If you're a Google Apps for Work or GMail user, whether paid or free, you can set an Out of Office automatic reply to manage people's expectations or redirect their enquiries while you are away.


If you use an email client, such as Mozilla Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook, you need to log into your Google email account online to do this. Simply follow these instructions:

  1. Log into your Google email account online at http://gmail.com/ using your full email address and password
  2. Click on the cog/flower button in the top-right of the page and choose Settings from the menu presented

  3. Check the top-most setting and, if it does not show English (UK) as your language change it. If it is already English (UK) or on your preferred language setting rather than the default, please skip to Step 5 instead

  4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click [Save Changes] then go back to Step 2 as you'll be returned to the list of your email messages

  5. In settings, scroll down until you see the section Out Of Office Auto Reply. Please note that this will actually say Vacation Auto Responder if you skipped Step 3 and left your language setting as English (US)

  6. Enter the start date, subject and body of your automatic response in the relevant boxes. If you check the Last day box, you can also set the Out Of Office Auto Reply to turn itself off on your return date, so you don't have to remember to

  7. If you tick either of the boxes under the message box, you restrict the messages to whom the automatic response is sent. My Contacts is anybody whose details you've saved in Contacts. The other option chooses only those messages which come from the same organisation as you, and is probably not therefore very useful.

  8. Once you've finished, don't forget to click on [Save Changes]. If you try to leave the page without doing so, you should be prompted but overriding that warning will mean that your changes are not saved. Clicking on [Save Changes] will return you to the list of email messages as in Step 4.

  9. Whilst your Out Of Office Auto Reply is active, if you log into your email, a yellow banner will appear at the top of the page reminding you that it is on. To turn it off manually, repeat Steps 2, 5 & 6 and set Out Of Office Auto Reply to off, remembering again to [Save Changes]

That's it, simple to do and simple to use.