Out of Office in Outlook on the Web: Setup and Tips

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 also schedule when replies start and stop, and choose whether people outside your organization receive a separate message. You will need access to the mailbox and a supported Microsoft-hosted account, such as a work or school Microsoft 365 mailbox or Outlook.com account.

What You’ll Need

Your Outlook on the web sign-in and access to the mailbox you want to configure.
A supported Outlook.com or Microsoft Exchange/Microsoft 365 mailbox. If you use a work or school account, your organization’s administrator may restrict some settings.
Your away dates and times, plus the message you want senders to receive. Decide whether to reply to external senders, and whether to limit those replies to your contacts.

Step-by-Step

Sign in to the right mailbox. Open Outlook in a browser and sign in. If you have more than one account or a shared mailbox, check the profile or mailbox name before changing settings. Automatic replies apply to the mailbox you configure, not automatically to every account you can access.
Open Automatic replies. Select the gear-shaped Settings button near the top right. In the current Outlook on the web settings, open Accounts and choose Automatic replies. Depending on your account or layout, you may instead need to select View all Outlook settings, then go to Mail > Automatic replies. If you see a settings search box, search for Automatic replies.
Turn automatic replies on. Select the toggle or option labeled Turn on automatic replies. Do not close the settings panel yet. Turning on the feature without adding a message may leave senders with an empty or unhelpful reply, so complete the message fields before saving.
Choose whether to set a time period. If the option to send replies only during a time period is available, select it and enter the start and end dates and times. This is useful for planned leave: Outlook can turn replies on and off for you. Check the displayed time zone and the AM/PM selection, if shown. If you do not set a period, replies remain enabled until you return to this setting and turn them off.
Write the reply for people in your organization. Enter a concise message in the internal-reply box. Include the dates you expect to be unavailable and, if useful, the name or contact details of a colleague who can help. For example: I am away through Friday, 14 June, and will respond when I return. For urgent billing questions, contact Alex at the usual team address. Avoid promising a precise response time unless you can meet it.
Decide whether to reply to people outside your organization. If you want external senders to receive a reply, enable the option to send replies outside your organization and enter a separate external message if the form provides one. Some versions offer a choice between replying only to people in your contacts and replying to all external senders. Choose deliberately: replying to all may disclose that you are away to unfamiliar people, while contacts-only may exclude a customer or supplier who needs the notice.
Review the message and save. Check spelling, dates, contact details, and the external-reply selection. Then select Save or the equivalent button in the settings panel. Wait for the save confirmation if one appears. If there is no separate internal and external message box, use the available message field and review the settings carefully to see which recipients will receive it.
Confirm that the setting is active. Reopen Automatic replies, or check the confirmation shown after saving, to verify the toggle and schedule. If you have time, send a test message from another account that matches the recipient category you chose. Do not rely on repeated tests from the same address: Outlook may send an automatic reply only once to a sender during an away period.

When your absence ends, a scheduled reply should stop at the end time. If you did not set a schedule, return to Settings > Accounts > Automatic replies (or the equivalent path in your layout) and turn the feature off. Save the change if prompted.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to save. Writing a message is not enough. Look for a Save button and confirm the setting remains on after leaving the panel.
Choosing the wrong dates or times. A start time in the past, an end time that is too early, or a mistaken AM/PM choice can make the reply seem inactive or leave it running longer than intended. Review the full date and time range before saving.
Assuming the internal message goes to everyone. If external replies are disabled, people outside your organization may not receive a notice. Check the external setting and message separately.
Sharing too much information. An external message is not private. Avoid giving detailed travel plans, personal phone numbers, or other information that recipients do not need. A short absence notice and a suitable work contact are usually enough.
Expecting a reply to every email. Automatic replies are not the same as a receipt confirmation for every message. Outlook can limit repeat replies to the same sender during an absence, and mail rules or administrator policies may also affect what happens.

Tips

Use a clear subject in the message if the editor allows it, and put the return date near the beginning so it is easy to spot.
Keep internal and external messages appropriate to their audiences. Colleagues may need handoff details; an external sender may need only a general return date and a shared team contact.
For a long absence, name a monitored shared inbox or team contact rather than a person who may also be unavailable. Confirm that the alternative address is correct before you publish it.
Set the reply shortly before you leave if you want to check it. Then verify the schedule and recipient options once more. If the away period is short, a manual reminder to switch replies off can prevent an outdated notice.
If you manage several mailboxes, configure each one separately and make a note of which ones have replies enabled. A reply on your primary mailbox does not necessarily cover a shared mailbox or another account.

Troubleshooting

I cannot find Automatic replies. Select the Settings gear and look for Accounts > Automatic replies. If that path is not present, use View all Outlook settings and check Mail for the option. You can also search within settings. If the option is still missing, confirm you are signed in to Outlook on the web with the mailbox you mean to change. Some account types or organization policies do not expose the same controls; contact your Microsoft 365 administrator if this is a work account.

The reply is not being sent. Reopen the setting and make sure automatic replies are on, the current time falls within the scheduled period, and the message is not blank. Check whether you enabled external replies if the test sender is outside your organization. Send a new test from a different address, because a sender may not receive repeated automatic replies during the same absence. Also check junk mail and any mail-flow rules that might affect delivery.

The reply is still being sent after I returned. If you used a schedule, inspect its end date, end time, and time zone. If you did not schedule an end, manually turn automatic replies off and save. Check that you changed the correct mailbox, especially if you use multiple accounts or shared mailboxes.

My changes do not appear to stick. Make sure you selected Save, wait for any confirmation, and reopen the settings to verify the saved values. Refresh the page and sign in again if the settings panel is behaving unexpectedly. If the issue continues, try a current browser or another browser, and check with your administrator for account restrictions. Do not assume a browser refresh saved unsent changes.

Only some people receive the notice. Review the external-recipient option: contacts-only may exclude people who are not saved in your contacts. If the sender is internal, verify that the mailbox is in the expected organization. Some systems also send only one automatic reply to each sender during the active period, so repeated messages from that sender may not trigger another notice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I schedule an out-of-office reply in advance?
Yes. Turn on the option to send replies during a specified time period, then enter the start and end dates and times. Verify the displayed time zone and save the settings.

Can I use different messages for coworkers and external senders?
Many Outlook on the web accounts provide separate internal and external message fields. If yours does, write an audience-appropriate message in each. If you see only one field, use the recipient controls available in your version and do not assume a separate external message is supported.

Will Outlook send a reply for every email I receive?
Not necessarily. Automatic replies are generally limited to avoid sending repeated messages to the same person during one absence. They are not a per-message delivery receipt, so do not use them to confirm that each email was read.

Do I need to turn the reply off when I return?
If you set an end date and time, Outlook should stop the replies at that point. Without a schedule, you need to turn them off manually. It is sensible to check the setting when you return, even if you expected the schedule to end automatically.

Can I set this up for a shared mailbox?
Possibly, if you have the required permissions and the mailbox exposes Automatic replies in its settings. Make sure the shared mailbox is selected rather than your personal mailbox. If the setting is unavailable, ask your administrator to configure it or confirm your access.

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

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