Out-of-Office Message: What to Include and 20 Templates to Copy
A good out-of-office message says you are away, gives the date you will be back, names a person or address for urgent matters, and stops there. Write the dates in a form nobody can misread, such as "Monday 1 March", keep it under 80 words, and switch it on before you leave. Twenty templates below cover holidays, sickness, parental leave and conferences.
What should an out-of-office message include?
An out-of-office message (also called an auto-reply or vacation responder) needs four things and can do without almost everything else:
- That you are away, in one plain sentence.
- When you are back, with a return date, not only a departure date.
- Whether you will read email while away. "I will not be checking email" saves people from waiting for a reply that is not coming.
- Who to contact instead, with a name and an address or phone number, for anything urgent.
Everything else is optional. You do not need to say where you are going, why you are away, or apologize three times. If the message reaches clients or the public, say less, not more. A reply that announces "I am on holiday in Lisbon until the 14th and my house is empty" tells strangers more than they need to know.
Keep it short. A reader opens an auto-reply to answer one question: should I wait, or should I contact someone else? If the answer takes more than five lines to find, the message has failed.
How do you write the dates so nobody misreads them?
Dates are where most auto-replies go wrong. In the United States, 3/4/2027 means March 4. Readers in the UK, Ireland, Australia, India and most of Europe read the same digits as 3 April. If your message goes to colleagues or clients in another country, a numeric date can send them to the wrong week.
The fix is to spell the month:
| Written as | Risk |
|---|---|
| 3/4 | Could be 3 April or 4 March |
| 03.04.2027 | Common in Germany and parts of Europe; unclear elsewhere |
| March 4 or 4 March | Clear everywhere |
| Thursday 4 March | Clearest: the weekday catches a wrong date |
Add the weekday whenever you can. If you write "Monday 1 March" and 1 March is a Tuesday that year, a careful reader will notice and write back. Also say the time zone if you work with people abroad, for example "back on Monday 1 March (GMT)". The guide to how to write a professional email covers the same principle for the rest of your messages.
What subject line should an auto-reply use?
Most email programs add "Automatic reply:" in front of whatever you type, so keep the rest informative. Good options:
- Out of office until Monday 1 March
- Away from the office, back 3 March
- On leave: please contact Sam Okafor
Avoid vague lines such as "Hello" or "Re: your email". When a reader scans an inbox, the subject should answer the question before they open it. For more subject-line ideas see email subject lines.
20 out-of-office templates to copy
Replace the bracketed parts, then read the message once aloud. Dates in the examples are spelled out on purpose.
Standard holiday and vacation
1. Short and neutral
Subject: Out of office until Monday 1 March
Thank you for your email. I am away until Monday 1 March and will reply when I return. For anything urgent, please contact Priya Shah at priya.shah@example.com.
Kind regards, Daniel
2. Not checking email
I am on leave from Friday 12 February to Monday 1 March and will not be checking email. I will reply to your message after I return. If you need help sooner, please write to support@example.com.
3. Formal
Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will return on Monday 1 March 2027. During my absence, Ms. Hannah Reid (hannah.reid@example.com) is handling my correspondence. I will respond to all other messages on my return.
Kind regards, Daniel Brooks
4. Friendly
Hi, and thanks for getting in touch! I am off until Monday 1 March, recharging. For anything that cannot wait, Priya (priya.shah@example.com) can help. Otherwise I will be back in touch the week I return.
5. For customers
Thank you for contacting us. Our office is closed from Friday 24 December to Friday 31 December and we will reply from Monday 3 January. For urgent orders, call 555-0142 or email orders@example.com.
Short leave and limited access
6. One day away
I am out of the office today, Thursday 4 March, and will reply tomorrow. For urgent matters, please contact Priya Shah.
7. Part-day or afternoon
I am away from my desk this afternoon and will answer your email by 10:00 tomorrow. If it is urgent, please phone my colleague on 555-0143.
8. With limited email access
I am traveling until Friday 12 March with limited access to email. I will check messages once a day and reply to urgent ones; others will wait until I am back on Monday 15 March.
9. Working part-time or on a reduced schedule
I work Monday to Wednesday. If you write to me on Thursday or Friday, I will reply on Monday. For urgent matters, contact the team at team@example.com.
10. Between jobs or when you have left
Thank you for your message. I left [Company] on Friday 26 February and this address is no longer monitored. Please contact Priya Shah at priya.shah@example.com, who has taken over my work.
Sickness and personal leave
11. Sick leave, minimal detail
I am away from work and will return as soon as I can. Please contact Priya Shah (priya.shah@example.com) for anything urgent. I will reply when I am back.
