To turn on the Out of Office feature in Outlook, follow these steps:
1. Open Outlook on your Windows computer.
2. Look for the File tab in the upper left-hand corner of the Outlook window and click on it. This will take you to the File menu.
3. In the File menu, you will see various options. Look for “Automatic Replies (Out of Office)” and click on it. This option is usually located towards the middle of the menu.
4. After clicking on Automatic Replies (Out of Office), a new window will open, specifically for setting up your automatic reply message.
5. In this window, you will see two options: “Send automatic replies” and “Don’t send automatic replies.” Select the first option, “Send automatic replies,” by clicking on the radio button next to it.
6. Once you have selected the “Send automatic replies” option, you can now enter your desired automatic reply message in the text box provided. This message will be sent as a reply to any incoming emails while you are out of the office.
7. Remember to be clear and concise in your automatic reply message. Include information such as the dates you will be out of the office, alternative contacts if necessary, and any other important details you want to convey.
8. You can also set a specific time range for your automatic replies by checking the box next to “Only send during this time range” and entering the start and end dates and times.
9. If you want to set different automatic replies for people inside your organization and those outside, you can do so by clicking on the “Inside My Organization” and “Outside My Organization” tabs at the top of the window and customizing the messages accordingly.
10. Once you have entered your automatic reply message and made any other desired settings, click on the OK button at the bottom of the window to save your changes and activate the Out of Office feature.
Now, whenever someone sends you an email while you are out of the office, they will receive your automatic reply message, letting them know that you are currently unavailable. Remember to turn off the Out of Office feature once you return to the office by following the same steps and selecting the “Don’t send automatic replies” option.
I hope this detailed explanation helps you in turning on the Out of Office feature in Outlook. If you have any further questions or need assistance with any other Outlook features, feel free to ask!