How to Set Out of Office in Outlook on the Web

To set an out-of-office reply in Outlook on the web, open Settings, find Automatic replies, turn them on, write your message, and save. You can schedule when replies start and stop, and—if your account offers the options—choose whether to send replies outside your organization or adjust your calendar while you are away.

What You’ll Need

Access to the Outlook on the web mailbox you want to update, plus your sign-in details if you are not already signed in.
A short message explaining when you will be away and what senders should do if they need help.
Your planned start and end dates and times. Check which time zone your mailbox or calendar uses if you work across time zones.

You do not need to install anything. The exact settings layout can differ between a work or school Microsoft 365 account and Outlook.com, and organizations may control some options. The instructions below cover the common web experience.

Step-by-Step

Open Outlook on the web and select Settings. Sign in to the mailbox where you want the reply to be sent. Select the gear icon near the upper-right corner. If you have multiple mailboxes open, confirm you are changing the settings for the right one; an automatic reply applies to that mailbox, not every account you can access.
Find Automatic replies. In many current work or school accounts, select Accounts > Automatic replies in the Settings panel. In other layouts, select View all Outlook settings, then go to Mail > Automatic replies. Outlook.com may show the setting under Mail. If the Settings panel has a search box, searching for “automatic replies” can be quicker than browsing categories.
Turn on automatic replies. Select the switch or option labeled Turn on automatic replies. Do not close the panel yet: switching it on without a message or schedule may not give senders the information you intend. If you see an option to send replies only during a time period, turn that on when you want the reply to activate and deactivate automatically.
Set the start and end times, if you want a schedule. Choose the date and time when your absence begins and the date and time when it ends. The schedule is useful when you are setting this up before a trip or work break. Check AM and PM, the selected dates, and your mailbox’s time zone. If you do not use a time period, remember that you will need to return to this setting and turn automatic replies off yourself.
Write the reply for people inside your organization. Enter a concise message in the internal reply box if one is shown. State your away dates, when you expect to respond, and an alternative contact or team for urgent requests, if appropriate. For example: “I am away from 10–14 June and will respond when I return on 17 June. For urgent support, contact the service desk.” Avoid promising a response time you cannot meet.
Choose whether to reply to people outside your organization. If the setting is available and you want external senders to know you are away, enable the option labeled something like Send replies outside your organization, then enter an external message. Some versions let you send it to all external senders or only people in your contacts. Choose deliberately: an external reply can reach customers, vendors, or people you do not know. Do not include confidential information, detailed travel plans, or personal contact details unless your organization permits it.
Review any calendar options. Some work or school accounts offer options to block your calendar, decline new invitations during the period, or cancel meetings already in your calendar. These are separate from the email reply. Enable them only if you want those calendar actions; declining or canceling meetings can affect other attendees. If you only want to tell email senders you are away, leave calendar options unchanged.
Save the settings. Select Save if the panel shows a Save button. Some versions save the change as soon as you switch on the feature or close the panel, but do not assume it has been applied: look for a confirmation or reopen the setting to verify that the switch, dates, and message are still present.
Check the result. Reopen Automatic replies and confirm the schedule and message. If practical, send a test email from another account. Automatic replies are generally sent automatically to a sender rather than as a new reply to every message they send, so repeated test messages from the same address may not produce repeated responses. If you tested with an address in your contacts, remember that an external-reply setting may be limited to contacts.

When your scheduled end time arrives, Outlook should stop sending the automatic reply. If you did not set an end time, turn the feature off when you return; otherwise, senders may continue receiving the away message.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to enable the feature. Writing a message in the settings is not enough if the automatic-replies switch is off. Confirm that it is on and that the change was saved.
Choosing the wrong dates or times. A reversed date range, incorrect year, or AM/PM mistake can make a reply start or end at an unexpected time. Read the schedule back to yourself before saving.
Leaving the reply on indefinitely. If you skip the schedule, you must switch the feature off manually. Set a reminder for your return date if you choose not to use an end time.
Assuming one message covers internal and external senders. Some layouts provide separate message boxes or a separate control for external replies. Check both sections and the external-recipient choice.
Using an overly revealing message. An external automatic reply may go to people you do not recognize. Keep it limited to absence dates and an approved route for urgent help; do not reveal sensitive work or personal details.
Confusing an automatic reply with forwarding. The feature tells senders you are away; it does not forward incoming mail to a colleague. Set up forwarding or delegate mailbox access separately, following your organization’s policy.
Expecting a reply to every email. Outlook may send an automatic response once to a sender during the active period rather than repeating it for every message. That behavior helps prevent reply loops and floods.

