How to set up an out of office in Outlook that automatically recurs 1 day every week

Do you have 1 day off each week and need to setup an “Out of Office” message in Outlook that automatically recurs for the same day each week?

Here’s the cleanest way to do it, depending on which version of Outlook you’re using. I’ll give you the reliable option first, then the modern workaround. 

 

Best & most reliable: Outlook Rule (works 1 day each week) 

This works in Outlook for Windows (desktop) and runs automatically every Friday for this example. 

 Step-by-step 

  1. Open Outlook (desktop app) 

  2. Go to File → Manage Rules & Alerts 

  3. Click New Rule 

  4. Choose Apply rule on messages I receive → Next 

  5. Conditions 

    • Tick sent to me only (or whatever fits) 

    • Click Next 

    • When warned about applying to all messages, click Yes 

  6. Actions
    Tick reply using a specific template 

    • Click a specific template 

    • In the template picker: 

    • Choose User Templates in File System 

    • Click Browse 

  7. Create your auto-reply template 

    • First, cancel out and create one: 

      • New Email → write your Friday OOO message 

      • File → Save As → Outlook Template (*.oft) 

      • Save it somewhere memorable 

    • Then select that template 

  8. Exceptions (important) 

    • Add except if received on these days 

    • Select Monday–Thursday 

  9. Name the rule (e.g. Friday OOO) and turn it ON 

 

What this does 

  • Automatically replies only on Fridays 

  • Works every week 

  • Fully customisable message 

⚠️ Note: Outlook must be open for this to run. 

 

 Outlook automatic replies (OOO) — partial workaround 

 If you’re using Microsoft 365 / Outlook on the web, there is no native “every Friday” option. Automatic Replies only work for date ranges. 

What people do instead 

  • Set Automatic Replies for a long date range 

  • Manually turn them off on other days 
    👉 Not ideal, but it’s the only built-in option. 

Power Automate is Microsoft’s tool for automating tasks and workflows across apps and services. Think of it like a “robot assistant” that can do repetitive actions for you automatically. 

 

If you want a set-and-forget solution (recommended), use Power Automate (works even when Outlook is closed). 

 

High-level approach 

  • Trigger: When a new email arrives 

  • Condition: Day of week = Friday 

  • Action: Send automatic reply 

  

1. What it does 

Power Automate can: 

  • Automatically send emails or replies 

  • Move or copy files between OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams 

  • Post messages in Teams or Slack 

  • Trigger actions when something happens (like a new email, calendar event, or form submission) 

  • Connect hundreds of apps, including Outlook, Excel, Gmail, and more 

 

2. How it works 

It uses “flows,” which are step-by-step automation instructions: 

  1. Trigger → something that starts the workflow 

    • Example: “When I receive an email in Outlook” 

  2. Actions → what happens after the trigger 

    • Example: “If today is Friday, reply with this message” 

  3. Conditions / Filters → optional rules to control it 

  • Example: “Only reply if the email is from outside my company” 

 

3. Why it’s useful for Outlook OOO 

  • You can automatically reply only on Fridays 

  • Works even if Outlook isn’t open 

  • Can handle exceptions, like VIPs or internal emails 

  • Fully repeatable, so you don’t have to remember to switch it on/off 

 

 

Here’s a ready-to-import JSON flow for Power Automate that will automatically reply to emails only on Fridays. You’ll just import it, connect your Outlook account, and it works immediately. 

Here’s how we’ll do it: 

 

Step 1: Download / Import the Flow 

  1. Copy the JSON content I provide below into a text file, save it as FridayOOO.json. 

  2. Go to Power Automate → My Flows → Import 

  3. Upload the JSON file 

  4. Reconnect it to your Outlook account when prompted 

 

Step 2: JSON Content for Friday OOO Flow 

{ 

  "name": "Friday Out-of-Office", 

  "definition": { 

    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/providers/Microsoft.Logic/schemas/2016-06-01/workflowdefinition.json#", 

    "actions": { 

      "CheckDayOfWeek": { 

        "type": "If", 

        "expression": { 

          "equals": [ 

            { 

              "expression": "dayOfWeek(utcNow())" 

            }, 

            5 

          ] 

        }, 

        "actions": { 

          "SendAutoReply": { 

            "type": "OpenApiConnection", 

            "inputs": { 

              "host": { 

                "connectionName": "shared_outlook", 

                "operationId": "SendEmailV2", 

                "apiId": "/providers/Microsoft.PowerApps/apis/shared_outlook" 

              }, 

              "parameters": { 

                "To": "@triggerOutputs()?['body/from/emailAddress/address']", 

                "Subject": "Out of Office – Fridays", 

                "Body": "Thank you for your email. I am out of the office on Fridays and will respond on the next business day." 

              } 

            } 

          } 

        } 

      } 

    }, 

    "triggers": { 

      "When_a_new_email_arrives": { 

        "type": "OpenApiConnection", 

        "inputs": { 

          "host": { 

            "connectionName": "shared_outlook", 

            "operationId": "GetEmails", 

            "apiId": "/providers/Microsoft.PowerApps/apis/shared_outlook" 

          }, 

          "parameters": { 

            "folderPath": "Inbox" 

          } 

        } 

      } 

    } 

  } 

} 

Step 3: Activate the Flow 

  • After importing, turn the flow on 

  • Send yourself a test email on a Friday to verify 

  • The sender should automatically get the Friday OOO message 

 

💡 Tip: You can customize the message in the JSON by changing the "Body" field. You can also add your name, signature, or links there. 

 
Steuart Snooks