Go to Outlook Web Access aka Outlook Web App, the web browser version of your mailbox. Office 365 / Exchange Server hostingĮxchange Server mailboxes (hosted by Microsoft Office 365 or elsewhere) have Out of Office responders.Įxactly what you see depends on the version of Exchange Server and the IT managers configuration. It’s also quite possible that the server/mail host has slightly different and better options than available in Outlook software. That ensure your configuration is done correctly by the system that will be doing the work, not Outlook acting as a messenger.

The actual responses are done automatically by the server not by Outlook software.įor that reason, we suggest bypassing Outlook software and setting up your Vacation message at the server / web page level. That’s because Outlook is sending your autoresponse request to the mail host for configuration and action. But Outlook can only do it for some types of email connection. Outlook software has ‘Automatic Replies (Out of Office)’ and we’ll demonstrate that below.

Setup at the server / web page level ensures that the response is properly configured and has all the available options. The best way to setup Out of Office or Vacation responses is on the mail host or server. You don’t have to leave your computer and Outlook on while you’re away because the server is handling it all for you. The server runs 24/7, so monitoring incoming messages and replying automatically is a logical job for it. Out of Office messages are almost always sent by the mail host or server – not Outlook software. Setting up ‘Out of Office’ doesn’t stop you from checking your email anyway (some of us can’t resist a peek even on holidays). Vacation autoresponses also can limit the number of replies to the same email address, for example only autoreply once or only every few days.

Some businesses like their staff to setup an ‘Out of Office’ message over weekends, but most people save it for longer breaks. You can set the range of dates that the Vacation responder will work for. The New York Times got some suggestions from the real world. In this article we have some cheeky vacation replies, but you can write whatever you like. Clever systems have options like different messages for people inside or outside an organization or only those in your Contacts list. ‘Out of Office’ or ‘Vacation’ autoresponses will automatically reply to incoming messages. Outlook can setup an Out of Office response, depending on the type of email connection but there’s a better way that works for everyone.

How to set up out of office on mac