To put out of office in Google Calendar, create an Out of office event instead of a regular event. On a computer, click the first day you’ll be away, choose Out of office, set the dates, adjust the decline settings and message, and click Save. In the Google Calendar app on Android or iPhone, tap Create, then Out of office. While the event is on your calendar, Google Calendar can automatically decline meetings that overlap it.
One catch: the Out of office event type is only available on Google Calendar accounts provided through a work or school organization (Google Workspace). If you use a personal Gmail account, you won’t see the option, and you’ll want the Gmail vacation responder or a plain “busy” event instead. Both are covered below.
Quick Answer
- Open Google Calendar with your work or school account.
- Click the first day you’ll be out (or click Create), then choose Out of office.
- Set the start and end dates. Turn off all-day or set times if you’re only out part of a day.
- Check the decline settings and edit the decline message.
- Click Save. Optionally, turn on the Gmail vacation responder too so emails get an automatic reply.
In This Guide
- Before you start
- Set out of office on a computer
- Set out of office in the Android app
- Set out of office on iPhone or iPad
- How automatic declining works
- Write a useful decline message
- Edit or end an out of office event early
- Set working hours so your status shows correctly
- Out of office vs. the Gmail vacation responder
- What to do with a personal Google account
- Which option should you use?
- Troubleshooting
- Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Start
These steps are based on Google Calendar Help and Gmail Help as of September 2026. Here’s what you need:
- A work or school Google account. Google’s help page says working hours, working location and the related out of office features are available only for accounts “through your work or school organization.” This is what Google now calls Google Workspace (formerly G Suite).
- The feature turned on by your organization. If you have a work account but the option is missing, your administrator may have turned it off. Only an admin can change that.
- Google Calendar on the web or the Google Calendar app for Android, iPhone or iPad. Keep the app updated, since menus can differ slightly between versions.
A quick definition before you start: an event type is the kind of calendar entry you create. Besides a normal event, work and school calendars offer special types such as Out of office and Working location. Only the Out of office type can decline meetings for you. A regular event titled “Vacation” just blocks time; it does not decline anything.
Set Out of Office on a Computer
The web version at calendar.google.com gives you the most room to review every setting, so it’s the best choice for longer absences.
- Go to calendar.google.com and sign in with your work or school account.
- Click the first day you’ll be out of office on the calendar grid. You can also click Create at the top left. Expected result: An event box opens with event types listed across the top.
- Click Out of office. Expected result: The box changes to show out of office options, including dates and a decline message.
- Choose the date range. If you’re only out for part of a day, set a start time and end time instead of an all-day block.
- Optional: to make it repeat (for example, every Friday afternoon), click the dropdown next to Does not repeat and pick a pattern.
- Review the decline settings. Before you save, decide whether existing meetings in that window should be declined too, because declining sends responses to the organizers. See how automatic declining works.
- Edit the decline message so people know when you’re back and who to contact.
- Click Save. Expected result: The out of office block appears on your calendar, and meetings that overlap it are declined based on your settings.
Google notes that for your out of office status to show up in Gmail, the event needs to cover the entire day or extend past your regular working hours. A short one-hour block in the middle of your workday may not trigger the Gmail notice.
Set Out of Office in the Android App
- Open the Google Calendar app on your Android phone or tablet.
- Make sure your work or school account is the one you’re using. Out of office events are created on that account’s calendar.
- Tap Create (the plus button), then tap Out of office.
- Select the dates and, if needed, times.
- Optional: tap Does not repeat to set a recurring pattern.
- Check the decline settings and edit the message.
- Tap Save. Expected result: The event shows on your calendar and syncs to the web version.
Set Out of Office on iPhone or iPad
- Open the Google Calendar app on your iPhone or iPad. The built-in Apple Calendar app doesn’t offer this event type.
- Tap Create (the plus icon), then tap Out of office.
- Select the dates and, optionally, times.
- Optional: tap Does not repeat to make it repeat.
