Free tool Out of office message generator with templates
Tell people when you are away, when you will be back and who can help in the meantime, without writing it from scratch every holiday. Pick the channel, the reason and the tone, fill in dates and a backup contact, and copy a short, a standard or a detailed version. Works for personal email auto-replies and for a support team’s after-hours chat message.
- Email, chat and messaging apps
- English, Chinese or both
- Runs locally
Write your away message
Change any field and the three versions rewrite themselves. Empty fields are simply left out of the text.
Email gets a subject line and signature; chat and messaging versions are shorter and written for a team.
“After hours” is the everyday message outside business hours; it ignores the dates.
Independent of this page’s language. “Both” puts Chinese first, then English.
YYYY-MM-DD
The first day you are back. The message says you are away until the day before.
For example Christmas, Thanksgiving or Chinese New Year. Common names are translated in bilingual messages.
Written as you want customers to read it, with the time zone, for example “Mon–Fri, 9:00–17:00 ET”.
Used in the email signature.
A colleague or team who can help while you are away.
Shown in the detailed version.
Subject line
Out of office: back on January 5, 2027
For email auto-replies. Some mail apps add their own “Automatic reply:” prefix.
I am out of the office and will be back on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. For urgent matters, please contact Jordan Lee at jordan@example.com.
Alex MorganOne or two sentences: chat widget offline text, WhatsApp away message, or a terse email reply.
Thank you for your email.
I am out of the office from Tuesday, December 22, 2026 to Monday, January 4, 2027 with limited access to email. I will return on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. I will respond as soon as possible after my return.
For urgent matters, please contact Jordan Lee at jordan@example.com.
Kind regards,
Alex Morgan
NorthwindGreeting, when you are away and back, what happens next, the backup contact.
Thank you for your email.
I am out of the office from Tuesday, December 22, 2026 to Monday, January 4, 2027 with limited access to email. I will return on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. Our regular business hours are Mon–Fri, 9:00–17:00 ET. I will respond as soon as possible after my return.
For urgent matters, please contact Jordan Lee at jordan@example.com.
To help us respond quickly, please include your order or account number.
Kind regards,
Alex Morgan
NorthwindAdds business hours, a help center link and a request for an order number.
Version v1.0Updated Update history
Which version to use where
All three say the same thing; they differ in how much they say.
Short version
For places with little room or attention: the offline text in a chat widget, a WhatsApp Business away message, an SMS. It states that you are away, when you are back and who to contact.
Standard version
The usual email auto-reply. It thanks the sender, gives the dates, says what will happen to their message and names a backup. Most people should start here.
Detailed version
For customer-facing inboxes during long closures. It adds your normal hours, a self-service link and asks for an order or account number so the first reply after you return can be the useful one.
Subject line
Only for email. Keep it factual and put the return date in it, so people who only see the subject in their list still know when to expect an answer.
Dates are written out with the weekday (“Tuesday, January 5”) to avoid the 01/05 vs 05/01 confusion between US and European formats.
Set it up in three steps
Write the message here, then paste it where your email or chat tool keeps its auto-reply.
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1
Choose channel, reason and tone
Formal for customers and partners you do not know well; friendly for regular customers and internal teams.
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2
Fill in dates and a backup
The return date and a named backup contact are the two details people look for. Leave out anything you do not want shared with every sender.
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3
Copy and switch it on
In Gmail and Outlook the auto-reply sits in settings (vacation responder, automatic replies) with start and end dates. In chat tools, paste the short version into the offline or away message field.
Four things every away message should answer
The templates are built from the same parts in every language, and leave out any part you have not filled in.
