Vacation auto-reply
Your dates, who's covering and whether you'll see email. Pick a tone, copy it, and go enjoy the time off.
Automatic reply: Re: Quick question before you go
You
to Sam Rivera · just now
Slack or Teams status
29/100 characters, Slack's limit. Set it to clear on Mon, Oct 19.
Subject line (Gmail)
Gmail's vacation responder asks for one. Outlook writes its own: “Automatic reply: …”.
Block your calendar
Out of office: On vacation
Mon, Oct 12 to Sun, Oct 18 · all day · shows as Out of office
Tell your team lead
Hi! Heads-up: I'll be on vacation from Monday, October 12 through Friday, October 16, and back on Monday, October 19. My out-of-office reply is on.
Open Settings (the gear at the top right), then Accounts › Automatic replies.
Turn on the Automatic replies toggle.
Check Send replies only during a time period. Start: Fri, Oct 9, 5:00 PM. End: Mon, Oct 19, 8:00 AM.
Optional: check Block my calendar for this period and Automatically decline new invitations for events that occur during this period.
Paste your message into the box.
Work account? Check Send replies outside your organization, then Send replies only to contacts, and paste the outside version.
Select Save.
You'll paste
Turning it on the evening before and off the morning you're back means it switches itself off. No forgetting.
For team leads
Auto-replies tell the people emailing you. Your team lead finds out who's out from the bounce-backs. Forgot puts everyone's time off, holidays and release dates on one calendar, so a clash shows up while there's still time to plan around it.
Free for 14 days, no card. Then $9 once, no subscription. Not your call? Send it to your team lead.
Hello, Thank you for your email. I'm on vacation from [start date] through [end date] and will be back in the office on [return date]. I will not have access to email during this time. If your matter is urgent, please contact [colleague's name] at [their email]. Otherwise, I'll respond to your message as soon as possible after I return. Best regards, [Your name]
Thank you for your message. I'm out of the office from [start date] through [end date], returning on [return date]. I will not have access to email during this time. For anything urgent, please reach out to [colleague's name] at [their email]. I'll reply as soon as I can when I'm back. Kind regards, [Your name]
Hi there, Thanks for getting in touch. I'm on vacation until [return date], and your email is waiting safely in my inbox for when I'm back. For anything urgent, please reach out to [colleague's name] at [their email]. Thank you for your patience, [Your name]
Hi! Thanks for your email. I'm on vacation and (hopefully) somewhere with bad Wi-Fi. I'll be back on [return date] and will reply then. If it can't wait, [colleague's name] can help at [their email]. Thanks, [Your name]
Hello! I'm taking some time off to recharge and will be back on [return date], ready to give your email the attention it deserves. I won't be checking email while I'm away. While I'm out, [colleague's name] is covering for me and can help at [their email]. Have a great week, [Your name]
Hi! Thanks for your note. I'm on vacation and back on [return date]. I won't be checking email while I'm away. If it can't wait, [colleague's name] can help at [their email]. Talk soon, [Your name]
On vacation until [return date], without email. Urgent? Contact [colleague's name] at [their email]. [Your name]
I'm on vacation until [return date]. Urgent? Contact [colleague's name] at [their email]. [Your name]
Thanks for your email. I'm out of the office and will reply when I'm back on [return date]. Urgent? Contact [colleague's name] at [their email]. [Your name]
I'm on vacation until [return date], somewhere sunny, pretending email was never invented. If it's urgent, [colleague's name] can help at [their email]. If it's not urgent, it will still be not urgent on [return date]. [Your name]
Hello! I'm currently on vacation, working on my tan instead of my inbox. Progress on both is going exactly as you'd expect. I'll be back on [return date]. Until then, [colleague's name] is holding the fort at [their email]. Sunscreen and regards, [Your name]
Out of office. Out of reach. Out of sunscreen, probably. Back [return date]. Urgent? Contact [colleague's name] at [their email]. [Your name]
Turn it on the evening before
Set a time period that starts when you log off and ends the morning you're back, so it switches itself off.
Give yourself a buffer day
Say you're back a day later than you are. You get a quiet day to catch up before the replies start.
Don't announce an empty house
"In Hawaii for two weeks" reaches strangers too. "On vacation" is plenty.
Either is fine. "On vacation" is friendly and makes clear you won't reply. For clients and strangers, "out of the office" is the safe default; the generator's "Outside" version uses it.
Switch off "Someone's covering" and the message just says when you're back. Saying whether you'll see email helps people decide whether to wait.
If you will, say "checking now and then" so people know a reply may come. If you won't, say so. It's easier to stick to when it's in writing.