How-to · Gmail for Mac
How to set up out of office in Gmail on Mac: vacation responder steps
To set up out of office in Gmail on a Mac, open Gmail in your browser, go to Settings > See all settings > General, and turn on the Vacation responder. Enter the first and last day, write your message, and click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
Quick answer
- Gmail has no Mac app, so you set the reply on Gmail's web page in Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.
- Click the gear, choose See all settings, open General, and select Vacation responder on.
- Set the first and last day, write your message, then click Save Changes at the bottom.
- The reply starts at 12:00 AM on the first day and ends at 11:59 PM on the last day.
What you need
- A Gmail or Google Workspace account you can sign in to
- A Mac with Chrome, Safari, or Firefox
- The first and last day of your leave
- Your reply text, ideally with one contact person
How to Turn on an out-of-office reply in Gmail on a Mac in Gmail on a Mac
Open Gmail in a Mac browser
Open Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Go to mail.google.com and sign in with the account you want to reply from. Gmail has no separate Mac app, so the web page is the only place to set this.
Open the Settings gear
In the top right corner of the Gmail window, click the gear icon. A small panel opens with quick settings.
Tip: Use the Settings gear at the top right. It is the icon you want, not a menu item in the sidebar.
Choose See all settings
In the panel, select See all settings. The full settings page opens with several tabs across the top.
Open the General tab
On the settings page, select the General tab. The Vacation responder section is in this tab, further down the page.
Find the Vacation responder section
Scroll down the General tab until you see the Vacation responder section. Google's help page uses this exact name.
Select Vacation responder on
Select the option that says Vacation responder on. Until you do, Gmail will not send the automatic reply, even if the dates are filled in.
Enter the first and last day
Enter a date range. The reply starts at 12:00 AM on the first day and ends at 11:59 PM on the last day, unless you end it earlier. Pick the day before you return as the last day.
Tip: If you return on a Tuesday, make Monday the last day.
Write a subject and message
Add a subject line if you want the reply in its own email, outside an existing thread. Then write your message in the box. Name one person to contact, with an email address.
Tip: Keep the message to a few short lines. People skim these replies.
Tick contacts only if you need it
Optional. Tick the box below the message to reply only to people in your contacts. Leave it unticked if anyone who writes to you should get the reply.
Save Changes
Scroll to the bottom of the General tab and click Save Changes. The reply is not saved until you do this.
Tip: Scroll all the way down. The button sits at the bottom of the page.
Check the banner in your inbox
Go back to your inbox. A banner at the top shows that the responder is on. To end the reply early, click End now in that banner.
Send a test message
Send a message to your Gmail address from another account that is not in your contacts. Confirm that the reply arrives. If it does not, check the spam folder on the test account.
Gmail on a Mac runs in your browser
Gmail has no native app for Mac. You use it on the web, in a browser you already have. Chrome, Safari, and Firefox all work. The out-of-office settings sit on the same web page, so the steps below match in every browser.
Some people install Gmail as an app, so it sits in the Dock like any other program. Chrome has an Install page as app option. Safari offers File > Add to Dock on macOS Sonoma 14 or later. Those menu labels come from a third-party guide, not from Google. The settings path does not change either way.
What Gmail calls it: Vacation responder
Google's help page calls this feature the Vacation responder. Many third-party guides still call it Out of Office AutoReply, which is the name most people search for. It is the same setting. Inside Gmail, look for Vacation responder, because that is the label you will see.
Check which account you are using first
Gmail in a browser can hold more than one account. Your account picture sits in the top right corner, next to the gear. The reply belongs to the account whose settings you change. If you use a work account and a personal one, set the reply on each account separately. Each account has its own Vacation responder, so a change in one does not touch the other.
