Are you going on vacation or need to let your coworkers know you’re away? Microsoft Teams lets you set up automatic out-of-office replies so people who message you will get a note telling them you’re not available.

Microsoft Teams is an app by Microsoft for chatting, video calls, sharing files, and working together with your team. You might already have it on your Windows computer — look for the Teams icon on your Taskbar or find it in the Start menu.

If you want to learn more about what Teams can do, check out these helpful guides:

• How to sync contacts with Teams
• How to connect Google Calendar to Teams
• How to link your phone to Teams

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

Follow these easy steps to set up your automatic out-of-office message in Microsoft Teams:

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.
   
   

   

   
   
2. Or open Teams from your Taskbar
   If you use Teams often, you might see its icon pinned to your Taskbar (the bar at the bottom of your screen). Just click this icon to open Teams quickly.
   
   

   

   
   
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.
   
   

   

   
   
4. Find the Out of Office settings
   In the Settings window, click on General from the list on the left. On the right side, find the Out of Office section and click the Schedule button.
   
   

   

   
   
5. Turn on your automatic replies
   On the next screen, toggle the switch to turn on automatic replies. Write a message to let people know you’re away.
   You can also choose if you want this message to go to people outside your company.
   Don’t forget to set the dates and times when you’ll be out-of-office.
   When everything looks good, click the Save button.
   
   

   

   
   

That’s it! Now when someone messages you in Teams during that time, they’ll get your automatic reply.

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.

Remember to turn off or update your out-of-office message when you return!

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