What should an out-of-office message say?

When you are away, when you will be back or reply, and who to contact for urgent matters.

Should I say why I am out?

No need. "I'm out of the office" is enough; personal reasons are optional.

Out-of-office message examples, and how to set one up

A good out-of-office reply says three things: when you are away, when you are back, and who can help in the meantime.

Updated October 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Quick answer

Say when you are out, when you will reply, and who to contact if it is urgent. To set it up: in Gmail, go to Settings › See all settings › General › Vacation responder; in Outlook.com or Outlook on the web, Settings › Accounts › Automatic replies; in new Outlook, View › View settings › Accounts › Automatic Replies; in classic Outlook, File › Automatic Replies.

Out-of-office message examples

Standard (work)

Thanks for your email. I'm out of the office until Monday, June 15, with limited access to email. I'll reply when I'm back. If it's urgent, please contact Sam Lee at [email protected] or (727) 555-0100.

Vacation

Hi, I'm on vacation and back on Tuesday, July 7. I won't be checking email, so your message will wait for me. For anything urgent, Priya at [email protected] can help.

Holiday closure

Our office is closed from December 24 through January 1. We'll answer every message when we reopen on Monday, January 4. Happy holidays!

Sick day

I'm out sick today and will reply as soon as I can. For urgent matters, please contact the front desk at (727) 555-0100.

Maternity, paternity or extended leave

I'm on leave until September 1 and won't be checking email. For anything you'd normally send me, please contact Jordan Lee ([email protected]), who is covering my work. Thank you for your patience.

Conference or travel

I'm at a conference through Thursday with limited email access. I'll respond by Friday. If you need an answer sooner, call or text (727) 555-0142.

Small business (no backup person)

Thanks for reaching out! I'm away until Monday and will reply to every message then. If you're booking an appointment, you can do that any time at example.com/book.

Tips for a good auto-reply

Give the date you are back, not just "next week".
Name a backup person and their contact details, if you have one.
Keep it short. Skip where you are going; it is nobody's business, and it tells strangers your home is empty.
Consider a shorter, vaguer message for people outside your organization; Outlook lets you set a separate one.
Turn it off when you get back.

Set it up in Gmail

Click the Settings gear, then See all settings.
On the General tab, scroll to Vacation responder and select Vacation responder on.
Enter the first and last day, the subject and your message.
Optionally tick Only send a response to people in my Contacts.
Click Save Changes.

Gmail shows a banner with End now while it is on. Each person usually gets your reply once, and again if they write after 4 days.

Set it up in Outlook

Outlook.com and Outlook on the web: Settings › Accounts › Automatic replies, turn it on, add the message and optional dates, then Save. You can also block your calendar and decline new invitations for the period.

New Outlook for Windows: View › View settings › Accounts › Automatic Replies. Turn on the toggle, optionally choose Send replies only during a time period and Send replies outside your organization, then Save.

Classic Outlook: File › Automatic Replies › Send automatic replies, fill in the Inside My Organization tab (and Outside, if you like), then OK. If you do not see Automatic Replies, your account is POP or IMAP; use a rule instead, and Outlook must stay running.

Steps checked against the official help pages in October 2026. Menus move from time to time; if yours looks different, tell us.

Questions people ask

What should an out-of-office message say?: When you are away, when you will be back or reply, and who to contact for urgent matters.
Should I say why I am out?: No need. "I'm out of the office" is enough; personal reasons are optional.

Sending one email to a whole list? Check the addresses first with Veml, which removes bad and risky emails before you hit send. (Veml and EmailNa have the same owner.)

Sources checked