- How to set out of office in Google Calendar, step by step
- The catch: personal Gmail accounts don't get this option
- What happens when someone invites you while you're away
- Write a decline message people can use
- Set your working hours while you're there
- Plan your time away well
- Out of office on your phone
- Out of office versus working hours versus Focus time
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To set out of office in Google Calendar, open it on a computer, click Create, then Out of office, choose your dates, edit the decline message if you like and click Save. Calendar then declines meetings during that time. It's only available on work or school Google accounts.
An out-of-office event in Google Calendar does more than block your diary. While you're away, Google declines new meeting invites for you and sends the organiser a message saying you're unavailable. It's the calendar equivalent of an email auto-reply, and it stops people booking you into calls you'll never see.
How to set out of office in Google Calendar, step by step
- Open Google Calendar on a computer.
- At the top left, click Create.
- Choose Out of office.
- Select the dates you'll be away. For a single afternoon, set the times instead.
- Optional: change the decline settings and edit the message people will see.
- Click Save.
Your out-of-office time shows on your calendar with its own look, so colleagues checking your availability see straight away that you're not around.
The catch: personal Gmail accounts don't get this option
This is why so many people can't find the button. Google's help page says out of office, along with working hours, is for work or school accounts. If you use a personal @gmail.com address, the Out of office option won't appear. Even on a work account, Google notes that your administrator may not have the feature switched on for your organisation.
If you're on a personal account, the workaround is simple: create an all-day event called Away or On holiday, set it to Busy, and set up a vacation responder in Gmail separately. It won't decline invites for you, but it shows people you're unavailable.
What happens when someone invites you while you're away
| Situation | What Google Calendar does |
|---|---|
| New invite during your out-of-office time | Declines it and shows your message |
| Existing meetings already in that time | You can choose to decline them too when you save |
| Someone emails you in Gmail (work account) | Your out-of-office status can be shown to them |
| Someone checks your availability | They see you're out of office |
The Gmail status only appears when the out-of-office event covers the whole day or runs past your normal working hours, according to Google. A two-hour dentist appointment won't trigger it.
Write a decline message people can use
The default message is short. Change it so people know what to do instead:
- Say when you're back, using a date rather than next week.
- Say who to contact for anything urgent.
- Keep it to two or three sentences.
- Don't share where you're going or why. It's a business calendar, not a postcard.
Set your working hours while you're there
Out of office handles holidays. Working hours handle the everyday. If you set them, Google lets people know when they try to book you outside the hours you work. They can only be set from a computer, as a repeating weekly pattern, and they adjust to your local time when you travel or change your working location. If your hours change for a week, update them and switch them back afterwards.
Plan your time away well
- Add the out-of-office event as soon as your dates are confirmed, not the day before.
- Decline or move any existing meetings in that window.
- Set your Gmail vacation responder to match.
- Tell clients in advance, so nobody's surprised.
- Block an hour on your first day back to catch up before meetings start.
If you manage a team across locations, my guide to running a virtual team covers how to keep everyone's availability visible.
Out of office on your phone
Google's instructions for out of office are written for a computer, so if you're about to leave and only have your phone, open calendar.google.com in your phone's browser and switch to the desktop version, or ask a colleague with edit access to your calendar to add it for you. Better still, put it in a few days before you go.
Out of office versus working hours versus Focus time
| Feature | Use it for | Declines meetings? |
|---|---|---|
| Out of office | Holidays, sick days, time away | Yes |
| Working hours | Your normal weekly pattern | Warns people outside your hours |
| Busy all-day event | Personal accounts, simple blocking | No |
Used together, they give people an honest picture of when you can be reached, which saves everyone emails asking whether you're free.
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My verdict
If you're on a Google Workspace account, out of office is the easiest way to protect time away: Create, Out of office, pick your dates, write a useful message, Save. Calendar does the declining for you. On a personal Gmail account it simply isn't there, so use a Busy all-day event and Gmail's vacation responder instead. Either way, set it up as soon as your dates are fixed. For more ways to guard your time, see my time management tools.
Frequently asked questions
Does out of office show on my calendar to colleagues?
Yes. People checking your availability see that you're out of office for that time.
Can I set out of office for part of a day?
Yes. Set start and end times instead of whole days when you create the out-of-office event.
What's the difference between out of office and working hours?
Out of office covers time away and declines meetings. Working hours set your normal weekly pattern and warn people who try to book outside it.
Why can't I find Out of office in Google Calendar?
It's only available on work or school accounts, and your administrator may have it turned off. Personal Gmail accounts don't have it.
Does Google Calendar decline meetings when I'm out of office?
Yes. It declines new invites during your out-of-office time and shows your decline message.
Can I set out of office from the Google Calendar app?
Google's steps are for a computer. Use a browser on a computer, or set it up before you leave.
Will people emailing me see I'm out of office?
On work or school Gmail, your status can be shown if the event covers the whole day or runs past your working hours.
What can I use on a personal Gmail account?
Create an all-day Busy event and set up Gmail's vacation responder.
