Out-of-Office Message Generator
Fill in one short form and get a matching email auto-reply, voicemail greeting and text auto-reply for a vacation, holiday, leave or closure. Pick a tone, cycle through versions, copy.
Last updated November 12, 2026 · Free · Nothing stored
Start from a common case
Starting points. Change anything below and the three messages update as you type.
Your three messages
Tone
Email auto-reply
SubjectJuniper Salon: Closed for Thanksgiving, back Fri, Nov 27
Hi there, Thanks for your message! We're closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, and back on Friday, November 27. You can still book online any time at junipersalon.com/book. We'll get back to you as soon as we're open. Happy Thanksgiving, Juniper Salon
Voicemail greeting
About 18 secondsThank you for calling Juniper Salon. We're closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, and reopen on Friday, November 27. You can book online any time at junipersalon.com/book. Leave your name and number, and we'll call you back when we reopen.
Text auto-reply
139/160 charactersJuniper Salon: We're closed for Thanksgiving Thu, Nov 26, back Fri, Nov 27. We'll reply when we reopen. Book anytime: junipersalon.com/book
Written in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or saved.
What should an out-of-office message say?
An out-of-office message should say when you are back, who to contact instead, and where urgent requests go, in two to four sentences. For example: "Thanks for your email. I'm on vacation and back on Monday, January 4. If it can't wait, Jordan Lee can help at jordan@example.com. Otherwise I'll reply when I return." A business closure also gives the closed dates and a booking link.
The Outlook and Gmail steps follow Microsoft Support's automatic replies article and Gmail Help's vacation responder page. The text auto-reply aims for one 160-character message, using the GSM-7 and Unicode limits in Twilio's SMS character limit guide. Voicemail read times assume about 150 words a minute with phone numbers read digit by digit, so your recording may run slightly faster or slower.
Out of office message examples
14 out-of-office templates you can copy and edit. Replace anything in [brackets]. Each one covers the return date and what to do in the meantime, in a different register, so pick the one that sounds like you.
Simple out-of-office messages
Two sentences: when you are back and what happens to the email. Enough for most days away.
Back on a date
Thanks for your email. I'm out of the office until [Monday, January 4] and will reply when I'm back.
With one person to contact
I'm away until [date] and not checking email. If it can't wait, [Name] can help at [email or phone].
Professional out-of-office messages
For clients, vendors and anyone who does not know you well. Name the cover, state the return date, skip the filler.
Standard professional reply
Subject: Out of office until [date]
Hello, Thank you for your message. I'm out of the office from [date] and back on [date]. For anything that needs attention before then, please contact [Name] at [email or phone]. Otherwise, I'll reply when I return. Best regards, [Your name]
Client-facing staff (salon, spa, clinic)
Hi, I'm away until [date], and my appointment book is closed until then. To book, change or cancel an appointment, call the front desk at [phone] or book online at [link]. Thank you, [Your name]
Business trip
I'm traveling for work through [date], with meetings most of the day, so replies will be slower than usual. If your question is time-sensitive, [Name] at [email] can help. Thanks for your patience.
Holiday out-of-office messages: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year
Holiday replies should carry every closed day, not just the holiday itself, and the day you are back.
Thanksgiving
Subject: Closed for Thanksgiving, back Mon, Nov 30
Thanks for your email. Our office is closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27, and we're back on Monday, November 30. We'll answer messages in the order they arrived. Happy Thanksgiving, [Name]
Christmas and the holidays
I'm out for the holidays from Wednesday, December 23, and back on Monday, January 4. I won't be checking email, so for anything urgent please contact [Name] at [email]. Wishing you a restful holiday season, [Your name]
New Year's Day, business closed
We're closed for New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, and reopen Saturday, January 2, at 9 am. You can book online any time at [link]. Happy New Year from all of us at [Business name]
Maternity and parental leave out-of-office messages
Long leave changes two things: give a month rather than a promise of a date, and say whether email is being read at all.
Maternity leave
Subject: On maternity leave until [month]
Thank you for your email. I'm on maternity leave until [month], and I won't be checking email during that time. [Name] is covering my work and can be reached at [email]. I look forward to reconnecting when I'm back. Best, [Your name]
Parental or paternity leave
I'm on parental leave and plan to return on [date]. This email won't be forwarded, so please resend anything that still needs me after that date. For [accounts or projects], contact [Name] at [email].
Funny but professional out-of-office messages
One light line, then the same facts a serious reply carries. If the joke needs explaining, cut it.
Vacation
I'm on vacation, where my biggest decision is pool or beach. I'll be back on [date] and will reply then, slightly tanner and much more patient. If it truly can't wait, [Name] is holding down the fort at [email].
Conference
Thanks for your email. I'm at [conference], collecting ideas and far too many tote bags. Back on [date]. Until then, [Name] at [email] is the person to talk to.
Business closed messages
When the whole business is closed, the reply is a customer notice: dates, how to book, and what happens to the message.
Closed for the day
Thanks for contacting [Business name]. We're closed today, [Friday, March 12], for staff training and reopen tomorrow at 9 am. You can book or change appointments online at [link], and we'll reply to your email when we're back.
Closed for a week or more
[Business name] is closed for renovations from [date] through [date] and reopens on [date]. Appointments for after we reopen are open now at [link]. For questions about a gift card or an existing booking, email [email] and we'll reply when we're back.
What to include in an out-of-office message
A good out-of-office message answers the questions the sender would otherwise ask in a second email: when are you back, who can help now, and is there anything they can do themselves. Everything else is optional.
Leave out
- Medical or family details. “Out sick” and “on leave” are enough.
- Where you are going. It does not help the sender and tells strangers you are away.
