Free out-of-office email generator
Answer a few questions and get an auto-reply with a subject line, one version for clients and one for colleagues. Copy it into Gmail, Outlook or any mail tool. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Subject: Out of office: back November 3
Hello, Thank you for your message. I am on vacation from Tuesday, October 27 and will be back on Tuesday, November 3. I will reply within two business days of my return. For anything urgent, please contact Sam Rivera at sam@example.com. For other questions, please contact the Operations team at ops@example.com. Kind regards, Jordan Lee Operations Manager Acme Operations
The outside version keeps personal detail to a minimum. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
What a good out-of-office message says
- That you are away, and when you are back. People can then decide whether to wait.
- Who to contact instead. Name one person for urgent matters, with a way to reach them. A message with no alternative leaves people stuck.
- What to expect. Say whether you will check email, and when you will reply after you return.
- Nothing more than needed. You do not have to say where you are or why. Details such as travel plans are best kept out of messages that reach people outside your company.
Before you go
An auto-reply only works if someone is actually covering. Agree the handover first: who picks up urgent work, which decisions they can make, and where the open items are written down. A written RACI matrix makes it clear who is responsible while you are away, and our guide to the RACI matrix for operations teams explains how to set one up. If you are leaving the company rather than going on leave, use the offboarding SOP instead.