Outlook Out of Office: Setting Up the Automatic Reply in 2026

You leave on vacation in Charlevoix, head to training in Trois-Rivières or spend the day in client meetings, and your inbox keeps filling up. With no warning, your contacts wait for a reply that will not come before you return, and it looks careless. An Outlook out of office message answers for you and says when you are back.

The good news is that the feature is already built into Outlook, it costs nothing extra, and you can set it up on your computer, on the web or on your phone. Here is how to turn on an out of office automatic reply in Outlook, what to write in it, and the security traps to avoid so you do not say too much.

1. What an out of office message is for (and when to turn it on)

An automatic reply tells anyone who writes to you that you are away, gives them a return date and, if needed, the contact information of a colleague who can take over. It is a small gesture that heads off plenty of frustration, especially for an SMB in the Mauricie that wants to stay professional even when the team is small.

Vacation is the obvious case, but the Outlook out of office message is useful in several common situations:

• Time off, statutory holidays or an office closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• Training, a conference or a full day out of the office.
• Extended sick leave or parental leave.
• A very busy stretch when your response times get longer.

The advantage with Outlook is that you can schedule the dates ahead of time: the reply turns itself on and off, so you do not have to think about it the morning you leave or the day you come back.

2. Turning on the automatic reply in Outlook on Windows

If you use the classic Outlook app on a PC with a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account, the procedure takes only a few steps:

1. Open Outlook, then click the File tab in the top left corner.
2. In the Info section, click Automatic Replies (Out of Office).
3. Select Send automatic replies.
4. Check Only send during this time range and enter your start and end dates.
5. Write your text in the Inside My Organization tab (your colleagues), then in the Outside My Organization tab (clients and suppliers).
6. Click OK.

If you do not see the Automatic Replies option, your account is most likely a personal account such as Gmail or Outlook.com rather than a Microsoft 365 business account. In that case you have to go through an inbox rule, a more technical approach your IT provider can walk you through.

3. Setting up an out of office message in Outlook on the web (Microsoft 365)

The web version of Outlook, reachable from any browser, also lets you turn on an Outlook out of office message without installing anything. Handy when you have already left and forgot to set it.

1. Sign in to your mailbox on the web.
2. Click the Settings icon (the gear) in the top right corner.
3. Go to Accounts, then Automatic replies.
4. Turn the switch on, check Send replies only during a time period and choose your dates.
5. Write your message, then save.

You can also decide to send the reply only to your contacts, a useful option to limit the replies that go out to unknown senders or to newsletters.

4. Turning on the automatic reply in Outlook mobile (iPhone and Android)

The Outlook mobile app offers the same feature, perfect for the moment you realize on the way to the airport that nothing is turned on.

1. Open the Outlook app and tap your profile picture in the top left corner.
2. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom, then select the account concerned.
3. Tap Automatic replies and turn the switch on.
4. Choose whether to reply to everyone or only to your organization, then type your message.
5. Confirm with the check mark in the top right corner.

The setting syncs across your devices: turn it on from the phone and it will be active on the computer too, and the other way around.

5. What to write: an out of office template ready to copy

A good out of office message is short, clear and professional. It gives three pieces of information: that you are away, when you are back, and who to contact in an emergency. Here is a template you can adapt:

"Hello, thank you for your email. I am out of the office until July 5 and I will answer your message as soon as I am back. For anything urgent, you can reach my colleague at support@yoursmb.ca. I look forward to speaking with you soon."

A few good habits: keep a cordial tone, avoid abbreviations, and remember to give a real return date rather than a vague "soon". If your SMB manages several shared mailboxes or wants the whole team to use the same wording, our managed IT services make it possible to standardize these settings across the business.

6. Security: what never belongs in an automatic reply

One detail many people forget: your automatic reply goes out to anyone, including strangers and sometimes fraudsters. Attackers watch these messages precisely to prepare targeted phishing attacks, for instance by impersonating you while you are away.

To reduce the risk, do not say too much:

• Do not state where you are going or exactly how long you will be away from home.
• Do not give the personal cell number of an executive.
• Do not mention that "the whole team" is away at the same time.
• Prefer a generic address (support@, info@) over a specific name for urgent matters.

That reflex for caution is part of good digital hygiene. If you want to assess the email-related risks in your organization in Quebec, feel free to get in touch with our team for support suited to your situation.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off an out of office message in Outlook?

If you set a date range, the reply turns itself off on the end date. To stop it manually, go back to File, Automatic Replies, choose "Do not send automatic replies", then click OK.

Why do I not see the Automatic Replies option in Outlook?

The feature comes only with a Microsoft 365 business account or an Exchange account. With a personal account such as Gmail or Outlook.com, you have to create a manual rule, which is more involved. Your IT provider can set it up for you.

Is my out of office message sent for every email I receive?

No. Outlook sends a single automatic reply per sender for the whole absence period, even if the person writes to you several times. Your contacts are not flooded with repeated replies.

Stay professional and reachable, everywhere in the Mauricie

A well-written out of office message is a small gesture that projects a polished image and reassures your clients, even when you are far from the office. To go further, tune up your Microsoft 365 mailbox or secure your communications, take a look at our IT services for SMBs in Trois-Rivières and across Quebec, or write to us directly through our contact page. Our team will be glad to help.