# Microsoft Outlook e-mail question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543 "2006-08-13T13:42:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/1 "2006-08-13T13:42:08Z")
I’ve been clicking on every link and cannot for the life of me find the “out of office” reply for when I’m away. Does anyone have a clue? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/2 "2006-08-13T13:51:33Z")
It’s in the Tools menu. If you can’t see it when you click on tools then you should notice a arrow at the end of the menu. Click that and it will show all the options. > **[Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-US)** > > Microsoft support is here to help you with Microsoft products. Find how-to articles, videos, and training for Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft 365, Windows, Surface, and more. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/3 "2006-08-13T14:16:43Z")
It won’t be there unless you’re using a Microsoft Exchange account. (So that it won’t work if you’re set up to use a POP mail account through your ISP.) ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/4 "2006-08-13T14:37:16Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] It won’t be there unless you’re using a Microsoft Exchange account. (So that it won’t work if you’re set up to use a POP mail account through your ISP.) [/QUOTE] Side note that will interest only a few - It does work with Oracle Collabsuite email ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/5 "2006-08-13T16:53:05Z")
Hmmm, I don’t see anything under “tools” that would direct me to an auto-reply option. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/6 "2006-08-13T17:04:31Z")
Look under Tools / Out of Office Assistant ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/7 "2006-08-13T17:05:58Z")
Is this your personal account through an ISP or a corporate account? As I said, I don’t think the option is available with POP accounts, which is what you’ll have with a typical ISP account. But perhaps you can enable a vacation greeting through the ISP’s website, or web-based mail service? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/8 "2006-08-13T17:43:08Z")
Nope, there is nothing under “tools” reading “out of office assistant” or anything similiar. It’s my home e-mail (otherwise I’d ask the IT people at work to help), but I have no idea what an ISP or a POP is . . . it’s just home e-mail through Comcast. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/9 "2006-08-13T17:58:48Z")
An ISP is simply an Internet Service Provider; the company that gives you access to the Internet, or Comcast in this case. POP is a type of mail account. Here’s the information from their FAQ on how to set up an automatic reply. Be careful with it, though. If you, for example, subscribe to a mailing list where every message you send gets sent to everyone else, you might find that the auto-reply gets sent to the mailing list, which sends it to the whole list including to your Comcast box, which sends the auto-reply, and so forth. It can get ugly very, very fast. How do I set up an email auto-reply message? 1. Sign in to Comcast Webmail, and select Preferences from the left menu. 2. Select Auto-Reply from the Preferences window. 3. Select Yes next to Enable Auto Reply: 4. Enter an Automated Response Message in the space provided. This is the message that will be automatically delivered to everyone who sends you an email when you turn on Auto Reply. 5. Click UPDATE to enable Auto Reply. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-outlook-e-mail-question/368543/10 "2006-08-13T19:37:48Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] 1. Sign in to Comcast Webmail, and select Preferences from the left menu. 2. Select Auto-Reply from the Preferences window. 3. Select Yes next to Enable Auto Reply: 4. Enter an Automated Response Message in the space provided. This is the message that will be automatically delivered to everyone who sends you an email when you turn on Auto Reply. 5. Click UPDATE to enable Auto Reply. [/QUOTE] _Thank_ you! This will save me hours on the phone with a helpline or with my brother-in-law!