An auto-reply email is a pre-written message your email client sends automatically when someone emails you, usually to let them know you’re out of office, to confirm receipt of a support request, or to acknowledge a business inquiry. Below are seven proven templates for the most common situations, plus the steps to set them up in Missive, Gmail, and Outlook.

Emails take up more than a quarter of the average workweek, so it makes sense that people dread coming back from vacation to a full inbox. A good auto-reply sets expectations for the sender, tells them who to contact in the meantime, and buys you a little breathing room when you’re back.

The catch is writing one that doesn’t make you look unreachable, confused, or unprofessional. Nobody wants an auto-reply like this one that said she might never answer, or the classic example where one auto-reply replied to another auto-reply in an infinite loop.

This guide covers what an auto-reply is, seven ready-to-use templates for different situations, and step-by-step setup instructions for Missive, Gmail, and Outlook.

What is an automatic email reply?

An automatic email reply (sometimes called an out-of-office reply, autoresponder, or canned response) is a message your email client sends on your behalf when an incoming message meets certain conditions. Common triggers:

• Time-based: dates you’re away on vacation, leave, or at a conference.
• Sender-based: emails from specific addresses, like a job applications inbox.
• Content-based: emails with certain subject lines or keywords, often used for support ticket confirmations.

Most email clients support auto-replies natively. Missive, Gmail, and Outlook all handle the basics, though each has different strengths, which you’ll see in the setup sections below.

7 auto-reply email examples for every situation

Each of these templates uses Missive’s variable syntax to auto-fill the recipient’s name and other details. If you’re not using Missive, just replace the curly-brace variables with plain text.

1. Out-of-office auto-reply (general template)

Whether you’re on vacation, a local holiday, or taking time off for family reasons, this template works for any out-of-office situation. The {{ user.status }} variable pulls in your current Missive status automatically, so one template covers every occasion.

2. Out-of-office auto-reply for maternity or paternity leave

A longer leave needs a longer-horizon reply. Give a clear date range, point to a reliable backup contact, and set expectations about whether you’ll check email at all during the leave.

3. Auto-reply for someone no longer with the company

When someone leaves, their inbox doesn’t stop receiving emails. A well-written auto-reply redirects the sender to the right person and keeps the door open for future business.

4. Out-of-office reply with an alternative contact method

If your email isn’t the best way to reach you for urgent matters, this template gives senders a backup channel (phone, text, or a teammate) without inviting every non-urgent sender to call.

5. New support request auto-reply

Customer support is the most common use case for auto-replies. An instant “we got your message” acknowledgment goes a long way toward reducing anxiety and cutting down on duplicate follow-ups from the same person.

6. General business inquiry auto-reply

For info@ or contact@ inboxes, a quick auto-reply confirms the message landed and sets a response expectation. This prevents the sender from assuming their email got lost and emailing three more times.

7. Job application auto-reply

Candidates often apply to dozens of roles at once and have no idea whether their application was received. A simple acknowledgment with a realistic timeline respects their time and reflects well on your company.

How to write a professional auto-reply

The seven templates above cover most situations. When you’re writing your own, keep these principles in mind.

• Keep it short. The sender should know three things within a few seconds: (1) why you’re not replying right now, (2) how long they should expect to wait, and (3) who to contact if it’s urgent. Anything beyond that is fluff.
• Stay professional. You don’t need to explain why you’re away or where you’re going. “Out of office” is enough. Avoid detailed stories about the vacation you’re on or the medical situation you’re dealing with.
• Warn the person you’re redirecting to. Before naming a coworker as the backup contact, make sure they know they’re the backup contact. Surprise coverage duties breed resentment.
• Be explicit about the alternative. If you’re saying “for urgent matters, contact X,” be clear about what counts as urgent. Otherwise every sender will decide their issue qualifies.
• Proofread. An auto-reply sends to hundreds of people while you’re not looking. A typo in your out-of-office reply is visible to everyone you correspond with for two weeks straight.
• Include a signature. Even for an auto-reply, your normal email signature tells the recipient how to verify they’ve reached the right person.

A few common mistakes worth avoiding:

1. Forgetting to turn it off. Nothing undermines “I’m back from vacation and ready to work” like an auto-reply still saying you’re away until next Monday.
2. Inviting “urgent” contact when you don’t want to be disturbed. If you offer an escape hatch, expect it to be used. If you genuinely don’t want interruptions, say so.
3. Trying to be funny. A joke that lands in person rarely lands in text, and it definitely doesn’t land the two-hundredth time a stranger receives your auto-reply.

