Try the example, then check the result.
Download the fictional material and follow the steps below. The video uses English illustrative diagrams; it does not present a live app recording. Product controls may vary by version.
Check the answer before applying the method to your own data. How we review guides ↗
Watch the complete lesson.
The video uses English illustrative diagrams; it does not present a live app recording. English captions. Product menus may differ in your account.
An automatic reply can be helpful and still disclose details to the wrong audience. This guide targets Outlook on the web with a Microsoft 365 work or school mailbox. Set a bounded absence window, write a useful internal message, and make a separate decision about external senders. The expected finish is a saved settings panel that matches your plan. No live mailbox or delivery test was used to make the companion video; its screens are illustrative diagrams.
Download the fictional reply drafts and saved-setting checklist. Replace all placeholders before any real use.
Before you start
- Know your real return date and the time zone displayed in your mailbox.
- Confirm that the internal contact route is authorized to handle urgent work.
- Use a public-facing contact route only if someone is actually monitoring it.
- Decide whether people outside your organization should receive a reply at all.
Set the reply
- In Outlook on the web, open Settings → Account(s) → Automatic replies. Microsoft's current help shows both Account and Accounts across its web instructions. Older or managed versions can display a different menu. A personal Outlook.com account may not show organization-specific choices.
- Turn on Automatic replies. Select Send replies only during a time period, then enter the real start and end. Read both values back in the mailbox's displayed time zone. Without a scheduled period, Microsoft says the reply stays on until you turn it off manually.
- Draft the internal message using
reply-copy.txt. State when you expect to return and give only an authorized internal route for urgent work. Replace[return date]and[internal queue]. Avoid promises about response times unless that coverage is real. - If your account displays Send replies outside your organization, decide deliberately whether to enable it. When enabled, use the shorter external draft. Replace
[public contact address]with a genuine public route. Do not copy an internal-only address, customer name, travel plan, or personal phone number into this box. Microsoft warns that an external reply sent to everyone can also reach newsletters, advertisements, or junk senders; use a narrower contacts-only choice if your account offers it and that matches your plan. - Inspect any optional calendar blocking or meeting-decline controls. Enable only those that match your actual plans; they affect more than reply copy. Select Save.
Check the saved result
Reopen Automatic replies. Compare the saved toggle, start and end times, internal text, external audience switch, external text, and any calendar options with the checklist. A configuration pass means the settings match the plan. It is not proof of delivery to a real internal or external sender. If you need that proof, use an approved test mailbox and follow your organization's policy.
| Check | Pass condition | If it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Time range | Both boundaries saved in the intended time zone | Correct the range and save again. |
| Internal reply | Return date and authorized internal route only | Replace placeholders and review coverage. |
| External audience | Deliberate on/off choice | Change the switch; do not assume the default. |
| External copy, if enabled | Public route only; no internal detail | Shorten the message and save again. |
| Calendar options | Only intended options enabled | Turn off unrelated actions before leaving. |
Swipe or scroll sideways to see every table column →
If the control is missing
Check whether this is a Microsoft 365 work or school mailbox, a personal Outlook.com mailbox, or a different connected account. Ask your administrator if organization policy hides or controls automatic replies. Do not assume that a generic email rule will have the same behavior.
FAQ
Can I leave the end time blank? Microsoft says that without a time period, the reply remains active until it is manually switched off. Set an end when you know one.
Do external senders automatically receive my internal reply? The Microsoft 365 web interface has a separate outside-organization choice. Inspect its saved state and text. Do not infer actual delivery from the settings alone.
Should I decline meetings from this panel? Only if that is part of your real absence plan. The calendar and invitation choices are separate from the reply text.
Sources and visual note
Microsoft's web instructions and broader Outlook for Microsoft 365 guide with a Web tab were reviewed on 9 October 2026. The companion video uses illustrative diagrams, not account screenshots. The saved-setting check and actual email delivery have not been executed in an Outlook account for this episode.
Practice downloads.
The exercise files contain invented information. Save a local copy before editing.