The fields you fill in, and what each one does
The steps list walks through the menu path one click at a time. This section explains what each field does, so you can fill it in without guessing. Read it before you open settings, especially the dates.
| Setting | What to do | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Vacation responder | Select Vacation responder on | Nothing sends until this is on |
| First day | Enter the start date | The reply starts at 12:00 AM that day |
| Last day | Enter the end date | The reply stops at 11:59 PM that day, unless you end it earlier |
| Subject | Optional. Add a subject line | The reply arrives as a separate email, outside an existing thread |
| Message | Write your reply | Sent to each person who messages you during the dates |
| Contacts only | Optional. Tick the box below the message | Only people in your contacts get the reply |
The dates cause the most trouble. Gmail starts the reply at 12:00 AM on the first day. It ends at 11:59 PM on the last day, unless you end it earlier. The last day is the final day the reply runs, not the day you return.
If you pick your return day as the last day, the reply still runs on the morning you are back. Pick the day before you return instead. That single change prevents the most common mistake with this setting.
A worked example for a short leave
Say you leave on a Friday morning and return the following Tuesday. Set the first day to that Friday. Set the last day to the Monday before you return. The reply then covers the whole time you are away and stops once you are back.
Next, write a subject line. Try something plain, such as Out of office until Tuesday. A subject line makes the reply arrive as a separate email. That helps when the sender's thread is old or buried under other replies.
Write three or four short sentences in the message. Say when you return. Then name one person to contact, with an email address. People skim these replies, so put the useful part near the top.
If your inbox gets many cold emails or newsletters, tick the box for contacts only. That keeps the reply away from mail you do not need to answer. Anyone in your contacts still gets it, so colleagues and clients are covered.
Who gets the reply, and who does not
Most senders get the reply only the first time they message you. After that, Gmail stays quiet for them. This keeps your reply from repeating on every message in a busy thread.
Two cases can send it again. The first is when someone writes after four days while the reply is still on. The second is when you edit the reply and that person writes again. Expect a second copy in long threads.
Some mail gets no reply at all. Messages that land in spam get nothing. Neither do messages sent to a mailing list you subscribe to. A newsletter that asks you a question will never see your reply, so check your spam folder for anything important.
4 days
Wait before a repeat reply can go to a sender who already got one
Gmail Help: Send an automatic reply when you're out of office (computer)2,000
Messages per user per day on Google Workspace accounts
Google Workspace Admin Help: Gmail sending limits in Google Workspace11:59 PM
End time on the last day of the reply, unless you end it earlier
Gmail Help: Send an automatic reply when you're out of office (computer)Sending limits that affect auto-replies
Gmail limits how much mail you can send each day. On a consumer account, a limit applies once you send more than 500 emails in a day. The same limit applies if one email goes to more than 500 recipients.
When you hit a limit, Gmail shows the error 'You have reached a limit for sending mail'. Access usually comes back within 1 to 24 hours. Google's sending limits page says these limits count all your mail, so auto-replies count too.
Google Workspace accounts have a bigger allowance. A Workspace user can send 2,000 messages per day. One message can reach 2,000 recipients in total, with up to 500 of them outside your organization.
Keyboard shortcuts for this task on Mac
Google's keyboard shortcut list has no shortcut for opening Settings. It has none for the Vacation responder either. You will use the mouse or trackpad for this task.
The list does explain how Mac keys map. On a Mac, ⌘ takes the place of Ctrl. So ⌘ + Enter sends an email, and ⌘ + k inserts a link. The list never mentions Option (⌥), so do not expect ⌥ shortcuts to help here.
Apple Mail and the Gmail account question
Apple Mail on a Mac has a Vacation option, but it applies to Exchange and Office 365 accounts. According to MacRumors, a Gmail account added to Apple Mail does not show that option. The article is third-party reporting, and Apple's support pages do not confirm it.
So do not look for the setting in Apple Mail. Set the reply inside Gmail's web page. You can still read and reply to mail in Apple Mail, but the automatic reply itself comes from Gmail.
Troubleshooting when the reply does not send
- Confirm that Vacation responder is set to on, then click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
- Check the first and last day. A last day that has already passed means the reply will not run.
- Turn off the contacts-only box if the person writing to you is not in your contacts.
- Ask the sender to check their spam folder. Mail sent to a mailing list you subscribe to gets no reply.
- Try another browser or a private window, then open the settings again to confirm they saved.
