How-To

How to Set Up an Out of Office Message in Microsoft Teams

By Sandy Writtenhouse

Published June 29, 2021

If you plan to be away from work, be sure you let everyone know. Here’s how to set up an Out of Office message in Microsoft Teams.

Just like an automatic reply you set up from your email account, Microsoft Teams offers an Out of Office feature for your chat communications. And if you have a large group using the app, this is a great way to let others know you’re away with little effort.

You have two ways to access your out-of-office setting in Microsoft Teams. So use whichever is most convenient for you to get started.

Access the Out of Office in Microsoft Teams

You can access the Out of Office feature in Teams from either your profile or your settings.

From Your Profile

Click your profile icon on the top right to begin. Select a Set status message. At the bottom of the pop-up, click Schedule out of office.

From Your Settings

Click the Settings and More icon (three dots) on the top right and select Settings. Choose General on the left. On the right, scroll down to Out of Office and click Schedule.

Set Your Out of Office Reply

Using either method above to access the Out of Office feature, you’ll arrive in the same spot.

1. In the pop-up window, enable the toggle at the top for Turn on automatic replies.
2. Type your message in the box. Note that a message is required to set your status and sync with your Outlook calendar.
3. Optionally, you can check the first box for Send replies outside my organization. You then have the option to select only your contacts or all external senders. You can provide a different message for this group if you like or copy and paste the message from above.
4. If you want to set a schedule for the reply, check the box for Send replies only during a time period. Then select the Start and End dates and times for the schedule. If not, you can manually turn it on and off.
5. When you finish, click Save at the bottom.

People will see your out-of-office message when they contact you in Teams or view your profile.

And remember this syncs with Outlook. If you want to learn more about automatic replies in Outlook calendar specifically, take a look at our tutorial.

Let Others Know You’re Away in Microsoft Teams

By setting up an out-of-office reply in Microsoft Teams, others won’t wonder why they don’t hear back from you. This is a courteous and handy way to inform everyone that you’re away and when you’ll be returning.

For more, take a look at these related how-tos:

• How to Set Up an Automatic Out of Office Message in Gmail
• How to Use Out of Office Mode with Google Calendar
• Create Out of Office Replies in Outlook 2016 for POP or IMAP Accounts
• How to Create an Outlook Calendar Out of Office Entry