- “Limited access to email” when you mean you will not reply. Say which one is true.
- A reply time you cannot keep after a week of catch-up.
- 1
The day you are back
A weekday and a date, “back on Monday, January 4”, not “early next month”. It is the one fact every sender needs.
- 2
One person to contact instead
A name and a direct email or phone number. “Contact the team” sends people to a shared inbox that may also be quiet.
- 3
Where urgent requests go
If something genuinely cannot wait, say who handles it and how. Leave this out if nobody is covering.
- 4
What happens to their message
Will you reply when you are back, or should they resend? A forwarded or deleted inbox is worth saying out loud.
- 5
A way to help themselves
For a business, the booking link. Many people only wrote to book, change or cancel.
Out-of-office email vs voicemail vs text
The same away message has to fit three places. The generator above writes all three from one set of details; here is what changes between them. Voicemail lengths assume about 150 words a minute. Text limits follow Twilio’s SMS character limit guide.
| Channel | Length | Include | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email auto-reply | 2 to 5 sentences | Return date, cover contact, urgent route, booking link, sign-off | Gmail's vacation responder has a subject field; use it for the return date. |
| Voicemail greeting | 20 to 30 seconds, about 50 to 75 words | Who they reached, when you reopen, booking link, urgent number | Phone numbers are read digit by digit, so each one adds several seconds. |
| Text auto-reply | Up to 160 characters for one text | Closed dates, back date, booking link | Past 160, a text is sent in parts of 153; one curly apostrophe can cut the limit to 70. |
How to turn on an automatic reply in Outlook and Gmail
Outlook
New Outlook: View › View settings › Accounts › Automatic replies. Outlook on the web: Settings › Account › Automatic replies. In either, turn on the toggle, choose Send replies only during a time period, paste the message and select Save.
Classic Outlook: File › Automatic Replies › Send automatic replies, then OK.
Microsoft notes automatic replies do not work for Gmail, Yahoo or other POP and IMAP accounts added to Outlook. Steps from Microsoft Support.
Gmail
On a computer: Settings (gear icon) › See all settings › General. Scroll to Vacation responder, select Vacation responder on, enter the dates, subject and message, then Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
Use the generator’s subject line in the subject field. To stop early, select End now in the banner at the top of your inbox.
Steps from Gmail Help.
Don’t forget your phone and texts
An email auto-reply only reaches people who email. For a salon, clinic, restaurant or trade, many of the people who need you while you are closed will call or text instead, so set those up the same day.
Your voicemail greeting
Callers hear the voicemail before they see an email. Record the away version, then switch back the day you return.
Voicemail greeting generator →A closure notice for clients
Closing for a holiday? Make the door sign, website banner, social post and Google special hours from the same dates.
Holiday closure notice generator →Texts to missed calls
An automatic text to every missed call can carry the away message and the booking link while you are out.
How missed-call text back works →Someone to answer anyway
If calls keep coming while you are closed, an after-hours service or AI receptionist can answer and book them.
After-hours answering service →How to write an out-of-office message
01
Pick why you are away
Choose a common case or a reason, say whether the whole business is closed or just you, and set the first day away and the day you are back.
02
Add who can help
Add a person to contact, a booking link and an urgent number or email if you have them. Leave any of them empty and the messages adjust.
03
Pick a tone and copy
Choose professional, friendly, short or fun, press Another version to see up to 4 wordings, then copy the email, voicemail and text, or all three at once.
Common questions
How do I write a professional out-of-office message?
Keep it to a greeting, two or three sentences and a sign-off. Say the day you are back, name one person to contact with their email or phone, and say whether you will reply when you return. Leave out where you are going and phrases like "limited access to email" unless they are true.
What is a good out-of-office message for a holiday?
Name the holiday, list every day you are closed, and give the day you are back, for example: "Our office is closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27, and we're back on Monday, November 30." Add a booking link or urgent contact, and a short holiday greeting if it suits you.
What should a maternity leave out-of-office message say?
Say you are on maternity leave, give the month you expect to return rather than an exact date if it may change, say whether you are reading email, and name the colleague covering your work with their email address. Medical or personal details are not needed.
Can an out-of-office message be funny?
Yes, if the joke takes one line and the message still carries the facts: the return date and who to contact. Keep funny replies for colleagues and regular clients, and use a plain version for anyone who might be writing about a problem.
How long should an out-of-office text message be?
Aim for 160 characters or fewer, which fits one standard text. Longer texts are split into parts of 153 characters, and a single emoji or curly apostrophe switches the text to Unicode, where one message holds 70. The generator shows the count and trims optional lines to fit.
How long should an out-of-office voicemail greeting be?
Aim for 20 to 30 seconds. At about 150 words a minute that is roughly 50 to 75 words, and each phone number adds several seconds because it is read digit by digit. Say who they reached, when you are back, and what to do in the meantime.
How do I set an out-of-office reply in Outlook or Gmail?
In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, go to Settings, Account, Automatic replies, turn on the toggle and save. In classic Outlook, use File, Automatic Replies. In Gmail on a computer, go to Settings, See all settings, General, Vacation responder, turn it on, add dates, subject and message, then Save Changes.
Should a business set an out-of-office reply when it closes?
Yes, on every channel customers use. Set the email auto-reply, record a closed voicemail greeting and set an automatic text reply, all with the same dates and booking link, and switch them back the day you reopen.
Related
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See it against your book
Out of office should not mean out of reach.
An auto-reply tells people when you are back. LLDTEK's agents answer the calls, texts and chats that arrive in the meantime and book into the calendar you already run, so a closed week does not turn into a week of voicemails. Bring two weeks of call logs to a 30-minute demo and we will tell you plainly whether an agent fits.