An out-of-office message has one job: tell the person who just emailed you what to do next. When will you be back, and who can help before then? Everything else is decoration, and most of it gets skipped.
The best ones are three or four lines. The worst ones are a paragraph about your trip, no return date, and no one to contact.
The Three Things Every Auto-Reply Needs
- That you are away. Plainly. "I am out of the office."
- When you will be back. A specific date, not "next week."
- Who to contact instead. A name and an email address, for anything that cannot wait.
If you do nothing else, do those three. A reply with no return date leaves people guessing, and a reply with no backup contact means anything urgent simply waits.
The Standard Version
Subject: Out of office until [date]
Thank you for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [date].
For anything that cannot wait, please contact [Name] at [email address].
Otherwise, I will reply after I am back.
[Your name]
Vacation
You do not need to say you are on vacation, and there are reasons not to. An auto-reply goes to anyone who emails you, including people you do not know, and "I am traveling abroad for two weeks" tells them more than they need. "Out of the office" is enough.
Hi, and thanks for your message. I am away from [start date] to [end date] with limited access to email. I will reply when I return.
If you need help sooner, [Name] at [email address] is covering for me.
A Single Day or a Few Hours
Many people skip the auto-reply for one day out. If you usually answer quickly, set one anyway; otherwise people assume you are ignoring them.
Thanks for your email. I am out today, [day and date], and will reply on [next working day].
Holidays and Office Closures
If the whole team or business is closed, say so — it stops people from chasing someone else instead.
Thank you for reaching out. Our office is closed from [date] through [date] and reopens on [date]. We will reply to every message in the order it arrived once we are back.
[If you have one: For urgent matters during the closure, contact (how to reach someone).]
Only include an emergency contact if someone has actually agreed to be it, and knows they are on the list.
Extended Leave
For medical, parental, family, or any other longer leave, keep the message just as simple. You owe no one a reason, and the reply will be read by people you have never met. If you do not know your exact return date, do not guess.
Thank you for your email. I am away for an extended period and am not checking messages.
Please contact [Name] at [email address], who is handling my work while I am out. Your message will not be forwarded automatically, so please resend it to them.
That last line matters. People assume someone is reading your inbox. If no one is, tell them.
Before You Set It: Hand Things Off
An auto-reply that names a backup only works if the backup knows what is coming. A day or two before you leave, send them a short note: which clients or projects might come up, where the files are, what they can decide on their own, and what should simply wait for you. Then tell the people you work with most often that you will be away, so the auto-reply is a reminder rather than a surprise.
It also helps to clear anything that would come due while you are out. A question you answer before leaving is one your backup never has to guess at.
Internal Versus External Replies
Most email systems let you set a different message for people inside your organization. That is useful:
- Internal can carry more detail — which projects are covered by whom, where files live, what to do about a recurring meeting.
- External should stay short — return date and one contact. Customers and vendors do not need your internal map.
If your workplace has a policy about what auto-replies may say, follow it. Some organizations require a specific format or a shared team address as the contact.
What to Leave Out
- Where you are. "Hiking in the mountains" is charming and unnecessary.
- Your personal phone number, unless you truly want calls from anyone who emails you.
- Jokes that need context. A line that is funny to your team can read oddly to a new customer or someone writing about a problem.
- Promises you will not keep. "I will be checking email periodically" means people will expect replies.
- "I will respond to your email when I return" if you are going to delete everything instead. Some people do declare email bankruptcy after a long leave; if you plan to, say "please resend anything still needed after [date]."
The Return-Day Trap
If you write "back on Monday," people will expect a reply Monday — the same day you are wading through everything that arrived while you were gone. Two easy fixes: give the date you will be replying rather than the date you are back, or add "I will respond as quickly as I can after I return." Both set an honest expectation.
Before You Leave
- Is the return date correct — right day, right month?
- Have you asked the person you named, and are they actually available?
- Is their email address spelled correctly?
- Did you set an end date, so the reply turns itself off?
- Did you send yourself a test from another account to see what it looks like?
And when you get back, turn it off. An out-of-office reply that keeps running a week after you return tells everyone you are still gone.
Questions people ask
What should an out-of-office message say?
That you are away, the date you will be back, and who to contact for anything that cannot wait — with their email address. That is enough. Everything else is optional.
Should I say why I am out of office?
You do not need to. "I am out of the office" is enough, and keeping the reason private is completely normal. It also avoids telling strangers that you are travelling and away from home.
Should I put a return date or the day I will reply?
Many people give the day they are back, then are buried in email that day. Some give the date they will be replying instead, or add "I will respond as soon as I can after I return." Either works — just be accurate.
Should my out-of-office reply go to external senders?
Most email systems let you choose. Many people send a fuller message internally and a shorter one externally, so customers get a contact and colleagues get the detail. Check whether your workplace has a policy on this.
How do you write an out-of-office message for medical or family leave?
Keep it as simple as any other: you are out, when you expect to be back if you know, and who is covering. You owe no one a reason. If your return date is uncertain, say "for an extended period" and name the person covering.
This article is general guidance on professional writing, not legal or HR advice. Where an email touches a contract, an employment decision, a complaint, or a legal dispute, have it checked by someone qualified in your state before you send it.