Out of Office Messages in Outlook

Overview

This article contains instructions on how to set an Out of Office Message in Outlook (email), also known as an automatic reply.

Instructions

Out of Office Messages can be created in Outlook on the Web (OWA) or the Outlook Desktop Application. Out of Office Messages for shared mailboxes must be created in OWA. Expand a section below to view detailed instructions for creating an Out of Office Message.

Outlook on the Web

  1.  Open Outlook on the Web.
  2.  Select the Settings icon in the top right corner.
Red arrow pointing to Settings icon in the Outlook Web App taskbar
 
  1. In the Settings window, select Account in the leftmost column and Automatic replies in the middle column.

Settings window with red arrows pointing to the Account and Automatic Replies options

  1. Select the toggle next to Turn on automatic replies. Once automatic replies are enabled, the toggle will turn blue and state Automatic replies on.
    1. To set an automatic reply for a time frame, select the Send replies only during a time period checkbox. You will then be able to select a start date/time and end date/time. Note: If you turn on automatic replies without setting a time frame, senders will receive the automatic reply until you have turned automatic replies off.

Settings window with red outline around Automatic Replies toggle

  1. There are two boxes that you can type your automatic reply in:
    1. The first is the automatic reply to AACC email addresses (ending in either @mymail.aacc.edu or @aacc.edu).

Red outline around text input for automatic replies to AACC email addresses

  1.  If you select the Send replies outside your organization checkbox, a second box will appear. This will be the automatic reply to all non-AACC email addresses.

Red outline around text input for automatic replies to non-AACC email addresses

  1. Once you have created your desired automatic reply, select the Save button in the lower right corner.

Outlook Desktop App

Shared Mailboxes

You can only set an Out of Office Message/automatic reply for shared mailboxes via Outlook on the Web.

  1. Open Outlook on the Web.
  2. Select your profile icon in the top right corner and select Open another mailbox.

Open another mailbox within Outlook

  1. Enter the name/email address of the shared mailbox and select Open.

Enter name of shared mailbox

  1.  The shared mailbox will open in a new browser tab. Follow steps 2-6 in the Outlook on the Web section to configure automatic replies for the shared mailbox.

Troubleshooting

Still have questions? Select a service offering on the Outlook Email services page, or contact the Technical Service Desk at 410-777-4357.