How to set Automatic Reply when the new Outlook does not support it?

Question

My new Outlook does not support the Automatic Reply for when I am out of the office. Any easy way to set this up? The only thing I've seen is having to leave Outlook open the entire time I am out of the office for it to work.

Answer 1

Hi @Sandi Story,

I noticed you mentioned the term "out of the office." Just to confirm that we're looking at the right scenario, are you trying to use this feature in New Outlook for Windows with a work or school account? If so, could you also share the domain of your account?

I also reviewed the AI-generated response and agree that it provides some accurate information and highlights a few important limitations. However, I'd like to clarify one point:

The Outlook workaround is to use a rule to reply to incoming messages, but Outlook must remain open for that to work.

This workaround applies to Classic Outlook, not New Outlook, and requires Outlook to remain running. In addition, New Outlook does not currently support managing mail rules for third-party accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud. As a result, if the account itself does not support Automatic Replies (Out of Office), there is no rule-based workaround in New Outlook that can fully replicate the Out of Office functionality.

If you're reviewing the responses and there's anything that remains unclear, please feel free to leave a comment under my post. I'd be happy to clarify further. Unfortunately, the forum AI cannot continue the conversation or respond to follow-up questions, so I'll do my best to help with any additional details you may need.

Thank you for taking time.

Answer 2

If Automatic Replies is missing in new Outlook, the account likely does not support it. In new Outlook, automatic replies are not supported for Gmail, Yahoo, or other POP or IMAP accounts.

The easy options are:

1. If the account is a Microsoft 365, Exchange, or Outlook.com account
   • In new Outlook, go to View > View settings > Accounts > Automatic Replies.
   • Turn on Automatic replies.
   • Optionally set Send replies only during a time period.
   • Enter the message for people inside your organization, and if needed, enable replies outside your organization.
   • Select Save.
2. If the account is Gmail, Yahoo, POP, or IMAP
   • New Outlook cannot provide built-in automatic replies for that account.
   • The Outlook workaround is to use a rule to reply to incoming messages, but Outlook must remain open for that to work.
   • A better option is to set the vacation/auto-reply directly with the email provider for that account, since that works even when Outlook is closed.

So, if the goal is an out-of-office reply that works while Outlook is closed, that requires an account type that supports server-side automatic replies, or setting the auto-reply in the mail provider itself.

---

• How to set up out of office automatic replies in Outlook
• How to set up out of office automatic replies in Outlook
• How to set up out of office automatic replies in Outlook
• There is no Auto Reply on my Outlook. - Microsoft Q&A