To set an out-of-office message in Microsoft Teams, combine Teams status settings with Outlook auto-replies. First, click your profile in Teams, select “Set status message,” choose “Out of Office,” optionally add a short note, and set the duration. Next, configure an Outlook auto-reply via File > Info > Automatic Replies (desktop) or Settings > Mail > Rules > Automatic replies (web), specifying dates, subject, and message. Finally, inform teammates proactively via shared channels or calendar notes to ensure clarity.

Setting an out of office message in Microsoft Teams isn't as straightforward as it is in Outlook, but it’s still doable — and important if you want to manage expectations when you're away. The key is to use a combination of status messages and email auto-replies.

Set your status to "Out of Office" in Teams

Teams allows you to manually set your status to "Out of Office," which shows your teammates that you’re unavailable. However, this doesn’t let you add a custom message — it's more of a visual indicator.

• Click on your profile picture or icon in the top-right corner of Teams.
• Select “Set status message.”
• Scroll through the list of statuses and choose “Out of Office.”
• Optionally, you can type a short message (though it won't show up for everyone reliably).
• Choose how long you want the status to last — for example, “Until tomorrow” or “Indefinitely.”

Keep in mind that this feature works best when used alongside an email auto-reply since Teams itself doesn’t support detailed OOO messages.

Use Outlook auto-reply for detailed messages

Because Teams pulls presence info from Outlook, setting up an automatic reply in Outlook ensures that people get a proper response when they email you — and your Teams status will reflect that you're away.

Here’s how to set it up:

• Open Outlook on the web or desktop.
• Go to File > Info > Automatic Replies (or in the web version, go to Settings > Mail > Rules > Automatic replies).
• Turn on automatic replies.
• Set the date range for when you’ll be away.
• Add a subject and message for people who email you.
• Optionally, send the auto-reply to your contacts only (good for avoiding automated responses to mailing lists).

Once this is set, your Teams status will usually change to "Out of Office" automatically.

Let your team know in advance (optional but helpful)

Even with a status and auto-reply, some communication gaps can happen. For example, someone might try to call or chat you directly in Teams without checking email first.

To avoid confusion:

• Drop a quick message in shared channels or team chats letting people know you’ll be away.
• Mention expected response delays in your calendar status if possible.
• Make sure any delegated tasks are covered while you're gone.

This kind of proactive communication goes a long way, especially in busy work environments.

That’s basically it. You can’t fully customize a Teams OOO message within the app, but combining the status feature with Outlook auto-replies gets the job done. It’s not fancy, but it works.

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