- Adjust the decline settings and message if you want.
- Tap Save.
If Out of office doesn’t appear after you tap Create, check that you’re signed in with your work or school account and that the app is up to date.
How Automatic Declining Works
Google’s help pages say that when you mark yourself out of office, your calendar automatically declines meetings during that time. You can adjust this behavior in the decline settings of the event. Google’s Calendar developer documentation describes three possible behaviors behind those settings:
| Behavior | What happens | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Decline only new invitations | Invitations that arrive after you create the event and overlap it are declined. Meetings already on your calendar stay as they are. | Short absences where you’ve already handled your existing meetings |
| Decline new and existing meetings | Every conflicting meeting is declined, including ones you’d already accepted. Organizers are notified. | Vacations and leave, when you won’t attend anything |
| Don’t decline | Your status shows as out of office, but no invitations are declined automatically. | Times when you might still join a key meeting |
The exact wording of these choices in the event box can vary by app version, so read the options carefully before you click Save. Remember that declining existing meetings sends a response to each organizer. If you created a recurring meeting yourself, think about who will run it while you’re gone.
Write a Useful Decline Message
The decline message is sent with every automatic decline, so a little care here saves back-and-forth later. A good message covers:
- When you’re back. Give the return date rather than “next week.”
- Who to contact instead. Name a colleague or team for urgent issues.
- What to do with the meeting. For example, “Please reschedule for after I return” or “Feel free to meet without me and share notes.”
Example: “I’m out of the office until Monday, October 12. For anything urgent, please contact Jordan Lee on the support team. Otherwise, I’m happy to reschedule when I’m back.”
Keep it short and professional, and avoid sharing more personal detail than needed, because the message goes to everyone who invites you, including people outside your organization.
Edit or End an Out of Office Event Early
- Open Google Calendar and click or tap the out of office event.
- Choose the edit option (the pencil icon on a computer, or Edit in the app).
- Change the end date, the decline settings or the message, then save.
- To remove it completely, open the event and delete it.
Deleting the event stops future automatic declines. It doesn’t undo declines that already happened, so if you come back early, you may need to accept those meetings again or ask organizers to resend the invitation.
Set Working Hours So Your Status Shows Correctly
Working hours tell Google Calendar when you normally work. When someone schedules a meeting outside those hours, Calendar may let them know you might not be available. Working hours and out of office work together: out of office handles specific absences, and working hours cover your regular schedule. Like out of office, working hours require a work or school account.
- On a computer, open Google Calendar.
- At the top right, click Settings (the gear icon), then click Settings.
- On the left under General, click Working hours (on some accounts the section is called Working hours & location).
- Click Enable working hours.
- Choose your work days and times. To add more than one time period in a day, such as a split shift, click Add next to the day. To remove a period, click Remove.
The start time must be before the end time. Calendar may suggest hours based on your time zone, but you can change them.
You can also set a working location (such as Home or Office) by tapping Create and choosing Working location. People who can see your free or busy information can see your availability and working location. For more on who can see your calendar, read our guide on sharing and making a Google Calendar public.
Out of Office vs. the Gmail Vacation Responder
These are two separate features, and many people use both for the same trip:
- The Calendar Out of office event handles meeting invitations. It declines them and shows your status to people who can see your calendar.
- The Gmail vacation responder sends an automatic email reply to people who email you. It works on personal Gmail accounts as well as work and school accounts.
To turn on the vacation responder in Gmail on a computer:
- Open Gmail and click Settings (the gear icon) at the top right.
- Click See all settings.
- On the General tab, scroll to Vacation responder.
- Select Vacation responder on.
- Enter the date range, subject and message.
- Optional: check the box to send the reply only to people in your contacts.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
According to Gmail Help on vacation responses, the reply starts at 12:00 AM on the start date and ends at 11:59 PM on the end date unless you end it early. Usually a person gets your reply only the first time they email you, but if they write again after four days and the responder is still on, they get it again. Messages in spam and emails sent to a mailing list you subscribe to don’t get a reply.
