then click Save. So this template can be used every time you're out of office via email on your personal Outlook account.
Click the File tab and select Manage Rules and Alerts (Manage rules and announcements). In order for the template to be sent automatically to other users when you're away from home, you need to create a rule that lets Outlook know and automatically reply to emails using this template.
Click New Rule (New rule). This option is below the card Email Rules (Email rules). The Rule Wizard dialog box will pop up and guide you through the rule creation process.
Click “Apply rules on messages I receive”(Apply rules to the messages I receive). This option is below the "Start from a blank rule" heading.
- Click next (Continued) twice to proceed with creating a rule. You need to click next on the page with lots of options, but leave the boxes in Step 1 and 2 blank for the rule to work.
Click the box next to the line “reply using a specific template”(Answer with specific form). This option is under the heading “What do you want to do with the message?” (What do you want to do with this message?)
Click on the link "a specific template" in Step 2. A frame will pop up.
Select "User Templates in File System" from the "Look In" drop-down menu.
- Double-click the template you created earlier to select it as the out of office autoresponder.
Click next. You will be redirected to the final step in the Rules Wizard rule generator, where we can name the rule, set the exception, and review.
- Enter a name for the autoresponder rule you just created.
Click finish (Accomplished). From now on, any user who email you will receive an autoresponder following the template you created. advertisement
Advice
- You might consider adding actual dates that you aren't at the office, as well as alternate contacts to your out of office autoresponder messages. This information will help individuals know when they can get back to you and who they need to contact when you are not there.
