How to Send Automatic Replies in Outlook with POP3/IMAP Accounts.
If you have set up a POP3 or IMAP account in Outlook and want to send automatic replies to messages you receive, continue reading below.
If you're going on vacation or won't be able to reply to emails, it's a good idea to set an automatic reply message in Outlook. "Automatic replies", also known as "Out of office messages", are automatic email replies sent to people who contact you when you are away from work.
With Microsoft Outlook you can send automatic replies with whichever type of email account you use (Exchange, Microsoft 365, POP3 or IMAP), but in this guide we'll explain how to create an out-of-office message with a POP3/IMAP email account.
* Note: If you own a Microsoft365/Office365/Exchange account, read the instructions in this article: How to Send Automatic Replies in Outlook with an Office365/Exchange Account.
How to Set Up an Out of Office Message with an IMAP or POP3 account in Outlook
Setting up an automatic reply message in Microsoft Outlook for POP3.IMAP accounts can be done through the following steps:
Step 1. Create an Automatic Reply Message Template.
The first step to setting up an auto-reply message in Outlook is to create a message template with the reply that will be automatically sent to people who email you.
1. Open Outlook and click the New Email button on the Home tab.
2. Enter the Subject of the email. (e.g. "Out of Office" or "On Vacation").
3. Then, type the message that you want to send as your automatic reply.
4a. After typing the message, click the File tab and select Save as from the left sidebar.
4b. In the 'Save As' dialog box, choose Outlook Template (*.oft) from the Save as type drop-down menu.
4c. Type a name for template message in the File name text box, and click Save.
5. Close the "new mail" message window.
Step 2. Set Up the Auto-Reply message Rule.
Next, you need to configure a Rule In Outlook for sending your out-of-office reply message.
1. On the Home tab, click the Rules menu and then select Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. In 'Rules and Alerts' window: if you have more than one account set up in Outlook, make sure to select the correct email account for the auto reply message in the "Apply changes to this folder" section, and then click the New Rule button.
3. In the first step of 'Rules Wizard', select Apply rule on messages I receive under the "Start from a blank rule" section, and click Next.
4. In the next step of the wizard, specify the conditions of the created auto-reply rule and click Next.
For example: If you set an automatic reply for all messages "received in a specific date span" & "where your name is in the To or Cc box"*, check the corresponding checkboxes.
* Notes:
1. If you're setting up an auto-response for all incoming messages, leave the "where your name is in the To or Cc" box unchecked.
2. If you want your auto-reply message to be send on a specific date range (and not right away), click the in a specific date span underlined link and edit the date range.
5a. In the next step, check the reply using a specific template option, and then click on the a specific template link.
 
5b. Next to 'Look In', select the "User Templates in File System" option.
5c. Now, select the message template you created in Step-1 and click Open.
5d. Then click Next.
6. At "Exceptions" options specify any exceptions you want for your automatic reply message and click Next. *
* Note: This is an optional step and you can skip it if you don’t want to add any exceptions.
7. At 'Finish Rule Setup' window, do the following and then click Finish:
- At Step 1: Specify a name for this rule, type a name for your auto-reply rule (e.g. "On Vacation message").
- At Step 2: Setup Rule Options, select Turn on this rule, to activate immediately the auto-reply rule if you want.
8. Finally, click Apply and then OK to save the settings.
9. Outlook will now start sending automatic replies to incoming emails according to the settings you have set. Of course, your computer must remain on and Outlook must remain open for automatic replies to be sent.
How to Turn off Automatic Replies in Outlook for IMAP/POP3 Accounts.
If you no longer need to send automatic replies, you can turn them off with the following steps:
1. Go to the Home tab, click the Rules button in the Move group, and then select Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. In the Rules list, clear/uncheck the check box for the auto-reply rule and then click Apply and OK.
That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
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Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts. Create a new rule based on incoming emails. Within the rule configuration, choose the action to "Reply using a specific template" and select the template you created in step 1.