EmailNa

Home › Gmail help

How to set an out-of-office auto reply in Gmail

Gmail calls its out-of-office feature the vacation responder. It takes about a minute to set up, on a computer or on your phone.

By David Ray · Updated November 3, 2026 · 2 min read · How we research

Quick answer

On a computer, open Gmail, select the gear icon, then See all settings. On the General tab, scroll to Vacation responder, choose Vacation responder on, set the first and last day, write a subject and message, and select Save Changes. On a phone, open the Gmail app, go to Settings, tap your account, then Out of office AutoReply.

On a computer

  1. Open Gmail and select the gear icon at the top right, then See all settings.
  2. On the General tab, scroll to Vacation responder.
  3. Select Vacation responder on.
  4. Choose the First day, and tick Last day to set when it stops.
  5. Enter a Subject and Message.
  6. Optional: tick Only send a response to people in my Contacts.
  7. Select Save Changes at the bottom.

While it is on, Gmail shows a banner at the top of your inbox with a link to end it.

On iPhone and Android

  1. Open the Gmail app and tap the menu (three lines) at the top left.
  2. Tap Settings, then your account.
  3. Tap Out of office AutoReply (or Vacation responder).
  4. Turn it on, set the dates, and write your subject and message.
  5. Tap Done or Save.

Message examples

Thank you for your email. I'm out of the office until Monday, June 15, with limited access to email. I'll reply when I'm back. For anything urgent, please contact Sam at sam@example.com.
Thanks for your message! I'm away until June 15 and will get back to you then.

More in out-of-office message examples.

How Gmail's auto reply works

How to turn it off

Select End now in the banner at the top of your inbox, or go back to Settings → General → Vacation responder, choose Vacation responder off, and save. If you set a last day, it switches off by itself.

Questions people ask

Does Gmail have an out of office reply?
Yes. Gmail calls it the vacation responder. It's in Settings, on the General tab.
Why isn't my Gmail out of office working?
Check that it is turned on with the right dates and that you saved changes. The same sender only gets the reply once every few days, and mail filtered as spam or sent to lists doesn't get one.
Can I set an out of office in the Gmail app?
Yes. In the app, go to Settings, tap your account, then Out of office AutoReply.
How do I set an auto reply in Gmail without dates?
Turn the vacation responder on without ticking Last day. It stays on until you turn it off.
Sources checked

Keep reading