How to Use the Out of Office Message Generator

Set your dates and reason, and the generator writes every version at once, ready to copy.

Enter your name, then pick your first day away and the date you are back at work.
Choose the reason, tone and audience, and add a backup contact if someone covers for you.
Select Create messages and read the short, standard and detailed versions.
Copy the version you like into Gmail’s vacation responder or Outlook’s automatic replies and set the same dates there.

Out of Office Message Examples

Each out of office message example below explains one choice the generator makes, from the reason you are away to where you paste the result.

Out of Office Message for Vacation

The vacation reason produces a message that says you are on vacation and not checking email, with the dates written out, such as Monday, 4 January 2027. Spelling out the weekday and month removes doubt about date formats for readers in other countries.

Out of Office Message for Sick Leave

Sick and parental leave are named only in the internal version for colleagues. External senders read that you are out of the office or on leave, which keeps health and family details private.

Out of Office Message With Alternate Contact

Add a backup contact’s name, email address or both, and every message tells senders who can help while you are away. Without a backup, the messages promise a reply after your return instead.

Out of Office Message in Gmail

In Gmail, open the settings, turn on the vacation responder, paste the message and set the first and last day. Gmail also asks for a subject, so the generator supplies a subject line with your return date.

Out of Office Message in Outlook

In Outlook, open the settings, choose Automatic replies, turn them on and set the time range. Outlook can send one message inside your organization and another to external senders, which matches the internal and external versions here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should My Out of Office Message Say?

Say when you are away, when you are back and who can help in the meantime. The standard version covers exactly these points in two or three sentences.

What Is a Good Out of Office Message?

A good message is short, gives the full return date and names a backup contact when one exists. It leaves out details about your trip or health, especially for external senders you do not know.

Should Internal and External Out of Office Messages Differ?

Usually they should. Colleagues can be told the reason and who has the status of your work, while external senders only need the dates and a contact. That is why the generator writes both versions.

How Do I Set up an Out of Office Message?

Copy one of the messages, then open the vacation responder in Gmail or the automatic replies in Outlook. Paste the text, set the same dates you entered here and save, so the replies stop on their own when you return.

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