When a user sets their own out-of-office reply through Outlook, everything is easy. But there are plenty of situations where that doesn’t happen; someone falls ill unexpectedly, an employee leaves the company mid-week, or a team member goes on leave without updating their mailbox settings. In all of these cases, the responsibility naturally falls to IT or the helpdesk to step in.
It’s a routine task, but one that comes up more often than you’d expect. Getting it done quickly, without hunting through nested admin menus or writing a script on the fly, matters. Let’s look at what your options are!
Set Automatic Replies on a User’s Mailbox in Microsoft 365
To set up an Out-of-Office (OOO) or auto-reply for another user in Exchange Online, you can use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, the Exchange Admin Center (EAC), or PowerShell.
Method 1: Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Easily enable and manage automatic replies directly from the Microsoft 365 admin center.
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
- Go to Users > Active users.
- Select the specific user you want to modify.
- In the flyout pane on the right, select the Mail tab.
- Click Manage automatic replies under the Automatic replies section.
- Toggle the setting to On, enter your internal and external messages, and click Save.
Method 2: Exchange Admin Center
Choose this approach to configure automatic replies with detailed timing and additional controls.
- Sign in to the Exchange admin center.
- Navigate to Recipients > Mailboxes.
- Select the target mailbox.
- In the details pane, go to the Others tab.
- Select Manage automatic replies. Toggle Automatic replies to On.
- (Optional) Check Send replies only during this time period to set specific start and end dates.
- Fill in the message fields for internal and external senders and click Save.
Method 3: Exchange Online PowerShell
The Exchange Online PowerShell module gives you complete control over auto-reply configuration through the Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration cmdlet. It works for both user and shared mailboxes, supports scheduling, and allows you to control exactly which external senders receive a reply. Before running any of the commands below, make sure you’ve connected to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.
To enable automatic replies immediately:
Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration -Identity "user@yourdomain.com" -AutoReplyState Enabled -InternalMessage "I am away." -ExternalMessage "I am away from the office." This command turns on automatic replies right away for the specified mailbox and sets separate messages for internal and external senders.
To schedule automatic replies for a specific time period:
Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration -Identity "user@yourdomain.com" -AutoReplyState Scheduled -StartTime "MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS" -EndTime "MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS" -InternalMessage "Your message here"This option allows you to define a start and end time, ensuring replies are sent only within the specified window.
To check the current auto-reply configuration:
Get-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration -Identity user@yourdomain.com Use this cmdlet to verify whether automatic replies are enabled, scheduled, or disabled, along with the configured messages and timing.
The PowerShell route is powerful and flexible, but it comes with real friction for day-to-day helpdesk use. Staff need the ExchangeOnlineManagement module installed and appropriate permissions assigned. A typo in a message string or an incorrect identity means making changes on a live mailbox. And for teams where not everyone has PowerShell access, it simply isn’t a viable self-service option.
A Better Way to Manage Automatic Replies: EasyEntra
EasyEntra streamlines auto-reply management with a dedicated Auto Reply panel built directly into the user properties view. There’s no need for PowerShell, no navigating multiple admin portals, and no separate workflows for user and shared mailboxes. Any helpdesk staff member with the right permissions can configure it in under a minute.
To access it, simply open the relevant user in EasyEntra, go to the Mailbox tab, and select Auto Reply. From there, you can enable or disable auto-replies, create separate messages for internal and external audiences, and define a schedule using an intuitive date and time picker. Everything that typically requires PowerShell is available here through a straightforward interface, including full scheduling capabilities.
With EasyEntra’s Auto Reply panel, you can:
- Enable or disable auto-replies instantly
- Set distinct messages for internal and external recipients
- Configure a scheduled start and end time
- Control the scope of external audiences.
All of this can be done without writing a single command.
This approach is especially valuable for teams where mailbox management isn’t handled by PowerShell experts. EasyEntra brings the full functionality of Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration into a guided, user-friendly UI, reducing the risk of errors while making the process faster and more accessible for everyone.
