How To Set Up an Out-of-Office Auto Reply In Gmail
Don’t ignore. Opt for automated consideration.
Setting up an out-of-office auto-reply in Gmail can be quite handy when you’re going on vacation, leaving the office for an extended period, or you don’t want anyone to shoot you an email and feel neglected if you have not replied in a timely manner. If you’re not familiar with how to do this, stay tuned as we walk you through the steps.
Here’s how we did it:
First, ensure that you’re logged in to your Gmail account. Once you’re logged in, you’ll notice an icon in the upper right corner; when you hover your mouse over it, it will say “Settings.” Click on this icon, and a sidebar menu will appear. From there, select “See all settings.”


Now, scroll down to find the “Out of office auto reply” in other computers, like in the image below, it may appear as “vacation responder”. You’ll see a brief description of what this feature does. If it’s currently turned off, which is likely the case, let’s go ahead and turn it on.


You’ll also need to specify the start date for your out-of-office reply. For instance, if you’re leaving on September 3, enter that as the start date. You’ll also need to set the last day of your out-of-office period. I’m going to set it for September 15, as I plan to be back in the office on September 16.

Next, give your auto-reply a title; let’s name it “Out of Office.” In the message field, type your desired message. You might say something like, “Thank you for your message. I’m currently away from the office and will be back on September 16th. I’ll respond to your email promptly upon my return. If your matter is urgent, please contact [alternative contact person] at [contact person’s email/phone number]. Your patience is greatly appreciated.” You can customize this message as needed, including contact information for someone else to reach out to in case of urgency.

Further down, you can adjust additional settings, such as how often the auto-reply is sent and whether to send responses only to your contacts. Once you’ve configured everything to your liking, click the “Save Changes” button.

A yellow bar will appear after you click on the “Save” button, indicating that you’ve configured your out-of-office auto-reply and that it’s now active. When someone sends you an email during the specified out-of-office period, they’ll automatically receive the message you’ve set.
The good news is that you can easily manage this feature. If you want to turn it off when you’re back in the office, follow the same steps: “Settings” > “See all settings” > “Out of office auto reply.” Simply switch it off and save the changes.
So there you have it—setting up an automatic out-of-office reply in Gmail is quick and straightforward. It’s a useful tool to ensure people know you’re unavailable and to set expectations for when they can expect a response.
Here’s a guide in video for those who prefer to watch rather than read:
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