How to Schedule Out-of-Office Replies in Microsoft Teams

Steps to Schedule Your Out-of-Office Reply in Teams

Setting up an out-of-office reply in Microsoft Teams takes a few clicks. The short version is this: open Teams, click your profile picture at the top right, select Set status message, and click Schedule out of office at the bottom. From there, type your message, turn on the reply switch, and pick the dates and times you want it to run.

The steps below follow the Settings route. If you don’t see the Out of Office option there, use the profile picture route above, which leads to the same screen.

1. Open Microsoft Teams
   Click the Start menu ⊞ on your computer (the Windows icon at the bottom-left), then find and open Microsoft Teams from the list of apps. You can also type “Teams” into the Start menu ⊞ to find it faster.
   The Teams window should open and show your chats or your last open channel.
   
   

   

   
   
2. Or open Teams from your Taskbar 🖥️
   If you use Teams often, its icon may be pinned to your Taskbar 🖥️ (the bar at the bottom of your screen). Click this icon to open Teams quickly. If Teams is already running, the click brings its window to the front.
   Use either this step or the previous one, not both.
   
   

   

   
   
3. Go to Settings ⚙️
   In the Teams window, look for your profile picture in the top-right corner. Click the three dots (…) next to it, then select Settings from the dropdown menu. In newer versions of Teams, the three dots are labeled Settings and more.
   The Settings ⚙️ window should open on top of Teams.
   
   

   

   
   
4. Find the Out of Office settings
   In the Settings ⚙️ window, click General in the list on the left. On the right side, find the Out of Office section and click the Schedule button.
   The out-of-office screen should open. If you can’t find the section, close Settings, click your profile picture, select Set status message, and click Schedule out of office at the bottom. If it is missing there too, your account may not support it, so check with your IT admin.
   
   

   

   
   
5. Turn on your automatic replies
   On the next screen, toggle the switch to turn on automatic replies. Then write a message to let people know you’re away. Say when you’ll be back and who to contact for urgent issues.
   If you want, choose whether the message should also go to people outside your company.
   Set the start and end dates and times for your time away. Don’t skip this part, because the dates decide when the reply turns on and off.
   When everything looks good, click the Save button.
   The reply is now scheduled. To cancel it early, come back to this screen, turn the switch off, and save again. You don’t need to restart Teams.
   
   

   

   
   

Your Microsoft Teams out-of-office reply is now active. Say you are away from December 20th to January 2nd. If someone sends you a message in that period, Teams automatically sends them the reply you prepared. This lets colleagues know you are unavailable.

After you return, open the screen again to confirm the switch is off, in case you set an end date that was too late.

Why Use Out-of-Office Replies?

• It lets people know you’re not available and when you’ll be back.
• You can share important info, like who to contact while you’re away.
• It helps manage expectations so coworkers won’t expect an immediate reply.
• Keeping your communication clear and professional improves teamwork.

An out-of-office reply helps manage expectations by telling your coworkers when you are away and when you plan to return. It stops people from expecting an immediate answer. It also shares details such as alternative contacts for urgent issues, and keeps your team communication clear while you are out.

Need more help? Visit Geek Rewind for tips and tutorials on using Microsoft Teams and other apps.