How To Set Out Of Office In Outlook Without Auto Reply, by Tutorials by Joe & Lisa on YouTube. 2 min 46 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 46 s
- Time to do it
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Sign in to Outlook on the web at outlook.office.com, or open the Outlook desktop app, and click the Calendar icon in the left sidebar.
Click New event on the web, or New Appointment on the desktop, to start a calendar entry for your time away.
Type a clear title such as Out of office, then set the start and end dates to cover every full day you will be away.
Open the Show as menu and pick Out of office. On older desktop versions, pick Tentative or Free if Out of office is not listed.
Set the reminder to None and leave the Teams meeting toggle off, since this entry only marks your time away.
Click Save. If Outlook offers to send invitations, choose Don't send so nobody receives an invite.
Confirm automatic replies are off by going to Settings, then Mail, then Automatic replies, and check the toggle is disabled.
Open your calendar in Week view to check the block shows Out of office to anyone who tries to book a meeting with you.
Tips and common mistakes
The Out of office show-as option only works on Microsoft 365 or Exchange accounts, so personal IMAP accounts may not offer it.
Nobody gets an email when they write to you, so tell your main contacts directly that you are away.
Add the same dates to your Teams status message so people chatting with you see it too.
Create one all-day event per block of leave rather than a single event that skips your working days.
Questions
Will this send automatic replies to people who email me?
No. The calendar entry only changes your free or busy status, so no email is sent back to senders.
How is this different from Automatic replies?
Automatic replies email everyone who writes to you. The calendar method just shows you as away when someone schedules a meeting.
Can I do this in the Outlook mobile app?
You can create the event there, but the Out of office show-as option is easier to find in Outlook on the web.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
