How to Set Up an Out of Office Response in Google Calendar

You can create an out-of-office message in Google Calendar if you'll be gone for a few hours or going on vacation for several days. This signals to other attendees that you will be absent and automatically denies new meeting invitations. In June 2022, paid Google Workspace users with business or school accounts will be able to use the "Out of Office" feature.

Create an out-of-office setting for your desktop Google Calendar

Sign in on the Google Calendar website. Then, there are two approaches to building an outpost:

1. In the upper left corner of your calendar, click "Create," then select "Out of Office."
2. Your calendar's date and time selections will open a new event pop-up window where you can select "Out of Office."

You can specify the duration of your absence, the message, and other details using the pop-up window for the event. Out of Office is the event's default name, but you can modify it if you'd like. Adjust the time and date, or set the event to last all day. You can also set up a recurring event for your out-of-office status by choosing Does Not Repeat and setting a frequency.

• You have the option of selecting only new meeting invitations or new and existing meetings since all event invitations you get while you are out of the office will be automatically denied.
• After setting up the event, you can change your privacy settings and click "Save."
• A notice will indicate on the screen that you want to reject events during your out-of-office period. Simply click "Save & Decline."

When someone invites you to an event when you're out of the office, they'll get an email right away with your message declining the invitation.

Activate the mobile app's "Out of Office" reply feature

The Google Calendar mobile app has all of the same options for creating an out-of-office event as the website.

• Select "Out of Office" by tapping the + icon in the bottom right corner.
• Choose the meetings you don't want to go to, set the date and time for the event to happen again, and, if you want, change the message that says "No thanks."
• Decline meetings during that time period by selecting "Save and Decline" after selecting "Save."

If you wish, you may ensure that individuals who invite you to Google Calendar events will be aware of your absence if you anticipate being away from the office, whether for a few hours or several days.