Guide: Automatic Out of Office (OOO) Reply (Autoreply)

Automatic email autoreply during your leave, using a template you edit ahead of time.

3-minute read

The Automatic Out of Office (OOO) Reply, also called Autoreply, turns on an email auto-responder for the duration of a User's approved leave. It uses a template the User can edit, so anyone who emails them while they're away gets a sensible reply automatically. No forgetting to set it before vacation, no embarrassing radio silence.

What the OOO Autoreply does

• Activates at the start of leave: when an approved leave begins, the autoreply switches on in the User's mailbox
• Replies with your template: anyone who emails the User receives the template message
• Deactivates when leave ends: the autoreply switches off on the return day, so there's no lingering "I'm still away" message
• Works with the leave you already booked: no separate dates to enter; the autoreply follows your approved leave window

The template

Each User has a personal autoreply template they edit ahead of time from Account Settings. The template is the message that goes out, and it can include the dates of the leave and the name of a backup contact. Admins don't write each User's message for them.

Where it works

The autoreply is set in the User's mailbox, so it works when Vacation Tracker can manage that mailbox: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, as long as the right connection is in place. On integrations where Vacation Tracker doesn't have mailbox access, the feature isn't available; in that case, Users can still configure an autoreply manually in their email client.

Why it matters

• No more "did I set it?": the autoreply is tied to the approved leave, not to the User's memory
• Consistent voice: the template keeps every message intentional, not improvised at the airport
• Fewer urgent escalations: a clear backup contact in the template routes urgent items to someone who can help, instead of leaving them in an empty inbox

What each role does

• Administrator: enables the OOO feature at the workspace level and may need to grant mailbox permissions during setup, depending on the integration
• Approver: doesn't manage other Users' templates. Worth knowing the feature exists so you can recommend it when a team member forgets to set one
• User: edits their template once, and it goes out for every leave from then on

Common Questions