Out of office message generator

How it works

Pick why you're away and the tone you want, then enter the first day away and the day you're back. Say if you'll be checking email, add your name, and add a backup contact if someone covers for you. The subject and message update as you type. Copy them and paste them into Gmail or Outlook.

The text comes from fixed templates in this page, so you get the same wording every time and can edit it freely afterwards. Nothing is sent or saved.

What a good reply says

• When you're back. It's the one thing every sender wants to know.
• If you're reading email, which tells people whether to wait or try someone else.
• Who to contact instead. One name and one address is enough.
• Not much else. Skip the travel details, and skip saying your home is empty. An auto reply goes to anyone who writes, strangers and spammers included. The Gmail option to answer only your contacts helps with that.

Set it up in Gmail

1. Open Gmail on a computer and select the Settings gear, then See all settings.
2. On the General tab, find the Vacation responder section and choose Vacation responder on.
3. Enter the first day, the last day, a subject and your message.
4. Tick the box to send replies only to your contacts if you want that.
5. Scroll to the bottom and select Save Changes.

Google says the reply starts at 12:00 AM on the first day and ends at 11:59 PM on the last day, so enter the day before you return as the last day. A subject also keeps the reply out of the sender's existing conversation. Most people get the reply once, and again only if they write after four days with it still on. Details are on Google's Send an automatic reply when you're out of office page.

Set it up in Outlook

In Outlook on the web, select Settings, then Account, then Automatic replies. Turn the toggle on, tick Send replies only during a time period and enter a start and end, type your message, and select Save. In new Outlook for Windows, open View settings, then Accounts, then Automatic Replies, and make the same choices. In classic Outlook, select File, then Automatic Replies, then Send automatic replies, set the dates and select OK.

Microsoft notes that automatic replies aren't supported for Gmail, Yahoo or other POP or IMAP accounts, and that classic Outlook users who don't see the button can use rules instead. The full steps are in How to set up out of office automatic replies in Outlook.

Before you go

Send yourself a test from another account. If you move between Gmail and Outlook, see an email app for Outlook, which is our page about Otto, and the Gmail to Outlook rule converter, which carries your filters across.