Automatic Reply: Examples and Instructions for Setting It Up

As someone who wields the virtual pen on a daily basis, you want to make sure that your correspondents feel that they are always being read. Come rain or shine, or even if you're away from the office! Your best ally for always being present, even when you're away? The auto reply!

Let's take a look at how to set up an out of office message depending on your email service. As a bonus, we'll give you some examples of auto reply text for different reasons, from being out sick to vacationing on a tropical island. That's us—we love making your life easier.

What Is an Auto Reply and How Does It Work?

An auto reply is an automatic response feature that sends a predetermined message to incoming messages while you're unavailable. This reply feature works by monitoring your inbox and responding to specific contacts or all senders within a defined date range, ensuring your correspondents know when you'll be back.

How Do You Set Up an Auto Reply?

The process for creating and scheduling an auto reply varies depending on your email service, but it usually follows the same steps:

• Go to the section dedicated to automatic replies in your email software settings
• Write an effective auto reply text (see our tips below)
• Schedule the message to be sent according to your dates of unavailability
• If necessary, define a list of specific contacts who will receive the message

Simple, right? And it's even better when you know the exact steps! Luckily, we'll walk you through the process for the three most popular email services right now...

Pssst... To keep track of all your exchanges, always remember to save your emails!

How Do I Schedule an Out of Office Message?

Are you more of an Outlook, Gmail, or Yahoo Mail person? No hard feelings! Whichever team you're on, here are the steps to follow to set up and schedule your out of office auto reply.

Away Message on Outlook

Microsoft is always looking to adapt its solutions to the needs of its users. For this reason, there are different versions of its Outlook email service.

To set up an auto reply/out-of-office message in Outlook on the Web:

1. Go to Settings > Mail > Automatic replies.
2. Enable automatic replies.
3. At this stage, you can set a start and end time for your automatic response, make your calendar inactive while you are away, or decline invitations to events and meetings during specific days of the week.
4. Write your out of office text.
5. At this stage, you can set up a separate reply for people outside your company or organization. If you want to do this, write your message for this audience.
6. Click Save at the bottom of the window.

To set up an auto reply/out-of-office message in Outlook 365, the desktop version of Microsoft's email service:

1. Click on File > Automatic replies
2. Select Send automatic replies
3. Select the period during which you want to send automatic replies
4. Write your message
5. Click on OK

Gmail Automatic Reply Setup

To create and schedule an auto reply/out-of-office message in Gmail:

1. In Gmail, go to Settings (the gear icon) > See all settings
2. Under General, go to the Automatic reply section
3. Select Automatic reply on
4. Set your start and end dates, enter the subject, then write your message
5. At this stage, you can choose to send the message only to specific contacts by checking the corresponding box.
6. Select Save changes.

Out-of-Office Message on Yahoo Mail

To set up an auto reply/OOO message on Yahoo Mail:

1. In Settings, go to Other settings.
2. Select Out-of-office message.
3. Click Enable out-of-office response.
4. Choose the dates you want the email to be sent
5. Write your message
6. Click Save

How to Write an Effective Out-of-Office Message

It's all very well knowing how to set up an out-of-office message, but you still need to write it! Even when you're away from the office, you want to come across as professional and engaging. Here are our top tips for a great auto reply, whatever the reason.

The first thing to do for an effective out-of-office email is to choose an email subject line that clearly indicates your absence. This will allow the recipient to see immediately that you are temporarily unavailable and will prevent any misunderstandings!

To ensure that your absence is well received by the recipient, include all the information that will help reassure them. Briefly explain the reason for your absence to remain transparent, and let them know when you will be back in the office. You can also provide them with the contact details of a colleague who can take over while you are away on business/in the Philippines/riding a camel.

Expressing gratitude to your reader for their patience and understanding will help soften the blow of your unavailability. This prevents impatience and frustration, while showing your correspondent that you respect their time. In short, you come across as friendly and professional!

By the way, do you know what else makes your emails even more professional and effective? A professional email signature, of course!

Examples of Out-of-Office Messages

Even the greatest artists need inspiration! So, to spark your creativity, here are a few ideas for automatic responses with different reasons for your absence. And if you want to go further, check out our dedicated article where we offer more examples of out-of-office messages.

Out-of-Office Message for Holidays/Vacation

Absence Message for Sick Leave

Absence Message in English

How Do I Disable the Auto Reply?

Are you back and ready to resume your correspondence? It's time to turn off your automatic response.

• In Outlook, go to Settings > Mail > Automatic replies, and click the toggle button or Don't send automatic replies.
• In Gmail, simply click the Stop now button at the top of your inbox.
• In Yahoo Mail, in the out-of-office message settings, click on Delete out-of-office reply.

Easy to set up, auto reply messages are your best friend when you're away from your desk. All you have to do is set them up and pack your bags!