Gmail calls its out-of-office auto reply the vacation responder. You can switch it on from Gmail on a computer, the Android app or the iPhone and iPad app. It sends your message automatically to anyone who emails you during the dates you pick. Here are the steps for each platform, the setting that limits replies to your contacts, and the save step that catches people out.
All the steps below come from Google's Gmail Help page, Send an automatic reply when you're out of office. Google describes it simply: when someone sends you a message, they get an automatic reply.
Set the vacation responder on a computer
Per Google's desktop instructions:
- Open Gmail on your computer.
- At the top right, click Settings, then See all settings.
- On the General tab, scroll to the Vacation responder section.
- Select Vacation responder on.
- Fill in the date range, subject and message.
- Optional: check the box to send the reply only to your contacts.
- At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.
The General tab is long, so the Save Changes button is easy to miss.
Set it in the Gmail app on Android
From Google's Android instructions:
- Open the Gmail app.
- At the top left, tap Menu, then Settings.
- Choose your account.
- Tap Vacation responder.
- Turn on the Vacation responder switch at the top.
- Fill in the date range, subject and message.
- Optional: check the box under the message to reply only to your contacts.
Google's Android steps don't include a Save step, unlike the desktop and iPhone versions. If you aren't sure your changes stuck, back out and open Vacation responder again to check the switch is still on and your message is still there.
Set it in the Gmail app on iPhone or iPad
From Google's iOS instructions:
- Open the Gmail app.
- At the top left, tap Menu, then Settings.
- Under Compose and Reply, tap Vacation responder.
- Turn on Vacation Responder.
- Enter the date range, subject and message.
- Optional: tap Send only to my Contacts.
- At the top right, tap Save.
On iPhone the Save button sits at the top right, not at the bottom like on desktop. Leaving the screen without tapping it is the iOS version of the same mistake.
Decide whether to reply to everyone or contacts only
All three platforms have a contacts-only option. It's worth turning on if your address gets a lot of mail from strangers. Otherwise every cold pitch and unknown sender learns that you're away and when you're back. Leave it off if clients or new contacts need to know you're out.
How often Gmail replies to the same sender is not settled
- Superhuman's guide says Gmail replies to the same sender at 4-day intervals.
- Mailmeteor's guide says a repeat sender gets the reply only once.
Neither is Google's own documentation. The safe assumption is that a person who emails you several times won't get your auto reply every time. If someone needs a reply each time, don't rely on the responder to do it.
What the responder won't do for you
- It won't turn itself off without an end date. Mailmeteor says Gmail keeps sending replies until you turn the responder off manually if no end date is set. Fill in the last day of your absence. To turn it off early, go back to the same Vacation responder setting where you switched it on.
- It won't answer everything that lands in your inbox. Superhuman says spam and mailing lists are excluded automatically, so list traffic won't get your message.
- It doesn't need your phone or browser open. Per Superhuman, the reply goes out whether or not Gmail is open on your device. You can set it on your laptop and close the lid.
If you want to send a specific email later instead of auto-replying to incoming mail, that's a different feature. See How to Schedule an Email in Gmail (and Edit It on Android).
Work or school accounts managed by an administrator may have extra options or restrictions. The Google pages behind this guide don't spell those out, so check with your IT team if the setting looks different from the steps above.
