Autoresponders automatically send a reply message to anyone who emails you. They are perfect for out-of-office messages, vacation notices, or letting customers know you are busy and will respond soon.
Steps
1. Log in to cPanel
- Visit your hosting provider's cPanel login page and sign in with your username and password.
2. Navigate to Autoresponders
- From the cPanel Home, locate the Email section.
- Click on Autoresponders (or Auto Responder).
3. Add an Autoresponder
- Click the Add Autoresponder button or Create.
4. Select the Email Account
- Email account: Choose the email address that will send the automatic reply from the dropdown list.
5. Set the Active Period (Optional)
- Start time: Leave blank to start immediately, or enter a date and time if you want the autoresponder to begin later.
- End time: Enter when the autoresponder should stop sending replies. After this time, normal email delivery resumes.
- If you do not set an end time, you must manually disable the autoresponder when you return.
6. Compose the Reply Message
- Subject: Enter a subject line for the automatic reply (for example, "Out of Office" or "Thank You for Your Email").
- Body: Type the message that will be sent automatically. Keep it brief and friendly. For example:
```
Thank you for contacting us. I am currently out of the office and will return on [date].
For urgent matters, please contact [alternate contact]. I will respond to your email as soon as possible.
```
7. Optional Settings
- Some autoresponders allow you to:
- Stop after X number of days: Automatically disable after a set number of days (useful for vacation messages).
- Reply once per sender: Only send one reply per email address so the same person does not receive multiple auto-replies.
8. Save the Autoresponder
- Click the Create or Save button.
- You should see a confirmation message. The autoresponder is now active.
Tips & Notes
- One per account: You can set up one autoresponder per email account.
- Professional tone: Keep your message friendly, brief, and informative. Avoid long paragraphs.
- Include contact info: If you are away, mention an alternate contact person or department phone number so urgent matters can be handled.
- Set an end date: Always set an end date to avoid sending out-of-office messages long after you return.
- Don't reply to automated emails: Autoresponders typically ignore messages from other autoresponders to prevent infinite reply loops (this is automatic).
- Real emails still arrive: Autoresponders send a reply but do not delete or filter incoming email. All messages still arrive in your inbox normally.
Examples
Vacation message:
CODE0
Out-of-office:
CODE1
Managing Autoresponders
- View active autoresponders: The autoresponders list shows all active replies. You can see the email account, subject, and active dates.
- Edit an autoresponder: Click the Edit button to change the message, dates, or settings.
- Delete or disable: Click the Delete or Disable button to stop sending replies immediately.
Troubleshooting
- Replies not sending? Check that the email account is spelled correctly and that you have not set a future start date.
- Replies sent after I returned? Verify the end date was set correctly. If it has passed, manually delete the autoresponder.
- Too many replies to one sender? Enable the "Reply once per sender" option to prevent duplicate messages.