Configuring the out-of-office (aka auto-reply) on an Exchange Online mailbox is not a very pleasant experience – at least not if you use the Exchange Admin Center.
The easiest way to configure out-of-office is by using Easy365Manager, a snap-in for the AD Users & Computers tool:
With Easy365Manager it’s super easy to locate the auto-reply (out-of-office) configuration of a user’s Exchange Online mailbox.
Easy365Manager even lets you view and manage the scheduling of users’ mailboxes. This feature is not available from Exchange Admin Center.
Configure Auto-Reply With the Exchange Admin Center
To configure mailbox auto-reply using the Exchange Admin Center, you must start by locating the mailbox in the Exchange Admin Center.
Click on “Others” and then click on “Manage automatic replies”:
This will open up the configuration of automatic replies on the user’s mailbox:
As you see, there is no information regarding the scheduling of the automatic reply.
If a schedule is configured, even an active one, Exchange Admin Center will display the auto-reply configuration as disabled!
This is very misleading and can cause a big time waste in the helpdesk.
With Easy365Manager, you have complete control of the auto-reply scheduling.
Download a free 30-day trial of Easy365Manager here.
Easy365Manager only takes a couple of minutes to install, requires no changes to your infrastructure, and can run on any system with AD Users & Computers, even a Windows 10 PC.
Watch the following on-demand webinar to find answers to the most common questions regarding Easy365Manager: