How often does Gmail send my out-of-office reply to the same person?

Once every 4 days per sender. Someone who emails you three times in a week sees the reply only on the first message and again after the 4-day window. Editing the responder message while it is active resets the counter for everyone.

Does the vacation responder reply to spam or mailing lists?

No. Gmail skips messages classified as spam and messages sent to mailing lists you are subscribed to, so your reply does not leak into newsletters or list archives.

Can I limit who receives the automatic reply?

Yes. A checkbox restricts replies to people in your Contacts. On Google Workspace accounts there is an additional option to reply only to people inside your organization, which keeps the message internal.

Does the Gmail responder decline meeting invitations?

No. It only answers email. To decline meetings automatically, create an out-of-office event in Google Calendar for the same dates; it rejects new invitations, and optionally existing meetings, with a message you choose.

Set out of office in Gmail

Jovana Avramovic

Published August 10, 2026

Gmail's out-of-office feature is called the vacation responder. It answers every email you receive during your absence with a message you write once, starts and stops on the dates you pick, and is smart enough not to spam the same person over and over.

Here is how to switch it on, the sending rules that surprise people, and why the responder alone does not stop meeting invitations from landing in your calendar.

Turn on the vacation responder

In Gmail on the web, click the gear icon and choose "See all settings".
Stay on the "General" tab and scroll to "Vacation responder" at the bottom.
Select "Vacation responder on".
Set the "First day". Set a "Last day" too, so the responder switches itself off; without it, it runs until you end it manually.
Write the subject and the message. Say when you are back and who covers for you.
If you do not want strangers to get the reply, tick "Only send a response to people in my Contacts". Google Workspace accounts also offer a checkbox that limits replies to people in your organization.
Click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.

While the responder is active, Gmail shows a banner across the top of your inbox with the subject line and an End now link, so switching it off early is one click.

Gmail vacation responder settings with first day, last day, subject, and message fields

Who gets the reply, and how often

The responder starts at 12:00 AM on the first day and ends at 11:59 PM on the last day, in your account's time zone.
Each sender receives the reply once every 4 days, no matter how many emails they send in between. If you edit the message while the responder is on, the counter resets and everyone can receive the updated reply again.
Messages that land in spam and messages from mailing lists you are subscribed to do not get a reply.

In the Gmail mobile app

Tap the menu icon, then scroll down to Settings.
Pick the account you want to set the responder for.
Tap "Vacation responder" (Android may label it "Out of Office AutoReply"), switch it on, fill in the dates and the message, and save.

The responder answers email, not meetings

The vacation responder lives in Gmail and only replies to email. Meeting invitations still land in your calendar and sit there unanswered unless you also create an out-of-office event in Google Calendar, which declines invitations for you with its own message.

For a full absence you want both: the responder for email, the calendar event for meetings. The calendar side is covered step by step in our Google Calendar guide below.

Keep the calendar part automatic

If your team tracks leave in Time Out Zone, you do not need to create a calendar block by hand for every trip. Subscribe once to your personal ICS calendar feed and every approved absence appears in Google Calendar as an all-day event automatically.

In Google Calendar, open "Other calendars", click the plus, choose "From URL", and paste your private feed link.

Frequently asked questions

How often does Gmail send my out-of-office reply to the same person?: Once every 4 days per sender. Someone who emails you three times in a week sees the reply only on the first message and again after the 4-day window. Editing the responder message while it is active resets the counter for everyone.
Does the vacation responder reply to spam or mailing lists?: No. Gmail skips messages classified as spam and messages sent to mailing lists you are subscribed to, so your reply does not leak into newsletters or list archives.
Can I limit who receives the automatic reply?: Yes. A checkbox restricts replies to people in your Contacts. On Google Workspace accounts there is an additional option to reply only to people inside your organization, which keeps the message internal.
Does the Gmail responder decline meeting invitations?: No. It only answers email. To decline meetings automatically, create an out-of-office event in Google Calendar for the same dates; it rejects new invitations, and optionally existing meetings, with a message you choose.