You never have to state a reason or a diagnosis. For longer notes to a manager rather than an auto-reply, see our guide to a sick leave email.
12. Parental leave
I am on parental leave from Monday 7 June and will return on Monday 6 December. During this time, please contact Hannah Reid (hannah.reid@example.com) for [area of work]. Your message will not be forwarded automatically.
13. Bereavement or personal leave
I am out of the office on personal leave and will be back on Monday 8 March. Please contact Priya Shah for anything urgent. Thank you for your understanding.
14. Medical appointment day
I am out of the office today for an appointment and will reply tomorrow, Friday 5 March.
Work travel, events and public holidays
15. Conference or business trip
I am attending [Conference name] from Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 March and have limited access to email. I will reply on Friday 12 March. For urgent matters, please contact Hannah Reid.
16. Training or off-site day
I am in training all day on Wednesday 10 March and will reply on Thursday morning.
17. US public holiday (for example Thanksgiving)
Our office is closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday 25 November, and many of us are off on Friday 26 November too. We will reply on Monday 29 November. For urgent issues, email support@example.com.
18. UK bank holiday
The office is closed on Monday 3 May for the early May bank holiday. I will reply on Tuesday 4 May. For urgent matters, please email support@example.com.
19. Holidays in another country (Canada, Australia, India)
Our Toronto office is closed on Thursday 1 July for Canada Day. Our Sydney team is closed on Tuesday 26 January for Australia Day. Our Mumbai office is closed on [date] for [festival]. Your message will be answered on the next working day.
20. Team-wide shutdown
Our team is closed from Monday 20 December to Friday 31 December. Messages are not monitored during this time. We will reply from Monday 3 January. For emergencies, call 555-0144.
Public holidays differ by country and by company, and some dates move each year. Check the official calendar of your own country or employer before you copy a date.
How do you set up an auto-reply in Gmail and Outlook?
Menu names change as the programs are updated, so treat these as a map, not a script.
Gmail on the web: open Settings (the gear icon), choose See all settings, stay on the General tab and scroll to the out-of-office or vacation responder section. Turn it on, set the first and last day, write the subject and message, and decide whether to send replies only to your contacts. Save changes.
Outlook (classic desktop): choose File, then Automatic Replies (Out of Office). Select Send automatic replies, tick the time range, and write one message for people inside your organisation and one for people outside it.
Outlook on the web and the new Outlook: open Settings, find Automatic replies under Mail, and use the same inside and outside messages. Some work accounts are controlled by an administrator and may limit what outside senders see.
Before you leave, send a test email to yourself from a different address and check that the reply arrives, that the dates are right, and that the backup contact has agreed to cover.
Common out-of-office mistakes
| Mistake | Better |
|---|---|
| No return date | Always give one, with the weekday |
| "Contact me on my mobile" in a public auto-reply | Share a team address instead |
| Too much detail about where you are | Say you are away, not where |
| Naming a colleague who does not know | Ask them first |
| Leaving the auto-reply on after you return | Set an end date when you switch it on |
| Typos in the dates | Read it aloud and test it |
Using AdeptWrite to polish your message
Paste your draft into the Grammar Checker to catch slips in punctuation and capitalization, then run the Spell Checker in the English variant your readers use, since "favourite" and "favorite" differ. If you want a different register, the Tone Changer can rewrite your message as formal, office or casual, and the Email & Letter Writer can draft a first version. Both are AI tools: read what they return and check every date, name and address yourself. Each run handles up to 6,000 characters, which is far more than an auto-reply needs.
For the other side of the exchange, our guide to how to end an email lists sign-offs for every level of formality.
Try the tools
Frequently asked questions
What should I write in an out-of-office message?
Say you are away, give the date you will be back, say whether you will check email, and name a person or address for urgent matters. Spell the month in dates so they cannot be misread. You do not need to explain where you are or why. Keep the whole thing under about 80 words.
Should I say why I am out of the office?
No. Reason and destination are optional and often best left out, especially in a message that reaches the public. "I am away until Monday 1 March" is enough. For sickness or personal leave, state nothing beyond that you are away. You are never obliged to give a medical reason in an auto-reply.
Should I give my phone number in an auto-reply?
Usually not. An auto-reply goes to everyone who emails you, including strangers and automated senders. Give a shared team address or a colleague's work contact instead, and only after you have asked that colleague. Share a mobile number only when your employer expects it and your recipients are known clients.
How do I write dates in an out-of-office so US and UK readers agree?
Write the month as a word and add the weekday, for example "Monday 1 March". A numeric date such as 3/4 means March 4 in the US but 3 April in the UK, Australia and India. Naming the weekday lets a reader spot a wrong date at once. Add a time zone if you work across regions.
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