If your out-of-office message isn't going out, the cause is usually one of three things: the setting isn't saved, a rule limits who receives replies, or you're testing in a way that can't trigger it. Apple Mail is a special case, because it has no universal auto-reply feature. This guide shows how to turn on automatic replies in each service, test them properly, and fix the common problems.
Test it correctly first
Many auto-replies work fine but look broken because of how they were tested. Before changing anything:
- Send a message from a different email account, not from the account that has the auto-reply. Emailing yourself generally won't trigger it.
- Use an address that isn't in your organization if you want to test external replies.
- Check the test account's spam or junk folder. Auto-replies sometimes land there.
- Wait a few minutes. Replies are not always instant.
Also, services usually send only one reply per sender within a set period, so repeated tests from the same address may produce nothing after the first. If your test failed, move on to the section for your email service.
Gmail
Turn it on
- On a computer, open Gmail and select the gear icon, then See all settings.
- On the General tab, scroll to Out of office. Some accounts still label it Vacation responder.
- Choose Out of office on and set the first and last day. Leave the last day blank if you want it to run until you turn it off.
- Enter a subject and message.
- Decide whether to tick the box to reply only to people in your Contacts. Work or school accounts may also offer an option for people in your organization.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom. Leaving the page without saving is a common reason the reply never starts.
In the Gmail mobile app, open the menu, go to Settings, choose your account, and look for Out of office (or Vacation responder).
If Gmail still doesn't reply
- Check the dates. A start date in the future or an end date that has passed means nothing sends.
- Untick the contacts-only option if the people you tested with aren't saved contacts.
- Remember the limits. Gmail doesn't reply to everything. Messages Gmail treats as spam or mailing-list traffic generally won't get a response, and Gmail sends only one reply to the same person every few days.
- Review your filters under Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses. A filter that deletes or reroutes certain mail can change what you see, so confirm the test message actually reached your inbox.
- Ask your administrator if it's a work or school account. Organization policies can restrict automatic replies, especially to external senders.
Outlook
Outlook has several versions, and the right method depends on your account type. Automatic Replies are built for Microsoft 365, Exchange, and Outlook.com accounts. POP and IMAP accounts usually don't offer the feature in the same way.
Outlook on the web, new Outlook, and Outlook.com
- Select the gear icon for Settings.
- Go to Mail > Automatic replies.
- Switch on Turn on automatic replies.
- Tick Send replies only during a time period if you want a schedule, and set the start and end times.
- Write your message. Work accounts may have separate boxes for people inside and outside your organization.
- Choose whether external replies go to contacts only or to all external senders, then click Save.
Classic Outlook for Windows
Go to File > Info > Automatic Replies (Out of Office), select Send automatic replies, and set your time range and messages under the Inside My Organization and Outside My Organization tabs. If the button is missing, your account is probably POP or IMAP. In that case, set the reply in the web version of your mail provider if it has one.
If Outlook still doesn't reply
- Look at the outside-organization setting. If it's off or limited to contacts, external senders get nothing. Your administrator can also block external auto-replies entirely.
- Check the time zone and schedule. A scheduled reply starts and stops by your mailbox's time settings, so an early or late test may miss the window.
- Turn it off, save, then on again. Outlook normally replies once per sender during a period. This resets the list of people who have already received your message.
- Look for conflicting rules. Inbox rules that move or delete incoming mail can stop messages from being treated normally. Review them under Settings > Mail > Rules on the web.
Apple Mail
Apple's Mail app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac does not have a general-purpose out-of-office feature. In most cases the reply has to be set up where your email account lives, not in the app. That explains why many people can't find the option.
- iCloud Mail: sign in at iCloud.com, open Mail, select the settings (gear) icon, and look under Settings for the automatic reply or vacation option. Enter your message and any dates, then save.
- Gmail account in Apple Mail: set it up in Gmail on the web, as described above.
- Outlook, Microsoft 365, or Exchange account in Apple Mail: turn it on in Outlook on the web. Some Exchange accounts also show an out-of-office option in the Mac Mail account settings, but the web setting is the more dependable route.
- Other providers: sign in to your provider's webmail and look for Vacation, Auto-reply, or Autoresponder.
Setting it on the server matters because it keeps working when your Mac is asleep, off, or closed. A Mail rule on the Mac, by contrast, runs only while Mail is open and the computer is awake. If you've tried a rule-based reply and it works only sometimes, this is the likely reason. For anything important, use the provider-side setting instead.
Other reasons an auto-reply doesn't arrive
- The sender is an automated address. Newsletters, no-reply addresses, and system notifications are usually skipped on purpose to avoid mail loops.
- Your reply went to spam. Short, plain messages with no links or attachments are less likely to be flagged.
- The message was blocked or filtered before arriving. If it never reached your mailbox, no reply is generated.
- You have more than one account or alias. The reply has to be set on the mailbox that actually receives the message.
Confirm it's fixed
- Reopen the settings and check that the reply is on, the dates are correct, and the contact limits match your test.
- Send a fresh message from a separate account that hasn't already received the reply.
- Confirm the reply arrives, including after any scheduled start time.
- Do one more test from an outside address if you want external senders to get the message.
If an auto-reply still fails on a work or school account after these checks, the next step is to contact your IT administrator and ask whether automatic external replies are allowed. For a personal account, check your provider's current help page for the account type, because menu names and options vary by version. Before a trip, it's worth running one test the day before you leave.