Microsoft Outlook – Automatic Replies

Microsoft Outlook – Automatic Replies

Purpose – This article provides instructions on how to set/manage automatic replies in Outlook. Useful for either when a user is out-of-office or for when a shared mailbox is transitioning over to a new email address.

Scope – This article covers the steps specifically for the New Outlook, but also includes a Microsoft Support link for both the Classic and Web versions.

1. Click on the View tab in the top navigation bar, then select the View settings button.

2. Under the Settings column, select Accounts > Automatic Replies. 

3. Select the Turn on automatic replies toggle button.

4. If setting a reply for a specific timeframe, select the Send replies only during a time period box, and then enter start and end times.

5. Under Send automatic replies inside your organization, enter the message to send. (You can use the formatting options for text alignment, color, and emphasis.)

• To set up automatic replies to other people, select Send replies outside your organization, then add a separate message for that audience.

• Note: Sending replies outside your organization will send your automatic reply to every email you receive, including newsletters, advertisements, and potentially, junk email. If you want to send automatic replies to those outside your organization, Microsoft recommends choosing Send replies only to contacts.

6. When you're done, select Save.

ONLINE GUIDES FOR OTHER OUTLOOK VERSIONS:

Classic Outlook:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/send-automatic-replies-out-of-office-from-outlook-9742f476-5348-4f9f-997f-5e208513bd67#officeversion=classic_outlook

Outlook Web

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/send-automatic-replies-out-of-office-from-outlook-9742f476-5348-4f9f-997f-5e208513bd67#officeversion=web