Mar 29, 2026

How to Set Out of Office in Gmail (Vacation Responder, 2026)

Gmail Out of Office Vacation Responder Auto Reply How-to Email

Gmail’s out-of-office feature is called the Vacation responder. When turned on, it automatically replies to incoming emails with a message you write — telling people you’re away, when you’ll be back, and who to contact in the meantime. You can set it up on desktop or in the mobile app, schedule it for specific dates, and customize it for internal versus external contacts if you’re on Google Workspace.

1. Turn On Vacation Responder (Desktop)

Open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
Click See all settings.
On the General tab, scroll all the way down to the Vacation responder section (it’s near the bottom, just above the Save/Cancel buttons).
Select Vacation responder on.
Set the First day — this is when Gmail starts sending auto-replies. Click the date field to open a date picker.
Optionally check Last day and set an end date. If you leave this unchecked, the vacation responder stays on until you manually turn it off.
Enter a Subject line. This becomes the subject of the auto-reply email (e.g., “Out of office until April 7”).
Write your message in the Message body field. You can use the formatting toolbar to add bold text, links, or bullet points.
Optionally check Only send a response to people in my Contacts. When enabled, only people in your Google Contacts receive the auto-reply — everyone else gets no response.
Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Once saved, Gmail displays a yellow banner at the top of your inbox confirming that the vacation responder is on.

2. Turn On Vacation Responder (Mobile)

The Gmail app on both iOS and Android supports the vacation responder.

iOS:

Open the Gmail app and tap the hamburger menu (three lines) in the top left.
Scroll down and tap Settings.
Tap your email account.
Tap Vacation responder.
Toggle Vacation responder on.
Set the First day and optionally the Last day.
Enter a Subject and Message.
Optionally toggle Only send a response to people in my Contacts.
Tap Save (or the checkmark).

Android:

Open the Gmail app and tap the hamburger menu.
Tap Settings.
Tap your email account.
Tap Vacation responder.
Toggle the vacation responder on.
Set your dates, subject, and message.
Tap Save or Done.

The mobile vacation responder syncs with the desktop setting — turning it on in one place enables it everywhere.

3. Google Workspace: Internal vs. External Auto-Replies

If you’re on a Google Workspace account (formerly G Suite), Gmail gives you an additional option that personal Gmail accounts don’t have: separate messages for people inside and outside your organization.

When Vacation responder is on, two message fields appear:

Message — this is the reply sent to people within your organization (anyone with the same @company.com domain).
A second field for people outside your organization — you can write a different, more formal message for clients, vendors, or anyone not on your domain.

You can also restrict the external reply to only people in your Contacts, which prevents the auto-reply from going out to cold emails, marketing lists, or spam.

If you’re on a personal Gmail account (@gmail.com), you get one message field that goes to everyone. The “Only send a response to people in my Contacts” checkbox is still available.

4. How Often Gmail Sends the Auto-Reply

Gmail doesn’t reply to every single incoming email. Here’s how the auto-reply frequency works:

Gmail sends the auto-reply once every four days to the same person. If someone emails you three times in two days, they get the vacation response only once.
If the same person sends you a new message after receiving the auto-reply, and the message content has changed, Gmail sends the auto-reply again.
If you edit your vacation responder message while it’s active, the four-day counter resets for everyone. All previous senders will get the updated message the next time they email you.
Gmail does not auto-reply to messages that are sent to a mailing list, messages that land in spam, or messages where your address is in the Bcc field.

5. Turn Off Vacation Responder

There are two ways to turn it off:

From the inbox banner:

When the vacation responder is on, Gmail shows a yellow banner at the top of your inbox that reads “Vacation responder is on.” Click End now to immediately disable it.

From Settings:

Click the gear icon > See all settings.
Scroll down to Vacation responder on the General tab.
Select Vacation responder off.
Click Save Changes.

If you set a Last day, the vacation responder turns itself off automatically at 11:59 PM on that date (in your Gmail time zone). You don’t need to do anything manually.

6. Tips for Writing a Good Out-of-Office Message

Include your return date. The auto-reply subject line and body should both mention when you’ll be back. People need to know whether to wait or find someone else.
Name an alternative contact. If something is urgent, who should they reach? Include a name and email address so people aren’t stuck.
Keep it short. Three to five sentences is plenty. State that you’re out, when you’re returning, and who to contact. That’s it.
Set realistic expectations. If you won’t check email at all, say so. If you’ll check occasionally with delayed responses, say that instead.
Skip the humor unless it fits your audience. A clever OOO is fun for internal teams, but clients and vendors just want the information.

Example:

Thanks for your email. I’m out of the office from April 1-7 with limited access to email. I’ll respond when I return on April 8. For urgent matters, please contact [Name] at [email]. Thanks for your patience.

7. Quick Reference

Action	Desktop	Mobile
Access vacation responder	Gear icon > See all settings > General tab > scroll to Vacation responder	Hamburger menu > Settings > Account > Vacation responder
Set date range	First day and optional Last day fields	Same date fields
Restrict to contacts only	Check Only send a response to people in my Contacts	Toggle the same option
Internal vs. external message	Available on Google Workspace accounts	Available on Google Workspace accounts
Auto-reply frequency	Once per sender every 4 days	Once per sender every 4 days
Turn off	End now banner or Settings > Vacation responder off	Toggle off in Vacation responder settings
Auto turn-off	Turns off at 11:59 PM on Last day	Same behavior

If you’re heading out and want your inbox handled while you’re away, Carly is an AI assistant that manages your email, handles scheduling, and connects to 200+ apps — so nothing falls through the cracks while your vacation responder does the replying.

More on Gmail: How to add a signature in Gmail · How to schedule an email in Gmail · How to create labels in Gmail · How to block emails in Gmail · How to unsend an email in Gmail