Docs / Obsidian Mail Client / Mail
Automatic replies
Automatic replies (out of office) tell people who write to you that you're away, on vacation or not available to answer.
Turn them on
- Go to File > Info and pick the account at the top.
- Click Automatic Replies.
- Choose Send automatic replies.
- To limit them to your time away, check Only send during this time range: and set the Start and End.
- Type your message under Reply with:.
- To answer only people you know, check Only reply to people in my contacts.
- Click OK.
While automatic replies are on (or scheduled), a bar at the top of the window says so, for which accounts and until when. Its Turn off button stops them for every account at once. File > Info shows each account's state under Automatic Replies (Out of Office).
Who sends them
That depends on the account:
| Account | Who sends the replies |
|---|---|
| Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 | Outlook.com or Microsoft 365, even when your PC is off, after you allow it once. Until then, this app sends them while it's running. |
| Exchange and Obsidian | Your Exchange or Obsidian server, even when your PC is off. |
| Gmail and other IMAP accounts | This app, while it's running. These servers keep no automatic replies the app can set. |
For an Outlook.com or Microsoft 365 account, the first time, the window shows Let Outlook.com send them (for both kinds) with an Allow… button. Click it and sign in once in your browser. This also shares your color categories with Outlook.
For accounts whose server keeps them, the Who sends them switch lets you choose the server or this app.
Replies kept by the server match what you see in Outlook on the web or in your organization's webmail. If you change them there, this app picks up the change (it checks every half hour).
When this app sends them
When this app sends the replies, it answers each sender once while they're turned on, with "Automatic reply:" in front of the subject. Like Outlook, it doesn't answer mailing lists, bulk mail, automated senders, spam or yourself, and its replies are marked as automatic so other programs don't answer back.
Remember that the app has to be running for these replies to go out. For an absence of several days, leave your PC on with the app in the tray, or use an account whose server sends them.