Tips

Make the message useful at a glance. Put the dates near the beginning, then provide one clear next step. If someone else can handle urgent requests, give their role or a shared team address rather than a personal address unless that is approved. A simple internal example is: “I am out of the office through Friday, 8 August, and will return Monday, 11 August. For account access issues, contact the IT help desk.” Adjust the dates and contact details before saving.

Use separate internal and external messages when the settings allow it. Colleagues may need practical project coverage information, while an external sender usually needs only to know when you will respond and how to reach an appropriate business contact. Keep both versions professional and avoid implying that messages are being monitored if they are not.

For a planned absence, set the reply ahead of time and schedule its end. For an unexpected absence, turn it on as soon as you can and add an end date only if you know when you will be back. If plans change, update the schedule rather than relying on a message that now gives incorrect dates. When you return early, turn off automatic replies immediately or change the end time.

If you have more than one mailbox, repeat the check for each one that needs an away message. A shared mailbox may have separate settings or require different permissions, and your personal mailbox’s reply does not necessarily cover it. Ask your Microsoft 365 administrator or mailbox owner if you cannot open the settings for a shared account.

Troubleshooting

You cannot find Automatic replies. Expand View all Outlook settings and check Mail or Accounts. Use Settings search if available. Confirm that you are in Outlook on the web and looking at the intended mailbox. If the option is still missing, your account type, organization’s configuration, or mailbox permissions may not support access to it; contact your administrator or service provider.
Senders are not receiving the message. Reopen the setting and confirm that automatic replies are on, the current time falls inside the scheduled range, and the message is saved. Check whether you enabled replies outside the organization and whether external replies are limited to contacts. Ask a sender to check their junk folder, and test from a different address rather than repeatedly emailing from the same one.
The reply starts or stops at the wrong time. Check the start and end dates, time of day, year, and time zone. Correct the schedule and save it again. If you travel between time zones, compare the setting with the time zone shown in your Outlook calendar or mailbox settings rather than assuming it follows your current location.
Only some people receive a reply. Review the internal and external message controls separately. An organization may restrict external replies, and a “contacts only” option will not cover every external sender. If the behavior still seems wrong, ask your Microsoft 365 administrator whether a mail-flow policy or account setting limits automatic replies.
You see an old message after changing it. Reopen Automatic replies and verify the current text. Allow for the fact that a sender who already received an automatic response may not receive another immediately. Check the updated message from a different test address, and confirm the revised content is saved.
Calendar invitations were declined unexpectedly. Return to Automatic replies and review the calendar controls. Turn off the option to decline new invitations if you do not want that behavior. If existing meetings were canceled, contact affected attendees or your calendar administrator; changing the setting may not restore invitations that have already been declined.

If the settings appear correct but the issue continues, note the mailbox type, the affected sender, the time of the test, and whether that sender is internal or external. Share those details with your IT administrator or email provider. Avoid sending repeated tests to a large group, since that can create unnecessary messages without changing how automatic replies are triggered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Outlook on the web send the reply to every email?
Usually, Outlook sends an automatic reply to a sender during the active period rather than sending a separate reply for each message from that person. This helps prevent repeated responses. Exact behavior can depend on the mailbox and service configuration.

Can I set the out-of-office reply in advance?
Yes. Turn on automatic replies, enable the time-period option, and enter the future start and end times. Save the settings and verify the schedule before closing Outlook.

Can I send different messages to coworkers and external contacts?
Many Microsoft 365 mailboxes provide separate internal and external reply areas. If your version shows them, write each message separately and check the setting that determines which external senders receive a reply.

Will automatic replies forward my email to someone else?
No. They send an away message; they do not route your incoming mail to another person. Use an approved forwarding or delegation option if someone needs to handle your messages.

Do I have to turn the reply off when I come back?
If you set an end time, Outlook should turn it off when that time arrives. If you enabled replies without a schedule, return to Automatic replies and switch them off manually.

Can I set an out-of-office reply for a shared mailbox?
Possibly, but it depends on your permissions and how the shared mailbox is configured. Open that mailbox’s own settings if available. If you cannot change its automatic replies, ask the mailbox owner or your Microsoft 365 administrator.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

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