how to set an out of office message

Sure. from Mail's Help, here's the answer:

Send automatic replies

You can create a rule to have Mail automatically reply to incoming messages. For example, you can set up a rule that’s triggered by a specific subject so that Mail replies automatically to all messages with that subject.

1. Choose Mail > Preferences, and then click Rules.
2. Click Add Rule and type a descriptive name for the rule.
3. Set the conditions necessary for the rule to apply to a message.
4. From the “Perform the following actions” pop-up menu, choose “Reply to Message.”
5. Click “Reply message text” and enter the text for your reply message.Mail will include the text you enter, along with the full text of the original message, in the reply that it sends.

Mail must be running to automatically reply to messages, because rules aren’t processed when your Mac is shut down or you’re logged out. To set up automatic replies while you’re on vacation, ask your account provider how to set up an out-of-office reply.

Carefully consider the rules you create for sending automated replies. If they’re too broad, you can send messages inadvertently or create message loops (replies to replies you sent). If possible, test the rules.

After a rule has processed a message, the message’s status icon changes to a gray arrow to indicate that a reply was sent.

The best way to do it, so you don't have to leave your computer on, is to do it from your mail provider's web based email settings.

You didn't disclose the name of your email provider, but for iCloud, it looks like this:

For those who may not have been paying attention, etresoft posted the correct answer upthread. Apple mail has native support for Exchange out-of-office messages, you just need to look in the right spot.

Trying to do the same with a mail rule is an excercise in futility.

The next best option is to simply use the Exchange server's webmail interface and control your out-of-office message there. But again, you can do it directly in the mail.app account settings as indicated above.

__Jason

Generally you set these options for a specific e-mail server where the service will generate an auto reply, since e-mail clients may be shut down during this period; however, you can set up a rule to take any received message and reply to the sender with specific text of your choosing. Then be sure this rule is at the top of the rule list so it is run first (or otherwise prioritize it), and you should be good to go.

Keep in mind that this will only work if your computer is on and has Mail running when you are out of the office.

uh, oh

I followed your instructions for how to incorporate the out of office rule

But oddly, the rule started working retroactively: the message was being sent to messages I'd received days ago. I fear there's going to be a massive send from me to each and every person who's ever sent me an email. I've since deleted the rule...but I keep hearing from people that they've received the out of office reply/

help!

much obliged.

When you create a rule, it asks you if you want it to process the rule for the email already in the inbox. You should have chosen not to have it do that, and only run the rule for new email.

Another reason you should not run an out of office reply from the client is that you can get into an infinite loop when someone else who has an auto-reply email rule sends you an email. The two clients will continually send email back and forth until one or the other email provider gets tired of it and shuts one or both of you down.

Out of Office replies should always be done from the server; otherwise, you just invite one giant mess, like you found.

If you are using an Exchange-based server, you can right/command click on an account in Apple Mail, choose Get Account Info, and set the server autoreply right there. With IMAP servers like Google or iCloud, you have to hunt down some server-side web page as described by Lanny.

Does anybody else feel that in this day and age this is a bit poor for modern day software where this is a fundamental and very well used feature and the only solution is to leave the system running or create a auto response fromm the host??!!

If we have to use the hosts web mail producuts or use outlook then what are the benefits of using Mail?

How many vacations do you go on a year? Is it that much of a burden to set it up on icloud.com?

Email hasn't changed much from when it was designed in the 1980s. Back then, if you went on vacation for a week, you would just answer those three e-mail messages when you got back. Chances are, those messages were from other university professors who would be gone too. Still, you could always just run the vacation program to autorespond to your mail. Of couse, you did have to keep the server running for that.

GBBanx wrote:

Does anybody else feel that in this day and age this is a bit poor for modern day software where this is a fundamental and very well used feature and the only solution is to leave the system running or create a auto response fromm the host??!!

5 years ago, yes, but for most users of OS X, the ability to get email on other devices when "Out of the Office" (iPhone, Android, etc) minimizes the need for it to be done on a desktop.

In this day and age, its almost impossible not to be tethered to your in-box (via your smart phone)

How many vacations one goes on a year is not the point (its 1 by the way) but rather how many emails you get in a day. In which case I run a business from my Mac and get 50+ emails a day so having an easy to use out of office like you find on Outlook is pretty handy.

Sometimes you prefer not to be glued to ones smart phone when on holiday but safe in the knowledge that your customers have got a response of some description rather than being ignored or ignoring your family on holiday whilst you franticly respond to emails.

GBBanx wrote:

and anyway etresoft maybe we should not be comparing to how email was in the 80's and start producing packages for now and the future.

With e-mail, we are all stuck in an eternel 1989. The only way around that is to use a web interface to bypass the old protocols or use the one and only new protocol, Exchange, that does support it.

And this is why...

http://4macs.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/simple-out-of-office-messages-in-apple-mai l/

I did the same thing the first time i did it.

I learned that the hard way... 🙂