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Outlook how-to

Out of office message examples, and how to set them in Outlook

A good out-of-office message says when you are back and who can help in the meantime — and gives away nothing else. Here are examples for the situations UK businesses actually meet, ready to copy, and the steps to switch them on.

  • Updated 5 October 2026
  • 3 minute read
  • Written by our UK engineers

Out of office message examples

Swap the parts in square brackets for your own details. The phone numbers are examples.

Annual leave

Thank you for your email. I am out of the office until [Monday 12 April] with no access to email.

For anything urgent, please contact [Sam Patel] on [sam.patel@yourbusiness.co.uk] or [0121 496 0000]. Otherwise I will reply when I am back.

Short absence (a day or less)

Thanks for your message. I am away from my desk today and will reply tomorrow.

If it cannot wait, please call the office on [0121 496 0000].

Christmas or bank holiday closure

Thank you for getting in touch. Our office is closed from [Thursday 24 December] and reopens on [Monday 4 January].

We will reply to your email as soon as we are back. For emergencies, please call [07700 900000]. We wish you a happy Christmas and New Year.

Training or a conference

Thank you for your email. I am at a conference until [Thursday] and checking email only occasionally.

I will reply properly when I am back on [Friday 16 October]. For urgent matters, please contact [the team on info@yourbusiness.co.uk].

Longer absence (parental leave, sabbatical)

Thank you for your email. I am away from work until [September] and not checking email.

Your message has not been forwarded. Please contact [Alex Brown] on [alex.brown@yourbusiness.co.uk], who is looking after my work while I am away.

Sickness

Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office.

For anything that needs attention, please contact [Sam Patel] on [sam.patel@yourbusiness.co.uk].

Someone who has left the business

Thank you for your email. [Jane Smith] no longer works at [Smith & Co].

Please send your message to [info@yourbusiness.co.uk] or call [0121 496 0000], and we will make sure the right person picks it up.

Shared inbox outside office hours

Thank you for contacting [Smith & Co]. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and we will reply on the next working day.

If your enquiry is urgent, please call [0121 496 0000].

What to leave out

  • Where you are. “Skiing in Austria until the 20th” tells everyone your house may be empty.
  • Personal details. For sickness or family leave, “out of the office” is enough.
  • Your mobile number, unless you genuinely want calls on holiday — and remember the reply goes to everyone who emails you.
  • Who approves payments in your absence, in an external reply. Fraudsters watch for absences to send fake invoices or “urgent” payment requests. Our page on business email compromise explains the trick.

How to turn on automatic replies in Outlook

New Outlook for Windows

  1. On the View tab, select View settings, then Accounts → Automatic Replies.
  2. Turn on the Automatic replies toggle.
  3. Select Send replies only during a time period and enter start and end times.
  4. Type your message. For external senders, choose whether to reply to everyone or contacts only.
  5. Select Save.

Classic Outlook for Windows

  1. Select File → Automatic Replies. If there is no Automatic Replies button, your account is IMAP or POP — see below.
  2. Select Send automatic replies, and set a date range so they switch off on their own.
  3. Type your message on the Inside My Organization tab, and on the Outside My Organization tab if you want external replies, choosing My contacts only or anyone.
  4. Select OK. A bar under the ribbon reminds you replies are on, with a Turn off button.

Outlook on the web

  1. Select Settings, then Account → Automatic replies.
  2. Turn on Automatic replies, tick Send replies only during a time period and set the dates.
  3. Type the message, choose who receives it, and select Save.

Because automatic replies are stored on the server with Exchange and Microsoft 365, they keep working with your computer switched off.

IMAP and POP accounts

Basic email accounts do not support server-side automatic replies in Outlook. The workaround is a rule that replies using a template, which only works while Outlook is open on your computer. If you need reliable out-of-office replies, shared calendars and the rest, that is one of the reasons to move to Exchange — see hosted Exchange vs IMAP.

When a colleague forgets to set one

On Exchange and Microsoft 365, an administrator can turn on automatic replies for someone else’s mailbox — useful for unexpected absence, and for people who have left. On our hosted Exchange, just ask us and we will set it up for you.

Sources

Questions

Frequently asked

What should I write in an out of office message?

That you are away, the date you are back, and who to contact if it is urgent, with their email address or phone number. Keep it to two or three sentences and leave out where you are and why.

Should my out of office reply go to people outside the company?

Usually yes, so clients know when to expect a reply — but consider choosing “contacts only”. Replying to every sender also replies to newsletters and spam, confirms your address is active, and tells fraudsters you are away.

Why is there no Automatic Replies option in Outlook?

Your account is probably IMAP or POP rather than Exchange or Microsoft 365. Those accounts do not support server-side automatic replies; you can create a rule that replies with a template instead, but it only works while Outlook is running.

Can I set an out of office for someone else?

Not from your own Outlook unless you have been given full access to their mailbox. An Exchange or Microsoft 365 administrator can set automatic replies on any mailbox, which is the usual answer for unexpected absence and leavers.

More guides

How to add a signature in Outlook Add or change an email signature in the new Outlook, classic Outlook and Outlook on the web, step by step, plus copy-and-paste signature templates for UK businesses. Shared mailbox vs distribution list A shared mailbox is one inbox several people work from; a distribution list copies each email to every member. The difference, and when to use each. What is business email compromise? Business email compromise is email fraud that tricks staff or clients into paying money, usually by changing bank details. How it works and how to stop it.

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