With the desktop version of Outlook, you can set your Out of Office message to let coworkers know when you’ll be out of town (or just plain unavailable). You have a similar tool in Outlook.com — only it’s called the Automated Vacation reply and it’s a great way to let all your friends know when you’re on vacation (and make all of them envious). Just follow these steps:
From Outlook.com Mail, click the gear icon at the top of the screen.
Click Options.
The Options page appears.
Click the words Sending Automated Vacation Replies under Managing Your Account.
The Vacation dialog box opens.
Choose the Send Vacation Replies to People Who Email Me option.
The circle next to this option darkens to show that you’ve selected it. You can also add a detailed message, describing all the gory details of why you’re absent.
If you’re unavailable, let people know.Click the Save button.
The Options page closes.
Now you can stop feeling guilty about ignoring all those emails. (Well, okay, maybe you’ll still feel a teeny bit guilty, but you’ve done your part.) Try to remember to turn your Vacation Reply message off when you get back. Otherwise, everyone will think you’re still having fun without them.