An out of office message (OOO) is one of the few messages you write that gets sent to everyone who contacts you while you are away, including clients, senior colleagues, recruiters, and people you have never spoken to. An OOO is an automatic email reply that informs senders of your absence, provides your absence dates, states whether you have limited or no access to email, and offers an alternative contact for urgent matters. Setting up a clear and concise out of office message is essential for maintaining professionalism, managing expectations, and ensuring that important communications are handled smoothly in your absence.
This guide covers out of office message examples and templates for every situation: professional and formal, simple and brief, vacation-appropriate, funny where that is welcome, and long-term or extended leave.
What a Good Out-of-Office Reply Includes
The key elements of an effective OOO message are:
- State the dates, your start date, end date, and when you will be back in the office
- Set expectations, when the sender can expect a reply and whether you have limited access to email or none at all
- Provide an alternate contact, someone specific for urgent inquiries, not just a general inbox
- Keep it short, this is a courtesy, not a letter
Everything else is optional. Including too much information (your travel itinerary, extensive apologies for being unavailable, detailed explanations of why you are out) adds length without adding value. A well-crafted OOO message supports effective communication and leaves a positive impression even when you are unavailable.
Simple Out-of-Office Message Templates
Sometimes the most professional thing is the most minimal thing.
Template 1: Clean and minimal
Thank you for your email. I am out of the office from [date] to [date] and will reply when I return.
If this is urgent, please contact [name] at [email/phone].
Template 2: With clear return date
I am currently out of office and will return on [date]. I will respond to your message at that time.
For immediate assistance, please reach [name] at [contact].
Template 3: No backup contact needed
I am out of office until [date]. I will respond to emails when I am back.
This is appropriate when you genuinely cannot provide a backup contact, or when you work independently and no urgent escalation path exists.
Professional Out-of-Office Messages
For client-facing roles, leadership positions, or any situation where a more formal register is appropriate.
Template: Formal and complete
Thank you for reaching out. I am currently out of the office from [start date] through [end date] with limited access to email.
I will respond to your message as soon as possible upon my return. If you require immediate assistance, please contact [colleague name] at [email] or [phone], and they will be happy to help.
Thank you for your patience.
[Your name] [Title] [Company]
Template: Client-facing role
Thank you for your email. I am out of the office from [date] and will return on [date].
During my absence, [colleague name] is available to assist you with any urgent matters. You can reach them at [email] or [phone].
I look forward to connecting when I am back.
[Your name]
Template: Senior or executive role
I am traveling from [date] through [date] and will have limited availability. I will do my best to respond to time-sensitive messages before I return on [date].
For urgent matters, please contact my assistant [name] at [email].
Vacation Out-of-Office Messages
Slightly warmer tone, signals that you are actually on vacation rather than on a business trip, and that you will not be checking email.
Template: Clear vacation message
I am on vacation from [date] to [date] and will not be monitoring email during this time. I will reply when I return on [date].
If you need immediate help, please contact [name] at [email].
Template: With a friendly note
I am away on vacation until [date] and will be fully offline. I will get back to you as soon as I return.
If this is urgent, [colleague name] can help: [email].
Looking forward to catching up when I am back.
Template: For internal audiences
Out of office until [date]. Will catch up on email when I am back.
For anything urgent: [colleague name] has context on active projects.
Internal teams can handle less formality. They do not need the full template.
Holiday OOO message
The holiday season is the one time a warmer, slightly more personal tone is almost universally appropriate, even in formal business contexts. Keep the same structure but match the energy of the period.
Thank you for your email. I am out of the office for the holiday break, returning on [date].
I will respond to your message when I am back. For urgent matters during this time, please contact [name] at [email].
Happy holidays, and I look forward to connecting in the new year.
[Your name]
For conference attendance or professional travel where you may be reachable but slower to respond:
I am attending [conference name] from [date] through [date] and have limited access to email. I will respond when I return to the office on [date].
For urgent requests, please reach [name] at [email].
