Going on holiday? Working remotely for a few days? Taking time off for personal reasons? Setting up an out of office reply in Gmail means anyone who emails you gets an automatic response letting them know you are away and when they can expect to hear back. It takes about two minutes to set up, works on your phone or computer, and you can turn it off again just as easily. Here is exactly how to do it.
What Is an Out of Office Reply?
An out of office (also called a vacation responder) is an automatic email that Gmail sends to anyone who emails you while you have it active. You write the message once — something like “I’m on holiday until the 20th and will get back to you then” — and Gmail sends it automatically to every new message you receive.
You still receive the emails normally and can read them. The responder just makes sure the sender knows you are away, without you having to do anything.
How to Set Up an Out of Office Reply on Gmail (Computer)
- Open Gmail in a web browser and sign in.
- Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner.
- Click See all settings.
- Make sure you are on the General tab (it should be selected by default).
- Scroll down until you see Vacation responder.
- Click Vacation responder on to enable it.
- Set the First day — the date your auto-reply should start sending.
- Optionally set a Last day — Gmail will automatically stop sending the reply on this date. This is very useful so you do not forget to turn it off when you return.
- Write a Subject for the auto-reply email — for example, “Out of office until 20 November”.
- Write your message in the body. Keep it brief and informative: when you will be back, whether emails will be checked during your absence, and an emergency contact if relevant.
- Optionally tick “Only send a response to people in my Contacts” — this prevents your out of office being sent to mailing lists, newsletters, or unknown senders.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
How to Set Up an Out of Office Reply on Gmail (Phone App)
- Open the Gmail app on your phone.
- Tap the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top left corner.
- Scroll down and tap Settings.
- Tap the email address you want to set the out of office for (if you have more than one account in Gmail).
- Scroll down and tap Vacation responder.
- Toggle the responder on.
- Set the start date, end date, subject, and message, as described above.
- Tap Done in the top right corner to save.
What to Write in Your Out of Office Message
A good out of office message is short and answers two questions: when will you be back, and what should the sender do if it is urgent? Here is a simple template:
Thank you for your email. I am out of the office from [date] to [date] and will have limited access to email during this time.
I will reply as soon as I can after my return on [date]. If your matter is urgent, please contact [name] at [email address].
Adjust the tone to match your context — a formal out of office for work emails should sound professional, while a personal Gmail account can be more casual.
Tips and Common Mistakes
- Always set an end date. Without an end date, Gmail keeps sending the reply until you manually turn it off. Many people forget to do this after returning from holiday, and their out of office keeps firing weeks later. Set the end date and let Gmail handle it automatically.
- Test it. Ask a friend to send you a test email from an address not in your Gmail contacts and check that the reply arrives correctly and looks as intended.
- Do not include confidential information. Your out of office goes to everyone who emails you, including people you do not know. Avoid listing your personal phone number or precise holiday dates if you are concerned about home security.
- Gmail will only send the auto-reply to any single sender once every four days. So if someone emails you three times in a row, they will not get three copies of your out of office — they will get one per four-day window.
How to Turn Off the Out of Office Reply Early
If you get back earlier than planned:
- On computer: Go to Settings > See all settings > General > Vacation responder > click “Vacation responder off” > Save Changes.
- On phone: Gmail > Settings > your account > Vacation responder > toggle off > Done.
You can also click the banner at the top of your Gmail inbox that says “Vacation responder is on” and choose to turn it off from there.
Does an Out of Office Work on Work or Business Gmail Accounts?
Yes. If your work uses Google Workspace (the paid version of Gmail used by many businesses), the out of office function works the same way. Some organisations set it up to automatically reply only to people within the same company — check with your IT department if you are unsure how yours is configured.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the out of office send to spam emails and newsletters?
By default, Gmail does not send the auto-reply to emails that land in your spam folder or bulk mailing lists. If you tick “Only send a response to people in my Contacts”, it will also skip anyone not in your address book.
Can I have different out of office messages for different email addresses?
If you manage multiple accounts in the Gmail app, you can set a separate out of office reply for each one. Go into Settings and tap each account individually.
Does the out of office reply send immediately when someone emails me?
Yes. As soon as Gmail receives a new email while the responder is active, it sends the reply automatically, usually within a few seconds.
Can I see who has received my out of office reply?
No, Gmail does not provide a list of who triggered the auto-reply. You can find the sent replies in your Sent folder, labelled with your out of office subject line.
What if I want to check emails while I am away but still have the reply running?
That is perfectly fine — the out of office reply is entirely independent of your ability to read and respond to emails. You can check emails normally and reply to anything urgent, while the auto-reply handles everyone else.
Last updated: November 13, 2026