Google Workspace
How to set up an out-of-office reply in Gmail
Configure Gmail to auto-respond while you're away — including who to contact in your absence.
9 steps
Walkthrough
Step-by-step
- 1
Open mail.google.com
- 2
Click the gear icon in the top-right to open Settings
- 3
Click 'See all settings' at the top of the panel
- 4
Scroll down to 'Vacation responder' in the General tab
- 5
Toggle 'Vacation responder on'
- 6
Set the first day and last day of your absence
Gmail sends auto-replies only between these dates — set them correctly to avoid silent gaps.
- 7
Write your subject and message
Include who to contact in your absence (name + email), not just 'I'm away.'
- 8
Optionally check 'Only send a response to people in my Contacts'
Useful to avoid replying to spam and external mailing lists.
- 9
Scroll to the bottom and click 'Save Changes'