How to Send an Automatic Vacation Message in Outlook Express

Many users of Outlook Express are discouraged to learn that the program does not have an out-of-office assistant like the more robust Microsoft Outlook. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. By adjusting your settings and creating a custom vacation message, you can set up Outlook Express to auto-reply when you are away from your computer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Open your Notepad program and compose your vacation response exactly as you want it to appear. Name the file "Vacation Auto Reply" and save the message as a .txt document in a folder for easy access.

2. Start up your Outlook Express program. Access "Message Rules" and then "Mail" from the "Tools" menu. Select "Mail Rules" and then select "New".

3. Select "Reply with Message" under the "Actions" header. Select "Where the To or CC Line Contains People" under the "Conditions" header.

4. Add your email address to the "Rule Description" tab. Select the .txt. file you previously saved as the reply-message, and then click "Ok" to start your automatic vacation response.

5. De-select the feature under the "Mail Rules" tab when you return from vacation.

Tips & Warnings

• In order for your Outlook Express vacation response to work, your program must be configured to automatically receive and send mail as it arrives. Your computer cannot be turned off.

References

• Microsoft Support
• Outlook Express Auto Vacation