How to set an out of office message in Gmail

Updated October 2026 · Free to copy and edit

Gmail calls its out of office feature the "vacation responder". It works on personal Gmail and Google Workspace accounts, and you can set it from the web or the Gmail app.

The steps are below, followed by messages you can paste straight in.

How to set an out of office message in Gmail: 5 to copy

1. Gmail standard

Subject: Out of office until [date]

Hi,

Thanks for your email. I'm out of the office until [date] and will reply when I'm back.

For anything urgent, please contact [name] at [email].

[Your name]

2. Personal Gmail

Subject: Away until [date]

Hi! I'm away until [date] and checking email only now and then. I'll get back to you soon.

[Your name]

3. Workspace, external

Subject: Out of office: back [date]

Thank you for your message. I'm out of the office until [date].

For support, please email [support email]. For anything else, I'll reply on my return.

Best regards,
[Your name]

4. Freelancer

Subject: Away until [date], projects paused

Hi,

Thanks for getting in touch. I'm taking a short break until [date]. Existing projects are paused until then, and new inquiries will get a reply when I'm back.

Thanks,
[Your name]

5. Short

Subject: Away

Away until [date]. I'll reply then.

[Your name]

Turn on the vacation responder on a computer

Open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top right.
Click See all settings.
Stay on the General tab and scroll down to Vacation responder.
Select Vacation responder on.
Pick the First day and, ideally, tick Last day and pick a date. Gmail switches the reply off for you at the end of that day.
Write a subject and your message.
Optional: tick Only send a response to people in my Contacts. Workspace accounts also get an option to limit it to people in your organization.
Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

While it's on, Gmail shows a banner at the top of your inbox with an End now link.

Turn it on in the Gmail app (Android and iPhone)

Open the Gmail app and tap the menu icon (three lines) at the top left.
Scroll down and tap Settings, then tap your account.
Tap Vacation responder (on iPhone it's under Out of office or Vacation responder, depending on your app version).
Switch it on, set the dates, and type your subject and message.
Tap Done or Save.

If you use a work account, your admin may have turned off auto-replies to outside senders. In that case the external option won't appear.

How Gmail's vacation responder behaves

It replies to each sender once every four days, not to every email. If someone writes again after four days, they get it again.
It doesn't reply to messages that land in spam or to mailing lists.
It starts at midnight on the first day (in your account's time zone) and ends at 11:59 PM on the last day.
It can't send different messages to internal and external senders. If you need that, Outlook does it.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the out of office setting in Gmail?

Click the gear icon, then See all settings. On the General tab, scroll to Vacation responder near the bottom.

Why isn't my Gmail out of office working?

The most common reasons are: you forgot to click Save Changes at the very bottom of the settings page, the start date is in the future, the sender already got the reply in the last four days, or you limited it to contacts and the sender isn't one.

Can I schedule a Gmail out of office in advance?

Yes. Set the First day to a future date and save. It turns on automatically that morning.

How do I turn off the Gmail vacation responder?

Click End now in the banner at the top of your inbox, or go back to Settings and choose Vacation responder off.

Related templates

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