What should I put in an out of office message?

That you're away, when you'll be back if you know, and who to contact for anything urgent in the meantime. That's the core of nearly every good one.

Do I have to give a reason I'm out?

No. "Away from the office" is a complete, professional reason on its own. Only add detail you're comfortable with everyone who emails you seeing.

How do I write one for a long leave, like parental or medical leave?

Keep the same structure, away, approximate return timing if you're comfortable sharing it, and a backup contact, without detailing the personal situation itself.

Is this free, and do I need an account?

Yes. No sign-up, no email required. There's a small daily limit per browser to keep it running for everyone, shown once you generate your first message.

Does it store what I enter?

No. What you enter is sent to generate a message and is not saved or logged against you.

Out of Office Message Generator

Pick a reason and tone, add a return date if you have one, and get 3 ready-to-use auto-reply messages, free.

Anything else to mention? (optional)

0/500

Return date (optional)

Backup contact (optional)

Reason

Tone

Free. No sign-up. Nothing you enter is stored.

Examples

Out of office message examples

Four common reasons for being away, and the kind of message this tool writes for each.

Vacation · professional

A week-long vacation with a clear return date and a backup contact.

Reason: vacation. Tone: professional. Returns Monday, August 24. Backup: [email protected].

Thank you for your email. I'm currently out of the office and will be back on Monday, August 24, with limited access to email in the meantime. For anything urgent, please reach out to Jane at [email protected]. I'll respond to your message as soon as I'm back.

Sick leave · brief

Unexpected sick day, no return date known yet.

Reason: sick leave. Tone: brief. No return date given.

I'm out sick today and responding to email more slowly than usual. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience.

Conference · friendly

At a conference for a few days, checking email intermittently.

Reason: travel or conference. Tone: friendly. Returns Thursday.

Thanks for reaching out! I'm at a conference through Thursday and checking email once or twice a day rather than in real time. I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able, and appreciate your patience until then.

Parental leave · professional

Extended leave with a colleague covering in the meantime.

Reason: parental leave. Tone: professional. Backup: Alex Chen, [email protected].

Thank you for your message. I'm currently on parental leave and will have limited access to email during this time. For anything that needs attention before I'm back, please contact Alex Chen at [email protected]. I appreciate your understanding.

Writing a good one

What makes an out of office message actually useful

The tool applies these automatically. Written out, they work just as well typed by hand.

Always give a return date, if you have one

"I'm out of office" with no end date leaves the sender guessing whether to wait or find another way to reach you.

Don't overshare

"Out sick" or "on leave" is enough. There's no need to detail a medical situation or personal circumstance in an autoresponder.

Give a backup contact only for things that can't wait

Naming someone who can help with urgent requests is useful. Naming them for everything just moves your inbox onto their plate.

Match your workplace's normal tone

A message that's warmer or more formal than how you usually write reads as slightly off, even in an autoresponder.

FAQ

Questions people ask

An auto-reply says you're away. Bund AI keeps working anyway.

While you're out, Bund AI can still answer the questions your customers are asking and take the action they need, refunds, order changes, account lookups, then hand off anything that truly needs you the moment you're back.

See how Bund AI does this How it works