When the holidays come up or you're going on a well earned vacay, you still need to maintain a professional relationship with your customers. But you also don't want to miss anything important in your inbox. So what do you do?--learn how to set out of office on all major emails.

Around 60% of employees check their work emails while on vacation. Let's make sure you're not part of that statistic. 

Learn how to take control back from our inbox and make it work for us, even when we're sipping margaritas by the beach, hiking up picturesque mountains, or catching up on Hulu shows. This article gives you practical step-by-step instructions on how to set automatic replies. From Gmail and Outlook, through Apple Mail and Microsoft 365, we got them all covered.

Setting Out of Office Messages on Gmail

Need to take a breather but worried about your incoming emails? Don't sweat it. Setting an out-of-office message in Gmail is easier than you think. This feature, often referred to as auto-replies or automated responses, allows you to set up a response that will be sent automatically when someone emails during a designated period.

It's important because we all know that email accounts can get overwhelming especially when there are 1.5 billion users worldwide like Gmail. It's one of the most popular platforms for managing email messages due to its user-friendly interface and easy-to-set features such as setting up auto responses.

Starting early and making a list of all the things you need to do before you go on vacation can reduce your stress. This includes thinking through your out of office message. 

It’s best to carve out about 3 weeks to prepare and plan for your vacation. This gives you plenty of time to (calmly) get yourself, your family, and your work life organized before your departure.

-Carson Tate 

Creating Your Auto Reply Template

The first step involves creating your reply template. Consider what information you want included in your out-of-office message; perhaps the dates you'll be away, who they can contact in case of urgent matters or just a friendly note saying you won't be able to respond promptly.

Don’t forget - personalization goes a long way here. Use formatting options available within Gmail itself – bolding key details or adding bullet points for clarity makes reading more enjoyable for recipients.

Navigating Through Settings

Once the content is ready, head over to settings by clicking on the gear icon located at the upper right corner of your screen and select 'See all settings' from dropdown menu which opens up new page with multiple tabs."

Set Up Automatic Replies

Gmail provides simple steps towards setting automatic replies:

1. In "General" tab under ‘Vacation responder’, click on the circle next to ‘Vacation responder on’.
2. Specify the time period for your absence. This will determine when Gmail should start and stop sending out your auto replies.
3. Paste in or type up your pre-prepared message in the text box provided. You can choose whether you want only people within your organization (for business accounts) or anyone who emails you to receive this automatic reply by selecting corresponding option below textbox area.

Remember to press the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page when you are done.

Setting Out of Office Messages on Outlook

When away from the workplace, be it for a holiday or an unexpected absence, letting your contacts know you are not available is of utmost importance. Luckily, setting up an out-of-office message in Outlook is straightforward and can be tailored to fit Exchange accounts differently from POP/IMAP accounts.

Setting Out of Office Messages for Exchange Accounts in Outlook

For those using Exchange accounts in Outlook, there's a built-in feature called "Automatic Replies (Out of Office)" which simplifies this process. Here are step-by-step instructions:

1. Open your Outlook desktop application.
2. In the top left corner, click 'File' then select 'Automatic Replies'. This opens the Automatic Replies dialog box.
3. In this dialog box, check the option labeled 'Send automatic replies'. You'll notice two time boxes appear; here you can set specific start and end times if desired.
4. Compose your reply message in both tab sections: ‘Inside My Organization’ and ‘Outside My Organization’. Be sure to use clear language so anyone receiving these messages understands when they can expect a response from you again. (Microsoft Support).
5. Once finished with your settings and composing messages hit “OK” at the bottom right to save changes.

Setting Out of Office Messages for POP/IMAP Accounts in Outlook

POP and IMAP accounts do not have the built-in "Automatic Replies" feature. However, you can still set up an out-of-office notification by creating a rule. Here's how:

1. First, click 'File' at the top left corner of your Outlook desktop application then select ‘Manage Rules & Alerts’. This will open a dialog box.
2. In this new dialog box choose ‘New Rule’ which opens another window called ‘Rules Wizard’.

Setting Out of Office Messages on Apple Mail

Apple Mail, the pre-installed email program on Apple gadgets, has an uncomplicated and straightforward procedure for establishing out-of-office messages. This feature is crucial when you're away from work but still want to maintain communication with your contacts.

Step 1: Accessing Your Email Accounts Settings

Start by opening your Apple Mail application. From the top left corner of your screen, select 'Preferences' from the 'Mail' menu to open a dialog box with various settings related to your email accounts.

