# How do I gt Outlook Express to send an Away message for my vacation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-gt-outlook-express-to-send-an-away-message-for-my-vacation/193469 "2003-08-07T00:22:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CastleAnthrax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@CastleAnthrax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastleAnthrax)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-gt-outlook-express-to-send-an-away-message-for-my-vacation/193469/1 "2003-08-07T00:22:43Z")
I won’t be able to check mail or process orders for a week. I’m unsubscribing to e-lists and posting about it on my website, but I want to tell other people that write me what’s going on. How do I get Outlook to send an auto reply to all messages? Hennadancer ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-gt-outlook-express-to-send-an-away-message-for-my-vacation/193469/2 "2003-08-07T00:36:23Z")
First, compose a new email with the subject header and text you want for your away message. Leave the address fields blank and click File \> Save As… and save it as whatever your want. Then Click Tools \> Message Rules \> Mail. For part #1 scroll down til you see All Messages, and check it. In part #2 scroll down and check Reply with message. In part #3 click the underlined word “message” and browse for the email you just composed and double click it. You’ll have to repeat this for Tools \> Message Rules \> News. Then set Outlook Express to check for mail every so often, say a couple times a day. Click Tools \> Options \> General tab and check Check for messages every: and fill in the information and click OK. Don’t forget to disable the rules when you get back. ---
**Author:** ![CastleAnthrax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@CastleAnthrax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastleAnthrax)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-gt-outlook-express-to-send-an-away-message-for-my-vacation/193469/3 "2003-08-07T00:44:01Z")
Thank you so much! hennadancer ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-gt-outlook-express-to-send-an-away-message-for-my-vacation/193469/4 "2003-08-07T00:56:04Z")
A few people at work had their autoreplies set over the Christmas break a coupl’a years ago. Unfortunately one of them also had an autofoward set to her PA who had an autoreply set. The whole system got choked up. Person A received a message which autoforwarded to her secratary. Secretary’s e-mail autoreplyed to person A. Person A’s e-mail autoreplyed to secretary’s autoreply. Secretary’s autoreply autoreplyed to person A’s autroreply and so on. Within a few hours zillions of e-mails ahd been sent between the two servers. Does anyone know if this problem has been overcome yet? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-gt-outlook-express-to-send-an-away-message-for-my-vacation/193469/5 "2003-08-07T01:03:09Z")
The problem is basically solved by having the email client only check for mail once or twice a day. At most, 4 mails can be sent per day if you have it check twice. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-gt-outlook-express-to-send-an-away-message-for-my-vacation/193469/6 "2003-08-07T03:02:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blake \* > \*\*A few people at work had their autoreplies set over the Christmas break a coupl’a years ago. Unfortunately one of them also had an autofoward set to her PA who had an autoreply set. The whole system got choked up. > > Person A received a message which autoforwarded to her secratary. Secretary’s e-mail autoreplyed to person A. Person A’s e-mail autoreplyed to secretary’s autoreply. Secretary’s autoreply autoreplyed to person A’s autroreply and so on. Within a few hours zillions of e-mails ahd been sent between the two servers. > > Does anyone know if this problem has been overcome yet? \*\* If you use the Outlook Out of Office Assistant, it only replies the first time to each person you receive an e-mail from.