topic Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply in Email

Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

lcrjames — Wed, 06 May 2026 15:47:12 GMT

Hi,

I often use the Vacation Notice feature AKA Out of Office automatic reply.

Can anyone help me work out how to get a copy of the automatic emails that are sent whilst the Vacation Notice is turned on?

I have tried setting up a new rule with the condition of emails "From" my email address, with action filed into the sent folder, but this does not work unfortunately.

It would be very handy to have a copy of my 'auto out of office' sent emails so I can prove it was sent, in case of need.

Many thanks.

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

fr8ys — Wed, 06 May 2026 16:15:43 GMT

It could depend on the program you use. Have you searched the program's help section?

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

lcrjames — Wed, 06 May 2026 16:39:06 GMT

Whilst I do use an email client, Thunderbird, this issue is regarding only the TT webmail. If TT webmail can save a copy of the Vacation Notice/Auto Out of Office replies, then the email client will simply download them as normal.

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

fr8ys — Wed, 06 May 2026 21:03:42 GMT

I've had a look at WebMail,and I can't see a way to save the sent email.

If WebMail doesn't save the out of office note, then l don't think it will be possible to create a rule as the sent mail doesn't hit your email account so there is no email for the rule to capture.

If you wish to yale this further you will need to contact TalkTalk direct as there is no staff presence here any lomger.

Please see my signature for a link.

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

lcrjames — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:02:31 GMT

Hi, thanks for trying to help and I agree with your thoughts.

Wow, why I am not surprised TT are no longer participating in their own forums. Unfortunately, due to previous experiences with TT and email problems, like the Vacation Notice/Out of Office feature simply not working, and it taking me well over 6 months and many many calls to finally get TT to get the feature working again, most staff don’t even know what the Vacation Notice/Out of Office feature is, for this reason I won't waste any of my time calling or emailing them to ask about this new situation.

If the option to keep a copy of the automatic out of office replies is not there, then I doubt for one second they will add it for me.

Many thanks.

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

fr8ys — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:20:05 GMT

Have you been able to confirm that when it is on that a message is actually sent to the sender?

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

fr8ys — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:37:51 GMT

I've just been thinking further on this as I don't recall my work emails ever saving a copy to my sent folder, nor did the Hotmail account I used for my Rambling club and that was a permanent one I set up for that account.

I have done a search on the subject and it seems it's the norm not to save such mails, so TalkTalk are not out of step in this.

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

lcrjames — Fri, 08 May 2026 08:46:39 GMT

Yes

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

lcrjames — Fri, 08 May 2026 09:06:41 GMT

To be fair that is a good point! I have just Googled it and found this;

"Yes, webmail out-of-office (OOF) replies can save a copy, but they often do not do so by default. Because OOF messages are typically generated by the email server rather than your specific device, they are not always stored in the Sent Items folder.

Here is how to ensure a copy is saved based on common email platforms:

1. Microsoft Outlook (Web) & Exchange

By default, Exchange servers often do not log OOF replies in the Sent Items folder. To track them:

Create a Rule: You can create a server-side rule to move incoming emails that trigger an auto-reply into a specific folder.
Search for Replies: In Microsoft 365 Admin Center, you can perform an email search for your own address as the sender within the date range of your absence to verify they were sent."

So it would seem you are right, the option to save a copy is not normal, but maybe the option to save can be turned on at TT server, but I doubt for one second they would apply that fix for me, I certainly would not hold my breath or ask!

However, the second bullet point in option 3 in my Google search looks interesting;

"3. General Webmail/IMAP

Check Settings: When configuring your auto-reply, check for options such as "Keep a copy here" or "Save to Sent Items".
Alternative (Rules/Filters): If your webmail doesn't offer a direct "save a copy" option, creating a custom rule that says "If I receive an email, send a reply and keep a copy in [folder]" is the best alternative."

I could try this home made solution, rather than using the "Automatic Replies" feature (I have just noticed TT has recently changed the name from "Vacation Notice") for when I want an Out of Office reply, I could set a custom rule as above, if I receive an email, send a reply and keep a copy in XXX folder. This may just work, I will have to try when I get a chance.

Re: Vaction Notice - Automatic Out of Office Reply

lcrjames — Fri, 08 May 2026 09:15:54 GMT

Update, I have just quickly looked to see if I can make this work around solution work, however TT does not give the option to "Reply to";

How frustrating, I thought this work around solution would be viable! Never mind.