How to Make an Out of Office Reply in Outlook
Are you planning to take a well-deserved break from work, but worried about missing important emails? Don’t worry; Outlook has a built-in feature that allows you to set up an out of office reply to automatically notify senders that you are unavailable. In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating an out of office reply in Outlook.
Step 1: Open Outlook and Navigate to the Settings
To begin, open Microsoft Outlook on your computer. Once the application is open, click on the “File” tab located in the upper-left corner of the window. From the dropdown menu, select “Options.”
Step 2: Access the Out of Office Assistant
In the Outlook Options window, you will see a list of categories on the left-hand side. Click on “Mail,” and then scroll down to find the “Out of Office Assistant” section. Click on “Out of Office Assistant” to expand the options.
Step 3: Set Up Your Out of Office Reply
Under the “Out of Office Assistant” section, you will find the “Automatically reply to messages I receive” option. Click on the “Settings” button to configure your out of office reply.
Step 4: Customize Your Out of Office Message
In the “Automatically reply to messages I receive” window, you can customize your out of office message. Here are a few key points to consider:
– Subject: Enter a brief subject line for your out of office reply. For example, “Out of Office: Returning on [Date].”
– Message: Type the body of your out of office message. You can include information about your absence, alternative contact information, and when you will be back in the office.
– During this time: Choose the duration of your absence. You can set it to “Only during the following workdays” or “Only during the following days and times.”
– Include a copy of the incoming message: Check this box if you want to include a copy of the incoming email in your out of office reply.
Step 5: Save and Exit
After customizing your out of office message, click “OK” to save your settings. Then, close the Outlook Options window by clicking “OK” again.
Step 6: Test Your Out of Office Reply
To ensure that your out of office reply is working correctly, send a test email to yourself or a colleague. Check if the out of office message is received as expected.
Now that you know how to make an out of office reply in Outlook, you can enjoy your break without worrying about missing important emails. Just remember to turn off the out of office feature before returning to work to ensure you receive all incoming messages.
