Set Up Out-of-Office Replies Only for Outside Senders in Outlook

An out-of-office reply is meant to help people, not to broadcast your holiday plans to every newsletter, salesperson, and stranger who emails you. If your automatic reply goes to everyone, external senders learn when you are away, when you return, and sometimes who to contact instead. For many workplaces, the safer and more professional choice is to reply automatically only inside your company, or to send a different, shorter message outside it.

Outlook makes this distinction possible, but the option is tucked away and works slightly differently in classic Outlook, new Outlook, Outlook on the web, and the mobile app. This guide explains each route clearly, shows you the exact settings to choose if you want replies only for people outside your company, and helps you write a message that is useful without giving away too much.

Quick Answer

To send out-of-office replies only to people outside your company, open Outlook Automatic Replies, turn replies on, and use the Outside My Organisation tab or section. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings, Mail, Automatic replies, turn them on, and untick or leave blank the option to send replies outside your organisation if you want internal only, or tick Send replies only to senders outside my organisation where available in your version. To do the opposite and reply only externally, set a message on the outside tab and leave the inside message blank, checking your organisation’s rules first.

First, Decide What You Actually Want

There are three common setups, and people often mix them up, so it helps to name yours before you click anything.

• Internal only: Colleagues get an automatic reply, external senders get nothing. This is the most private option and a common company policy.
• External only: People outside the company get a reply, colleagues do not. This is rarer, and the task this guide focuses on, useful when your team already knows you are away through a calendar or handover, but clients still need an answer.
• Different messages for each: Colleagues get full details and an internal contact, external senders get a brief reply with a public contact point. This is usually the best professional balance.

Check your workplace policy before choosing external only. Some organisations require an internal reply so colleagues in other departments are not left waiting. If policy allows your choice, the steps below will set it up correctly in each version of Outlook.

Step-by-Step: Outlook on the Web

Outlook on the web is the most reliable place to set this up, because the settings save to your account and apply even when your computer is off.

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web with your work account.
2. Click the Settings gear icon in the top corner.
3. Select Mail, then Automatic replies.
4. Turn on Automatic replies on.
5. Tick Send replies only during a time period if you want a clear start and end, and choose your dates and times.
6. Write your message in the box for senders inside your organisation if you want an internal reply, or leave it as your policy requires.
7. Look for the section or tick box labelled Send replies outside your organisation.
8. To reply only outside, enable the outside replies, write a short external message, and either clear the internal message or follow your version’s option to send outside only. In versions with a Send replies only to senders outside my organisation style control, select it directly.
9. Choose whether external replies go to all external senders or only to your contacts, if that choice appears. All external senders is the safer choice for client-facing roles.
10. Click Save and send yourself a test from a personal email account to confirm the external reply arrives.

If your screen does not show separate inside and outside sections, your account may be a personal Outlook.com account rather than a work Microsoft 365 account. Separate internal and external replies are a work and school account feature. Personal accounts normally send one reply to everyone.

Step-by-Step: Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Open Outlook and click File in the top menu.
2. Click Automatic Replies (Out of Office).
3. Select Send automatic replies.
4. Tick Only send during this time range if you want the replies to stop automatically, and set the start and end times.
5. Click the Outside My Organisation tab.
6. Make sure Auto-reply to people outside my organisation is ticked, and choose My Contacts only or Anyone outside my organisation.
7. Type your external message in the box on that tab.
8. To reply only externally, go to the Inside My Organisation tab and delete the text there, after confirming your workplace allows an empty internal message. If your version blocks an empty tab, type a single space or a very brief line such as Away, see external guidance, only if policy permits.
9. Click OK to save.

The Mac version follows the same idea. Open Tools or Outlook Settings, find Automatic Replies, and look for the separate inside and outside sections. The wording differs slightly, but the structure of two audiences is the same.

What About the Outlook Mobile App?

The Outlook app for Android and iPhone lets you turn automatic replies on and off and edit a message for work accounts, but it does not always expose the full inside versus outside controls. The safe workflow is to set the detailed audience rules once in Outlook on the web, then use the mobile app only to turn the reply on, off, or adjust the dates in an emergency.

This also avoids a common error where a quick mobile edit replaces a carefully written two-message setup with a single message for everyone. If you must edit on mobile, go back to the web version afterwards and confirm both audience sections still say what you intended.

While you are reviewing reply settings, it is worth checking who else can see your absence. Our guide on how to block your calendar and show as out of office in Outlook explains how calendar status and automatic replies work together so colleagues get a consistent picture.

Writing a Good External-Only Message

An external message should be short, polite, and careful. People outside your company do not need your personal mobile number, your exact travel location, or internal team details.

A solid pattern is three parts. First, thank the sender and confirm you are away. Second, give the return date in plain words. Third, offer one public alternative, such as a shared team inbox or a main office number, for urgent matters. For example: Thank you for your email. I am out of the office until Monday 12 May and will reply after I return. For urgent enquiries, please contact our team at the main office number on our website.

Avoid promising a same-day reply on your return if your inbox will be full. Avoid naming a specific colleague’s direct email unless that colleague has agreed and it is already public. Shared inboxes age better than personal addresses in automatic replies, because they stay valid when people change roles.

Common Mistakes and Helpful Tips

• Testing only from a work address: An internal test cannot prove the external rule works. Always test from a personal account outside your organisation.
• Forgetting the end date: Without a time period, replies can continue after you return until you remember to switch them off.
• Writing one long message for everyone: External senders should get less detail than colleagues. Keep internal contacts and project names out of the external text.
• Choosing contacts only by accident: If external replies are set to My Contacts only, new clients who have never written before will receive nothing.
• Setting it in the app only: Mobile settings can be limited. Confirm the final setup on the web, where all audience options are visible.
• Ignoring shared mailbox rules: Automatic replies on shared mailboxes follow different admin settings. Ask your IT team before assuming your personal setup applies there.

Microsoft’s own instructions match this structure. See the official Microsoft guide to sending automatic out of office replies from Outlook for your exact version, and the Microsoft instructions for automatic replies in Outlook on the web if you use the browser version most of the time.

Conclusion

Sending out-of-office replies only to people outside your company is a matter of using the right audience tab and testing it properly. Set the rule in Outlook on the web or classic Outlook, write a short and careful external message, set a clear end date, and prove it works with a test from a personal account. Check your workplace policy first, especially about leaving the internal message blank, and you will give clients the answer they need without oversharing with the wider internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send automatic replies to external senders only?

Yes, on work and school Microsoft 365 accounts you can enable the outside organisation reply and leave the internal reply empty or minimal, subject to your workplace policy. Set it up in Outlook on the web or classic Outlook, where both audience sections are visible.

Why do I not see an Outside My Organisation tab?

The most likely reason is that you are using a personal Outlook.com account, which normally offers one reply for all senders. Separate inside and outside replies require a work or school account connected to Microsoft 365 or Exchange.

Should external replies go to anyone or only my contacts?

For client-facing work, choose anyone outside your organisation, so new enquirers are not left without an answer. Contacts only is more private, but it silently skips first-time senders who may need help most.

Do automatic replies work when my computer is switched off?

Yes, for Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts the reply is sent by the mail server, not by your computer. That is why setting it in Outlook on the web works even while you are completely offline on holiday.

How can I stop the replies when I return early?

Open the same Automatic Replies settings and turn them off, then click Save or OK. Also check the mobile app, because turning replies on there can leave a second status showing until it is cleared.