How to Set Automatic Replies in Outlook

Table of Contents

Depending on the type of account you use, this article discusses how to generate an out-of-office answering message in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, Outlook for Microsoft 365, and Outlook.com. It also discusses how to tell whether you have a Microsoft Exchange account.

In Outlook, how do you set up automatic replies?

When you’re gone, and efficient out-of-office automated reply in Outlook ensures that people know you’re unavailable, when you’ll be back, and what they should do if they have an urgent problem.

If your email address is on a Microsoft Exchange server or is an IMAP or POP email account, the setup for an out-of-office reply in Outlook varies (such as common email services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and others).

How to Determine Whether You Have a Foreign Exchange Account

Look in the status bar at the bottom of the Outlook window if you’re not sure if you’re using Outlook with an Exchange account. In the status bar, you’ll see Connected to:

Microsoft Exchange if you’re using an Exchange account.
Make a template for an automatic reply email.
Use Outlook’s rules function to set up an automatic reply for an IMAP or POP email account (for Exchange, see further below). Create an email template for the auto-reply message that will be sent to recipients when you’re away.
Choose New Email.
Fill in the email’s subject line and the message text informing the receiver that you are unavailable.
Allow recipients to know when they should expect a personal answer from you, and be careful how much information you share in your automated response because too much information can be dangerous.
Pick File once you’ve finished writing your auto-reply letter.
Choose Save As.
Pick Outlook Template from the Save as form dropdown arrow.
The topic of the template is used by default as the name in the File name text box in Outlook. Change this to whatever you want to indicate that this is your out-of-office email design file.
Select the Save option.
The message window should now be closed.

See more
How to set up automatic Outlook out-of-office replies | Windows Central

Create an Out-Of-Office Auto-Response Rule.

Setting up an Outlook rule for IMAP or POP email accounts is the next move. This rule will use the template you built in the previous section to submit an answer.

Go to Fill Details.
Select Manage Rules & Alerts from the drop-down menu.
Select the Email Rules tab from the drop-down menu.
Select the email address for which the automated answer is being created under Apply changes to this folder.
Make a new rule.
Select Apply rule on messages I receive in the Start from a blank rule line.

Next should be selected. Select the Where my name is in the To box checkbox under

Step 1: Select condition(s).

Next should be selected.
Pick the reply using a particular template checkbox

Step 2: Pick a particular template connection and edit the rule definition (click an underlined value).

Pick User Templates in File System from the Look In dropdown arrow.
Make a note of the template you created.
Choose Open.
Select Next in the Rules Wizard dialog box.
Select the except if it is an automatic reply checkbox under Step 1: Select exceptions.
Next should be selected.
Type a name for your auto-reply rule under Step 1: Specify a name for this rule.

If you want to trigger the automatic responder, select the Turn on this rule checkbox under Step 2: Setup rule options. Clear the checkbox if you don’t want the automated reply to be working right now.

The finish is the last choice.

Select OK in the Rules and Alerts dialog box.

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