Setting Up an Email Auto-Reply

Overview

Learn how to set up an automatic reply message, or auto-reply, for your UOmail account. This page includes instructions for using Outlook on the web or the Outlook application for Mac or Windows.

Cautions about spam and mailing lists

Automatic replies, also known as out-of-office messages or away messages, automatically respond to emails sent to your account with a note conveying that you are away from your email. Before you set up an automatic reply, please be aware of the potential drawbacks of the tool:

• Auto-responders and spam: Auto-replies will automatically respond to unwanted spam email just as they do to other email. Using an auto-responder may result in the confirmation of your email address and a subsequent general increase in spam levels for your account.
• Auto-responders and mailing lists: Although we try to avoid having the auto-responder accidentally reply to list postings, the auto-responder may be unable to identify some mail that's coming from a mailing list. As a result, it may sometimes respond to list mailings.

Using Outlook on the web 

1. Visit uomail.uoregon.edu to access Outlook on the web.
2. Log in with your UO email address and password.
3. In the top right corner, click on the gear icon ⚙ (settings).
4. In the Account tab, select the Automatic replies section.
5. Slide Turn on automatic replies to the on position (blue).
6. Check the Send replies only during a time period box to set custom dates and times for your out-of-office messages.
   • You can specify a specific amount of time to enable forwarding by checking the Send replies only during a time period box.
7. The next two boxes allow you to write separate messages to those within your organization (@uoregon.edu addresses) and outside emails.
   • If you un-check Send replies outside your organization, then only messages to @uoregon.edu addresses will be sent.
   • You can also specify whether outside addresses need to be in your contacts list to receive an automatic reply by checking Send replies only to contacts.
8. Click the Save button at the top. Your changes are now saved and you can close the window.
9. If you did not set your auto-reply to expire on a certain day, you will need to turn it off manually.
   • To do so, follow the same process as above but slide Automatic replies on to the off position and click the Save button.

Using Outlook for Windows

To set up an auto-reply in Outlook for Windows, please refer to Microsoft's instructions: Send Out of Office notices automatically with an Exchange Account.

Using Outlook for Mac

To set up an auto-reply in Outlook for Mac, please refer to Microsoft's instructions: Turn on or off Out of Office replies.