Step 2: Setting Up Automatic Replies

In this dialog box, click on the account that needs an out-of-office message. Look for a tab labeled 'Automatic Replies' or similar; if it's not immediately visible, check under advanced settings. 

Once found, turn on automatic replies by toggling the corresponding switch/button (often represented as an "Automatic Replies" toggle). Now it's time to draft your reply template.

Drafting Your Out-Of-Office Message

The content of this auto response should be concise yet informative enough about your unavailability period and who else they could reach during this time. Be sure also to include any necessary contact details for emergency matters because remember—this office message might land in someone’s inbox just at their moment of need.

Step 3: Formatting Options And Time Periods

In most cases, you'll have some formatting options like bold or italic text which allow making certain parts stand out more than others within these automatic replies. Don’t forget too that setting specific dates makes managing expectations easier for both you and the receiver.

Set a timeframe for when the message should be sent in response to incoming emails. Make sure that your automatic replies are only active during your actual out-of-office timeframe, so no one gets confused or misinformed.

Step 4: Saving Your Settings

Once you've crafted the perfect office reply, find 'Save' typically located at the bottom right corner of your screen. Make sure to click it to save all your hard work.

Setting Out of Office Messages on Microsoft 365

For those with an IQ of 150, setting up a Microsoft 365 email account's out-of-office message prior to taking a break can ensure business operations remain uninterrupted. Here are some simple steps to set automatic replies and craft a perfect office reply.

Note: These instructions apply to the web-based platform of Microsoft 365, used by over a million companies worldwide.

Selecting Automatic Replies

Click the gear symbol in the top right of your inbox page. This will open up your settings menu. Look for "View all Outlook settings" at the bottom and click it.

Under 'Settings', go to Mail > Automatic replies. You'll find an option there called 'Turn On'. Click this button if you want to start sending automatic responses immediately or select specific dates using the scheduling options available.

Crafting Your Reply Message

Now comes arguably one of the most important parts--crafting your out-of-office message. A text box is provided where you can type in what people receive when they send you an email during this period. 

Be sure to include key details like how long you’ll be gone, whether or not someone else can assist them while you’re away, and when they might expect a response from you upon return.

Setting Rules For Your Automatic Replies

Microsoft 365 also gives you the option to set rules for your automatic replies. This can be handy if, say, you want only people within your organization to receive one message while external contacts get a different one.

To do this, select 'Only send during this time range' and specify the start and end times of your out-of-office period. Then choose whether these auto-replies should go to everyone or just people in your contact list.

Saving Your Settings

Once you're satisfied with all your configurations, click the 'Save' button in the top left corner of the page. Voila. You've now successfully set up an out-of-office reply on Microsoft 365's web-based platform.

Setting Out of Office Messages on Yahoo Mail

Yahoo Mail facilitates users in creating and handling their office notifications with a few simple clicks. Click the gear symbol in the upper right corner, then opt for 'More Settings'. 

From there, navigate over to the left corner and click 'Out of Office Response'. In this dialog box, you can craft your reply message complete with start and end dates.

Setting Out of Office on ProtonMail

If privacy is high on your list of priorities - ProtonMail could be worth considering. While primarily known for its encrypted mail service, setting up automatic replies here isn't too different from what we've seen so far.

To begin, log into your account via web browser (unfortunately this feature isn’t available through mobile apps yet). Next up – locate that settings cog (it’s becoming quite familiar now), which lives in the upper right-hand side next again. 

Clicking that will lead us straight into ‘Autoresponder’. Here lies another dialogue box ready for us craft our OOO template or even multiple templates should we need them.

Setting Out of Office on Zoho Mail

Finally, let’s explore Zoho Mail, a platform geared towards business users. From the top-right corner of your screen, go to 'Settings.' 

Go to the "out of office section" and click "add new out of office." Choose who you want to send the OOO messages to (everyone, contacts, non contacts). 

Choose the start and end dates you want the OOO emails to be sent out. Choose the time interval for emails sent during a specific set of hours. You can also choose the days of the week you want the emails sent. 

Choose "out of office on the calendar then choose how often you want to send an OOO email to the same person. Create your message and then click "save."

A Final Word

Now you can take that vacation with no worries that you'll miss out on something important hitting your inbox. Now that you know how to set out of office on all major emails you can step away from your office pageant waving your way to relaxation.

And when it comes to creating your OOO email templates, try Magical. You can download it for your Chrome browser (it's free) and in a few clicks you're set up. Magical makes manual, repetitive tasks simple and saves a ton of time in the process. The average Magical user saves 7 hours a week.