When it comes to maintaining a work-life balance, Microsoft Outlook’s “Out of Office” status can be a lifesaver. Whether you’re heading out on vacation, attending a conference, or simply need some focused time away from your inbox, this feature allows you to communicate your unavailability to your colleagues and clients effectively.
In this article, we have discussed how to set out of the office in the Outlook desktop app and in Outlook mobile app.
Set “out of office” in Outlook through Automatic replies on the desktop app
If you want to set Out of Office through automatic replies on your desktop Outlook app then follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open the Outlook app on your desktop and click on the File tab in the toolbar ribbon.
Step 2: Click on the Automatic Replies icon.
Step 3: In the Automatic Replies window, click on the Send automatic replies option to enable automatic replies.
Step 4: If you want to set a time range for the automatic replies then check mark the box beside the Only send during this time range and set the time and date as you desire. Type the message that you want to send as a reply, you can mention the time you will stay on vacation or out of the office, the reason to be out of the office and other information that you want to convey to people sending you an email.
Also read: How to move the Outlook toolbar from side to bottom?
Set “out of office” in Outlook through Automatic replies on the mobile app
If you want to set Out of Office through automatic replies on your Outlook mobile app then follow the steps below.
- Open the Outlook app on your phone and tap on the Home icon at the top left corner of the screen.
- Tap on the Settings (Gear) icon at the bottom left corner of the screen.
- In settings, Under the Email accounts section tap on the Outlook email.
- Under Account settings, tap on the Automatic replies option.
- Turn the toggle on beside the Automatic replies.
- Checkmark the box beside the reply during a time period to set a time range then set the date and time to send the automatic replies, you can also checkmark the box beside the Block my calendar, which will create an event in your calendar for the time range you have set above. Lastly, type in the message that you want to send as a reply and then tap on the Save (tick mark) button at the top right corner of the screen.
Also read: How to delay sending an email on Outlook?
