How to set up an auto-reply for a shared mailbox in Office 365
Purpose
The use of a shared mailbox in Office 365 makes it easy for a group of people to monitor and send emails from common email addresses, like info@contoso.com, support@fourthcoffee.com, or contact@contoso.com. As a delegate of a shared mailbox, you might want to configure an auto-reply message to confirm the reception of the sender’s email and to set expectations by informing the sender of specific provisions.
Prerequisites
To set up an auto-reply message your computer will need an internet connection and a web browser in order to configure the settings in the Exchange Admin Center (EAC).
Solution
- Connect to the Exchange Admin Center by right-clicking on the following link to open it in a separate window:
https://outlook.office365.com/ecp - Enter your Office 365 account credentials and click on the Sign in button
- At the top right-hand side of the website navigation bar click on your account name/picture
- Under My Accounts, click on the Another User… link
- A pop-up window will appear with a list of shared mailboxes that you have access to
- Select the desired shared mailbox and click the OK button
- A Mail options window will appear with the account option preselected
- In the right window pane click on the Setup an automatic reply message link
- Click on the round radio button next to Send automatic replies
- If you wish to configure the auto-replay only for a specific period of time then click the checkbox next to Send replies only during this time period: and set the time period during which the auto-repay should operate, otherwise leave the box unchecked
- In the first message window type in the message you wish to send to people within your organization (this is optional)
- In the second message window type in the message you wish to send to people outside of your organization
- Click the Save button to institute the auto-reply
- Close the Mail options window
- Under My accounts click on the Sign out link