Funny Out-of-Office Messages
A well-placed funny out-of-office reply can reinforce your personality and, in the right workplace culture, is memorable in a good way. The rule is simple: only use humor if it is genuinely consistent with how you communicate in that context. A funny out-of-office reply sent from a formal financial institution's domain reads as unprofessional regardless of how clever it is.
Option 1: Self-aware
I am currently out of office. If you are reading this, I am not reading your email.
I will return on [date] and will make my way through the backlog at a pace that reflects how much I enjoyed my time off.
For urgent matters: [name] at [email].
Option 2: Honest and brief
Gone until [date]. Not checking email. It is great.
[Name] at [email] for anything that genuinely cannot wait.
Option 3: Seasonal
It turns out the beach does not have Wi-Fi. I am out of office until [date] and will respond when I return and have dried off.
Urgent requests: [name] at [email].
Option 4: Slightly philosophical
I am out of office until [date]. In the meantime, I recommend asking yourself whether this actually needs a response today, or whether it can wait until [date]. I find the answer is usually the latter.
For genuine emergencies: [name] at [email].
What makes a funny out-of-office work: It is brief, it includes the necessary practical information (return date, backup contact), and the humor is consistent with how you actually communicate. The failure mode is a long, elaborate joke that buries the return date and leaves the sender no clearer on what to do next.
Extended Leave and Long-Term Out-of-Office Messages
For parental leave, sick leave, extended travel, or sabbaticals, situations where you will be out for weeks or months rather than days.
Template: Parental leave
Thank you for your email. I am currently on parental leave and will return on [date]. I am not monitoring email during this time. Keep the message brief and avoid sharing unnecessary personal details.
For matters related to [your team/area], please contact [name] at [email]. They have been briefed on my accounts and can assist you.
I appreciate your patience and look forward to reconnecting when I am back.
Template: Extended absence (general)
I am on leave until [date] and will not have access to email. Please contact [primary backup, name] at [email] for any matters that require attention before then.
I will respond to messages after my return on [date].
Template: Sabbatical
I am on sabbatical from [date] through [date]. I will return to work and to email on [date].
In my absence, [colleague] is the best point of contact for [relevant area]. You can reach them at [email].
A Few Things to Skip
Skip: "I will respond as soon as possible." Everyone says this. "I will respond when I return on [date]" is more useful.
Skip: Long explanations of why you are out. The recipient does not need to know your plans; they need to know when you will be back and who to contact. Avoid sharing personal details like a cell phone number unless it is intentionally public.
Skip: "I am sorry for any inconvenience." Out-of-office is a standard feature of professional life, not an inconvenience requiring apology.
Skip: Multiple backup contacts. One person, one contact name and email or phone. Listing several options creates confusion about who to actually contact for urgent issues. If your organization uses a main office line or support teams for escalation, note that instead of private details.
Skip: Inspirational quotes or excessive personality in formal contexts. A funny message to a client you have never spoken to can undercut the professional image you have spent months building.
Skip: A vague subject line. Most email clients auto-set the subject to "Out of Office: Re: [original subject]", effective subject lines for auto-replies include your return date so recipients can assess urgency at a glance.
Setting Up and Scheduling Your Auto-Reply
Most email clients let you schedule auto-replies rather than toggling them manually. Set yours before you leave, not the morning you depart.
In Gmail: Click the settings gear icon in the top right → See all settings → General → scroll to the vacation responder section. Set your first and last day, write your message, and click Save. The automatic reply fires on the start date and stops on the end date.
In Outlook: File → Automatic Replies. Set a time range for the automatic response and write separate messages for inside and outside your organization if needed.
A common mistake: setting up the out-of-office after you have already left and received a wave of emails that got no automated response. Set it the day before you leave.
Your Out-of-Office as Part of Your Professional Presence
An out-of-office reply is a small thing, but it is the one message that represents you when you are not there. A clear, professional out-of-office message supports effective communication, protects your professional image, and helps manage expectations when you cannot respond promptly. A vague or missing one creates friction, especially for time-sensitive matters. The two minutes it takes to write one properly are worth it.
Related Reading
Still need approval for the time off itself? See PTO request email templates. For a longer, HR-involved absence, see leave of absence email templates instead.
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