These checks come from common reports and third-party guides. Google's help page does not list a troubleshooting sequence, so treat them as likely causes, not guarantees.
Mistakes people make with out of office
- Forgetting Save Changes. The settings do not stick until you click it at the bottom of the General tab.
- Choosing your return day as the last day, so the reply runs on your first morning back.
- Setting the reply on the wrong Google account when you use more than one account in the same browser.
- Writing a reply with no way to reach anyone. Name a colleague and include their email address.
- Expecting the reply to reach newsletters or spam. It will not.
How to turn the reply off early
While the reply is on, a banner sits at the top of the inbox. Click End now in that banner to turn the reply off. You do not need to wait for the last day.
If the banner is missing, open Settings, then See all settings, then General. Scroll to the Vacation responder section and check whether it is still on. If it is, change it and click Save Changes.
Test the reply before you leave
Send a message to your Gmail address from another account. Use one that is not in your contacts, so you test the reply a stranger would get. Confirm the reply arrives, then read it the way a sender would.
If nothing arrives, check the spam folder on the test account. Then recheck the first and last day. Most failed tests trace back to one of those two places.
What to do next
Once the reply is on, you may want to keep certain mail out of your way. Create a filter in Gmail on Mac to route that mail with less effort. If a message should go out on a set day while you are away, schedule an email in Gmail on Mac instead of sending it now.
If you want your reply to match your sign off, create an email signature in Gmail on Mac first. The signature and the reply are separate settings, so set both before you leave.
If it does not work
- The reply never sends
- Open Settings, then See all settings, then General. Confirm Vacation responder is set to on, check the dates, and click Save Changes at the bottom.
- A sender says they got no reply
- Check whether the sender was in spam, or on a mailing list you subscribe to. Those messages get no reply. If you ticked contacts only, non-contacts get nothing.
- Someone got the reply twice
- Gmail can resend it after four days while the reply is on, or after you edit the reply. This is expected behavior, not a fault.
- The banner is missing from the inbox
- Go back to General settings and check the Vacation responder section. If it says on, reload the inbox. If it says off, turn it on and save.
- You see 'You have reached a limit for sending mail'
- Wait. Access usually returns within 1 to 24 hours. Send fewer messages or smaller group emails in the meantime.
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Questions people ask
Is there a Gmail app for Mac?
No. Google has no native Gmail app for Mac. Use Gmail in Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Some people install the web page as an app, but the out-of-office settings stay in the same place.
Why can't I find Out of Office in Gmail settings?
Google calls it Vacation responder, not Out of Office. Open Settings, then See all settings, then General. Scroll down to the Vacation responder section.
Does the reply go to people who are not in my contacts?
Yes, unless you tick the contacts-only box below the message. When that box is ticked, only people in your contacts get the reply.
Why did someone get my reply twice?
Gmail can send it again if the person writes after four days while the reply is still on. It also repeats if you edit the reply and the person writes again.
Can I set the reply in Apple Mail instead?
Not for a Gmail account, according to MacRumors. Apple Mail's Vacation option applies to Exchange and Office 365 accounts. Turn the reply on in Gmail itself.
Do sending limits affect auto-replies?
Yes. Google says sending limits count all your mail. A consumer account hits a limit above 500 emails in a day, and Workspace users get 2,000 messages per day.
When does the reply stop?
It ends at 11:59 PM on the last day you set, unless you end it earlier. Click End now in the banner at the top of the inbox to stop it sooner.
Sources
- Gmail Help: Send an automatic reply when you're out of office (computer) · Google · checked 2026-11-07
- Gmail Help: Gmail keyboard shortcuts · Google · checked 2026-11-07
- Gmail Help: Gmail sending limits · Google · checked 2026-11-07
- Google Workspace Admin Help: Gmail sending limits in Google Workspace · Google · checked 2026-11-07
- WebNots: How to Install Gmail as an App in Windows and Mac? · WebNots · checked 2026-11-07
- MacRumors: How to Set Up Out-of-Office Replies in Apple Mail and iCloud Mail · MacRumors · checked 2026-11-07
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