Automatically reply every time with a Message Rule
I have a rule set up for an employee on vacation, that when an email is received, it will send an automated reply that "I will not be in the office".
However, the rule only works once.
Can it work for each time an email is sent to the person on vacation? Or is it a given that once you get the automated reply, you know that the person is on vacation?
The way reply rules behave and the options you have depend on which mail account type and which reply method you are using.
Exchange Account
- The Automatic Reply (Out of Office) option will only reply once per sender per time that you turn it on.
- A server-side rule (all rules not marked as client-only) will always reply no matter how often the same sender sends you an email.
- A client-side rule (marked in the name the with "client-only") will only reply once per sender per Outlook session and Outlook needs to be running in order to process the rule.
Note: For any of the above automated methods of replying to the Internet, your mail administrator must have it set to be allowed to do so on the Exchange server. For instructions see this guide.
POP3 or IMAP Account
A reply rule configured for an POP3 or IMAP account will only reply once per sender per Outlook session.
Additionally, Outlook must be running in order to process the rule.
Detailed configuration instructions
For instructions on how to enable the Automatic Reply feature or to configure a rule to automatically reply to incoming emails, see the full guide; Out of Office Assistant / Automatic Replies / Vacation Responder.