- Are you there? A clear first line: away, closed, or outside business hours
- Until when? The last day away and the day you are back, with the weekday
- What happens to my message? Read on return, answered in order, or reply by email for chat
- Who can help now? A backup person, team address or phone number, and optionally a help center link
| Part | Short | Standard | Detailed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greeting | — | Yes | Yes |
| Away / closed and return date | ✓ (return date only) | ✓ (dates in full) | ✓ (dates in full) |
| What happens next | Chat: leave a message | Yes | Yes |
| Backup contact | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business hours, help link, order number | — | — | Yes |
| Sign-off | Email: name only | Yes | Yes |
One absence, three channels
Alex from Northwind is away from 22 December 2026 and back on 5 January 2027; Jordan covers. These are the short versions the tool writes.
| Channel and tone | Short version |
|---|---|
| Email subject, formal | Out of office: back on January 5, 2027 |
| Email, formal | I am out of the office and will be back on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. For urgent matters, please contact Jordan Lee at jordan@example.com. |
| Email, friendly | I’m out right now and back on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. If it can’t wait, Jordan Lee can help at jordan@example.com. |
| Live chat, after hours, friendly | We’re offline right now — our hours are Mon–Fri, 9:00–17:00 ET. Leave a message and we’ll email you back. If it can’t wait, Jordan Lee can help at jordan@example.com. |
| WhatsApp, Christmas closure, friendly | We’re closed for Christmas and back on Monday, December 28. If it can’t wait, Jordan Lee can help at jordan@example.com. |
The year appears only when the absence crosses into a new year. The chat version promises an email reply because an offline chat visitor may never come back to the page.
Away messages that cause more work
An auto-reply goes to everyone who writes, so small mistakes multiply.
No return date
“I am out of the office” alone makes people chase you or your colleagues. Always say when you are back.
A backup who does not know
Tell your backup before you go, and give a team address rather than a personal one if several people can help.
Oversharing
Auto-replies also reach spammers and strangers. Skip personal details such as where you are travelling and your mobile number.
Forgetting to switch it off
An away message still running a week after you are back looks careless. Set an end date in your mail or chat tool.
After-hours messages in TapCub live chat
If your team answers website chat, the “live chat offline message” version goes straight into TapCub.
Working hours and offline text
Set working hours per site. Outside them the widget shows your offline text and collects a message and an email.
Learn moreAlerts for offline messages
A new offline message triggers an alert by desktop notification, email or team tools such as WeCom, DingTalk, Feishu and Slack.
Learn moreCanned replies with a slash
Save your standard replies, such as “we are back on…”, and insert them in a thread by typing /.
Learn moreOut of office questions
Still have a question?
Chat with the team behind TapCub — we usually reply within a few hours on business days.
What should an out of office message say?
That you are away, the date you are back, what will happen to the message, and who to contact if it is urgent. Everything else is optional. The standard version above covers all four.
How do I write a professional out of office message?
Pick the formal tone: a thank-you line, the dates with weekdays, a clear return date, a named backup with contact details and a sign-off with your name and company. Avoid jokes and personal details.
What is a good holiday out of office message?
Name the holiday, give the closure dates and the reopening day, and say how urgent issues are handled. Choose “Public holiday” as the reason; the message speaks for the team (“our office is closed”).
What should a live chat offline message say?
That the team is offline, your business hours with the time zone, and that the visitor can leave a message and an email for a reply. Keep it to one or two sentences; the short version is written for this.
How do I set up an auto-reply in Gmail or Outlook?
Gmail: Settings → See all settings → General → Vacation responder. Outlook: look for Automatic replies in Settings (the exact menu differs between Outlook versions). Both let you set start and end dates, and choose whether replies go to everyone or only to your contacts or organisation.
Should I write the message in English and Chinese?
If you work with both Chinese- and English-speaking customers, yes. Choose “Chinese + English”: the tool writes both versions and translates common holiday names, but names and hours are used as you typed them.
Is what I type stored anywhere?
No. The messages are generated in your browser and this tool has no share link, so your name and contact details stay on your device.
Update history
New features, fixes and data refreshes for this tool, newest first.
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· v1.0
LaunchedFirst release.
Missing something or found an error? Tell us — requests that come up often go into the next update. All tool updates
Never lose a chat that arrives after hours
TapCub live chat switches to an offline form outside working hours and puts every message in the same inbox for the morning.