Tip: use the same return date and backup contact in both messages so people get a consistent answer whether they email you or invite you to a meeting.
What to Do With a Personal Google Account
If you use Google Calendar with a free personal account, the Out of office event type isn’t available. You can still get most of the benefit:
- Create a regular all-day event covering your time away, titled something like “Out of office.”
- Set it to show you as Busy so people who can see your free or busy information know you’re unavailable.
- Turn on the Gmail vacation responder (steps above) for automatic email replies.
- Decline any existing meetings manually, adding a short note with your return date.
A regular event won’t decline new invitations for you, so check your calendar occasionally or when you get back. If you rely on reminders, you can also adjust them in our guide to changing the default notification time in Google Calendar.
Which Option Should You Use?
| Situation | Best tool |
|---|---|
| Vacation or leave on a work or school account | Out of office event (decline new and existing meetings) plus the Gmail vacation responder |
| A few hours out, such as an appointment | Out of office event with specific times; skip the vacation responder |
| Same time off every week, such as Friday afternoons | Recurring out of office event, or working hours that exclude that time |
| Regular schedule outside 9 to 5 | Working hours |
| Personal Google account | Busy all-day event plus the Gmail vacation responder |
Troubleshooting
I don’t see the Out of office option
Check that you’re signed in with a work or school account, not a personal Gmail account. In the mobile app, confirm you’re viewing that account’s calendar and that the app is updated. If you’re on a work account and it’s still missing, ask your Google Workspace administrator whether the feature is turned off for your organization. Google’s Calendar Help page on working hours and location notes that admins can disable these options.
Meetings aren’t being declined
Open the event and check the decline settings. If you chose to decline only new invitations, meetings that were already on your calendar stay put. Also confirm you created an Out of office event, not a regular event with “OOO” in the title.
Colleagues don’t see my out of office status in Gmail
Make sure the event covers the whole day or extends past your working hours, as Google requires for the Gmail display. Your colleagues also need to be able to see your calendar’s availability.
I declined a meeting by mistake
Open the meeting in your calendar and change your response to Yes. If it no longer appears, ask the organizer to add you again.
My email auto-reply isn’t going out
The Calendar event doesn’t send email replies. Turn on the Gmail vacation responder separately, check the start and end dates, and remember that people who already got a reply won’t get another one for four days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set out of office in Google Calendar with a personal account?
No. The Out of office event type is available only for work or school accounts. Use a busy all-day event and the Gmail vacation responder instead.
Does out of office send an email reply?
No. It declines calendar invitations and sends your decline message with each decline. Automatic email replies come from the Gmail vacation responder, which you set up separately.
Can I set out of office for only part of a day?
Yes. Set start and end times instead of a full-day block. Keep in mind that Gmail shows your status only when the event covers the whole day or extends past your working hours.
Can an out of office event repeat?
Yes. Use the Does not repeat dropdown when you create the event and choose a pattern, such as weekly.
Who can see that I’m out of office?
People who can see your calendar’s free or busy information can see your availability. People who invite you to a meeting during that time receive your decline message.
Will my existing meetings be canceled?
The out of office event declines invitations; it doesn’t delete meetings for everyone. If you choose to decline existing meetings, the organizers are notified of your decline. For meetings you organize yourself, decide separately whether to reschedule or hand them off.
Summary
- Out of office is a special event type for work and school Google accounts.
- On a computer, click the first day and choose Out of office; in the app, tap Create then Out of office.
- Choose whether to decline only new invitations or existing meetings too, and write a clear decline message.
- Set working hours so Calendar understands your regular schedule.
- Turn on the Gmail vacation responder separately for automatic email replies.
Next step: open Google Calendar now, create your out of office event for your next day off, then set up the matching Gmail vacation responder so meetings and emails both get a clear answer.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.