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Outlook Is Getting Rule-Based Automatic Replies
Microsoft is preparing a new way to manage automatic replies in Outlook. Spotted in the Microsoft 365 roadmap, this feature is meant to let users create rules that trigger an automatic reply from a predefined template only when certain conditions are met. Here’s what we know so far, and what still needs to be confirmed.
Rule-Triggered Automatic Replies
Today, the automatic reply in Outlook that you enable before going on vacation works in a fairly rigid way. It applies for a set period and sends the same message to everyone, with no distinction. Your recipient knows you are away, but from within Outlook, you cannot reply differently depending on the sender or the subject of the message.
This is about to change.
An entry associated with ID 567318 in the Microsoft 365 roadmap mentions an evolution in Outlook for automatic replies. Microsoft describes the introduction of a rules-based system, similar to what already exists for organizing incoming emails into folders. The idea is to condition the sending of the automatic reply, then choose the template to use.
"You can now create a rule that automatically responds to incoming messages using a template you’ve configured. Set the conditions that matter to you, choose the template, and Outlook handles the reply for you. It’s an easy way to send consistent responses without having to type the same thing over and over again.", Microsoft explains in its roadmap.
In practice, you could imagine a reply template for messages from a specific sender, and another template for messages containing certain words in the subject line. That said, this still needs to be confirmed, as Microsoft does not provide examples in the roadmap, nor the criteria that will be supported.
The ideal would be to use these elements to define conditions based on:
- The message sender.
- One or more words in the subject line.
- Keywords in the body of the message.
- The sender's email domain.
It remains to be seen whether AI will be involved to go even further and generate personalized replies based on the template selected by the user. Microsoft has not said.
A Rollout Planned for September 2026
The feature is currently in development in the roadmap. The Redmond company is targeting a worldwide rollout starting in September 2026, although that timeline may still change.
Another question remains: where will this new feature be available? The roadmap mentions Outlook for the Web. Nothing more. However, it is reasonable to assume it will also be available in the new Outlook for Windows. The exact scope still needs to be confirmed.
This announcement is part of a series of additions aimed at strengthening the new Outlook, which has been regularly criticized for lacking features compared with the classic version. The app has, for example, regained support for Quick Parts and made progress in PST file handling, including the addition of PST email export in summer 2025. In parallel, the mandatory switch to the new Outlook for businesses was pushed back to March 2027, giving Microsoft time to refine the app and add the missing features.
