> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wazobiamail.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Out of office

> Reply automatically to incoming email while you are away, with a start and end date and optional forwarding.

# Out of office

Going on leave? Turn on the **vacation responder** and every incoming message
gets a polite automatic reply — "I am away until Tuesday and will reply when I
am back" — without you lifting a finger. It switches itself on and off on the
dates you choose, and it only replies to each sender once during the period, so
nobody gets spammed.

## Turn on the out-of-office reply

1. Open WazobiaMail at **[https://webmail.wazobiamail.com](https://webmail.wazobiamail.com)** and sign in.
2. Open **Settings** (gear in the top-left rail) → **Vacation**.
3. Switch the auto-reply **on**, then set:
   * **Subject** of the reply that people see.
   * **Message** — plain and kind. Include when you will be back and who to
     contact in the meantime.
   * **Start and end dates** — the reply stops automatically after the end
     date. Without an end date it keeps running until you switch it off.
   * **Who gets it** — a preset audience such as everyone, your saved contacts,
     or the people you have written to. Limiting it helps you keep the reply
     away from unknown senders and mailing lists.
4. Save. The reply is now active on your mailbox.

> [!TIP]
>
> Set the end date for your first day back, not your last day away — the reply
> turns itself off the morning you return.

## While it is active

The Filters screen shows an orange banner while the vacation reply is active,
with a link straight to the vacation settings — handy to check or end it
quickly when you are back. See [Mail rules](https://docs.wazobiamail.com/docs/guides/rules.md) for that screen.

## Forward a copy while away

In the same vacation settings there is an optional **forwarding** choice: a
copy of each incoming message can also go to a colleague's address (for
example, an on-cover teammate). Only turn forwarding on for an address you
control or trust — everyone who writes to you will be copied into it.

> [!NOTE]
>
> When the mailbox is your organisation's primary account the auto-reply
> behaves the standard way described here. Extra or shared accounts configured
> by an administrator may have their own filters and can behave differently —
> ask your administrator if unsure.

## Test it before you go

Send a message to your own address from a different mailbox (or ask a
colleague). The reply should arrive within a minute. If it does not, check the
start date — a future start date keeps the responder silent until then.

> [card] [Mail rules](https://docs.wazobiamail.com/docs/guides/rules.md)
>
> File and act on incoming mail automatically.

> [card] [Calendar & tasks](https://docs.wazobiamail.com/docs/guides/calendar.md)
>
> Plan the leave you just announced.


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