Your Complete Guide: How to Set Away or Out of Office Message in Outlook 365

You’re counting down to that vacation you’ve been dreaming of, but the last thing you want is for your inbox to start picturing you at the swim-up bar. The good news is that outrunning email drama in Outlook 365 takes just a couple of minutes. Set up your out-of-office reply, and the only thing the inbox gets to imagine is the automated reply you’ve crafted. Let’s dive in and keep the geek-speak to a minimum.

Table of Contents

Why Your OOO Message Actually Matters

Quick story: that OOO reply you’re tempted to skip is the same subject line that politely reminds your sender to stop and think. A well-structured note says, “I’ll be back, and so will your project,” while non-communication leaves colleagues cycling in double replies and panic. Sending the reply is one small click that protects your inbox, reassures your team, and basically allows you to start unwinding the second your feet hit the sand.

Method 1: New Outlook for Windows

How to Set Away or Out of Office Message in Outlook 365

The fresh Outlook layout is so slick that you’ll be toasting your inbox five seconds after you take the vacation click.

Step 1: Open Outlook and click the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Navigate to Accounts > Automatic Replies.

Step 3: Toggle on “Turn on automatic replies” – you’ll see the switch light up blue.

Step 4: Choose your timing:

Send replies only during a time period: Check this box and set your start/end dates
Start time: Pick your departure date and time
End time: Set when you’ll be back and ready to tackle emails again

Step 5: Craft your messages:

Outside your organization: Keep it more formal, but still human

Inside your organization: Write something professional but friendly

Method 2: Classic Outlook Desktop

Using the classic desktop version? No worries—it still works:

Step 1: Navigate to File > Automatic Replies. Earlier versions may label it Out of Office Assistant.
Step 2: Tick the box for “Send automatic replies.”
Step 3: Check “Only send during this time range” if applicable, then enter the dates.
Step 4: Type your internal note under the Inside My Organization tab.
Step 5: Move to the Outside My Organization tab for external announcements.
Step 6: Click OK to turn it on.

Method 3: Outlook on the Web

Using your browser? Follow this simplified path:

Step 1: Log into Outlook.com or your Office 365 web portal.

Step 2: Tap the Settings gear.

Step 3: In the pane on the left, click Accounts, then find Automatic replies.

Step 4: Slide the toggle to the yes position.

Step 5: If you want to, adjust the start and end dates using the calendar pickers.

Step 6: Type the reply you want for coworkers and then the reply for everyone else.

Step 7: Click on Save or Done to lock in the changes.

Method 4: Use Your Phone

Need to handle this while you’re already in the airport lounge? The Outlook app lifts the load:

Step 1: Launch Outlook for mobile.

Step 2: Tap the Menu button, then pick Settings and find your account.

Step 3: Tap Automatic replies.

Step 4: Slide the switch to turn it on.

Step 5: Set your start and end dates, then write the replies.

Step 6: Hit Save and you’re set.

Smart OOO Settings

Be Brief: State your return date, a short reason if you want, and the backup contact.

Share Useful Stuff: Link to commonly used documents or the in-house knowledge portal.

Confirm Before Departing: Email yourself to verify that the message appears.

Frequent Problems and How to Solve Them

No Replies Going Out? Look at your mailbox rules; hitting the 256 KB message size cap can stop them.

External Replies Missing? Your company may set a policy that disables replies to people outside the domain; double-check that first.

Same Calendar Some tools vary in minor details, but the essential flow—finding the automatic reply option, writing the text, saving the rules—always stays true.

Lean on the Power in the Platform Outlook 365 doesn’t just let you bounce a canned response. When you enable the Out of Office reply, the system can mute incoming invites, draw a block on your calendar, and even decouple that loop on upcoming Teams calls. The cleverness stretches beyond inbox silence; the auto reply practically edits your work week in advance.

Final Reminder You can time it in the moment that fits your work style—desktop app, web version, Outlook for iOS—whichever fits your vibe. Call up the auto reply, write the why and the who-with list, and then hit send. The team is set, the deadlines are explained, the calendar has guards in place, and the inbox is practically on mute. Give your inbox a two-breath silence appreciation, close the laptop, and go let the future you savor the sun, the 37 unread messages unchanged behind yesterday’s curtain.