Going away? Apple Mail can send an automatic “I’m out of office” reply to anyone who emails you. There are two ways to do it, and the right one depends entirely on a single question: will your Mac be on and awake the whole time you’re away? If not, the built-in Mail method quietly won’t work — you’ll need your email provider’s own vacation setting instead. Here is exactly how to set up both, and how to pick.
The one thing to decide first
Apple Mail has no dedicated “vacation responder” switch. Its auto-reply is built from a Rule, and a Mail Rule only fires while Mail is open and your Mac is awake and online. Close the lid, shut down, or let the Mac sleep, and the replies stop.
- Mac stays on the whole time (a desktop iMac or Mac Mini left running, or a MacBook you’ll keep plugged in and awake) → use the Mail Rule method below.
- Mac will be off, asleep, or coming with you → use your email provider’s server-side vacation setting. iCloud, Gmail, and Outlook all send the reply from their own servers, so it works 24/7 no matter what your Mac is doing.
For most people going on an actual vacation, the server-side method is the correct answer. Set it up in the browser once and forget it.
Method 1: A Mail Rule (Mac must stay awake)
This runs entirely on your Mac. Only pick it if the machine will be on, plugged in, and prevented from sleeping the whole time.
- First, write the reply as a template. In Mail, open Mailbox > New Mailbox? No — instead, the simplest route: create the auto-reply text now so the Rule can send it. Open a new message, type your away message in the body (subject like “Out of office”), then choose File > Save as Stationery if you want a reusable template, or just keep the wording handy.
- Go to Mail > Settings (or Preferences on older macOS) and click the Rules tab.
- Click Add Rule. Give it a name like “Vacation auto-reply”.
- Set the condition. To reply to everyone, choose Every Message from the first dropdown. (To reply only to real people and avoid answering newsletters, use Account → your work account, or add a condition like To contains your address.)
- Under Perform the following actions, choose Reply to Message, then click Reply message text and type your out-of-office message (for example: “Thanks for your email. I’m away until Monday, June 8 and will reply when I’m back. For anything urgent, contact…”).
- Click OK, then Apply if asked. Leave Mail open and stop your Mac from sleeping: System Settings > Lock Screen (or Battery / Energy Saver) → set the display and system sleep so the Mac stays awake, or run the
caffeinatecommand in Terminal.
When you’re back: return to Mail > Settings > Rules, and either uncheck the Active box next to the rule or delete it. Apple Mail only auto-replies once per sender per session, so a single person emailing you five times gets one reply — good behavior, but it resets if you quit and reopen Mail.
Method 2: The server-side vacation setting (works while your Mac is off)
This is the reliable choice for real trips. The reply is sent by your email provider, so your Mac can be shut down, in your bag, or at the bottom of the ocean and the auto-reply still goes out. You set it up in a web browser, not in the Mail app.
iCloud Mail (@icloud.com / @me.com)
- Go to iCloud.com in any browser and sign in.
- Open Mail, then click the gear / Settings icon and choose Preferences (or Settings).
- Open the Vacation (also labeled “Auto-Reply”) tab, turn on Automatically reply to messages when they are received, type your message, and Save.
Gmail (@gmail.com or Google Workspace)
- Open Gmail in a browser and click the gear → See all settings.
- On the General tab, scroll to Vacation responder.
- Select Vacation responder on, set the first and last day, write your subject and message, then Save Changes at the bottom. Gmail can optionally reply only to your contacts.
Outlook / Microsoft 365 (@outlook.com, @hotmail.com, work accounts)
- Go to Outlook.com, click the gear, then Accounts > Automatic replies.
- Turn Automatic replies on, optionally set a time range, type your message, and Save. Work/365 accounts have the same feature under Automatic replies (Out of Office).
Because these live on the provider’s servers, they also apply everywhere — your iPhone, the web, and Apple Mail all honor the same auto-reply. Turn it off the same way when you return.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn’t my Apple Mail auto-reply sending?
Almost always because Mail is closed or the Mac went to sleep. A Mail Rule can only run while the app is open and the machine is awake and online. If you need replies to go out while the Mac is off, switch to the server-side method (Method 2). Also confirm the Rule’s Active box is checked and its condition actually matches incoming mail.
Will it reply to the same person over and over?
No. Apple Mail sends its Rule-based reply only once per sender per Mail session, so someone who emails you repeatedly gets a single auto-reply — until you quit and reopen Mail, which resets the “already replied” list. Server-side responders (Gmail/iCloud/Outlook) also limit repeat replies, typically to once every few days per sender.
Can I set start and end dates?
The Mail Rule has no built-in schedule — you turn it on and off manually. Gmail and Outlook’s server-side responders do let you set a first and last day, which is why they’re the better pick for a trip with fixed dates.
Does the auto-reply also cover my iPhone?
Only the server-side method does. A Mail Rule lives on one Mac. If you set the vacation reply in iCloud/Gmail/Outlook settings, it applies to every device and the web at once — the reason it’s the recommended approach.
My Mac is too slow to leave running as a mail server?
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