How to set up auto-replies in Missive

In Missive, auto-replies are built with rules and canned responses. The combination gives you far more control than a simple out-of-office toggle.

1. Create the response. Go to Settings > Responses and write your template using variables for personalization.
2. Create a rule. Go to Settings > Rules > Create rule, pick Email as the channel and Incoming message as the trigger.
3. Add conditions. Filter which incoming emails trigger the auto-reply (all emails, specific senders, emails to a specific account, emails containing certain keywords, etc.).
4. Add the action. Choose “Send response” and select the template you just created.
5. Optional: throttle. Set “Send at most once every X per conversation” so the same sender doesn’t get the auto-reply 10 times on the same thread.
6. Save.

For personal out-of-office replies, Missive also has a dedicated personal auto-response feature tied to your status. Set your status to “Out of office,” define the date range, and Missive handles the rest.

How to set up auto-replies in Gmail

Gmail’s vacation responder is the simplest option for a basic out-of-office reply.

1. In Gmail, click the gear icon > See all settings.
2. Scroll to Vacation responder at the bottom of the General tab.
3. Turn it on, set the start and end dates, and write your subject and message.
4. Optionally, limit the reply to people in your Contacts or to your organization only.
5. Click Save Changes.

For more targeted auto-replies (specific senders, specific keywords), you’ll need to combine Gmail templates with filters:

1. Enable Templates in Settings > Advanced > Templates.
2. Compose your message, then click the three dots > Templates > Save draft as template.
3. Create a filter (in the search bar, click Show search options) with your criteria, then select Send template as the filter action.

How to set up auto-replies in Outlook

Outlook splits between the new and classic versions; the steps are slightly different.

New Outlook and Outlook on the web:

1. Click the Settings gear in the top right, then go to Accounts > Automatic replies.
2. Toggle Turn on automatic replies.
3. Set a time range if you only want the reply to run during specific dates.
4. Write your reply. You can set a different message for people outside your organization.
5. Click Save.

Classic Outlook for Windows:

1. Go to File > Automatic Replies.
2. Select Send automatic replies.
3. Check Only send during this time range and set the dates if applicable.
4. Write your reply in both the Inside My Organization and Outside My Organization tabs as needed.
5. Click OK.

Microsoft’s setup guide covers the older and Mac versions as well.

FAQ

What should an auto-reply email say?

At a minimum: why you’re not responding (out of office, out of hours, reviewing a support ticket), how long the sender should expect to wait, and who to contact in the meantime if the issue is urgent. Three sentences is usually enough. Long auto-replies signal that you have too much to say about your absence; short ones signal you’ve got it handled.

How long should an out-of-office message be?

Two to four sentences. Any longer and the sender stops reading. Any shorter and you haven’t set expectations. The seven templates above are all in this range and can be used as a length benchmark.

Can I set up an auto-reply for specific senders only?

Yes, in every major email client. In Missive, add a condition to your rule filtering by sender address or domain. In Gmail, combine a filter with a template. In Outlook, use rules (File > Manage Rules & Alerts > New Rule) rather than the simple Automatic Replies toggle, which applies to everyone.

What’s the difference between an auto-reply and a canned response?

An auto-reply sends automatically based on rules you’ve set up, without any human action. A canned response is a saved template you insert manually into an email you’re about to send. The two overlap, most auto-replies are built from canned responses, but the key difference is whether a human is in the loop when it sends.

How do I set up an auto-reply for a shared inbox?

This depends on the client. In Missive, shared inboxes (like support@ or sales@) can have rules that send auto-replies on behalf of the team, so responses don’t get sent from a specific individual. In Gmail and Outlook, shared mailboxes usually need the auto-reply configured by an admin at the mailbox level, not the individual level; personal out-of-office replies don’t apply to shared addresses.

What should I write in an away message for Outlook?

Any of the templates in this guide will work. Outlook lets you set one message for people inside your organization and a different (usually more formal) message for people outside. The “out-of-office general template” and the “alternative contact method” template are the two most common picks for Outlook away messages.

Can auto-replies hurt customer relationships?

They can, if they’re poorly written. The most common complaints: auto-replies that don’t say when the person will be back, auto-replies that promise a follow-up that never comes, and auto-replies with no alternate contact for urgent situations. Done well, they set expectations and reduce anxiety. Done badly, they feel like being put on hold.

Should I include a link to my FAQ or help center?

For support auto-replies, yes. A linked help center deflects common questions and often resolves the sender’s issue before anyone on the team has to reply. For personal out-of-office replies, usually no; it adds clutter without helping.

Missive is a collaborative email client with rules, canned responses, and personal auto-responses that work across email, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, and more. Try Missive free.