Set vacation replies and mailing lists
Vacation replies notify senders while you are away. Mailing lists distribute messages to approved members. Use each tool for its intended purpose and respect recipients’ consent.
Steps
- Open Vacation Messages or Autoresponders, choose the intended mailbox, and set a short response with the correct start/end dates and time zone.
- Avoid personal travel details, sensitive contacts and forwarding loops. Test how repeat replies are limited; do not assume every sender should receive an automatic reply.
- For a list, open Mailing Lists if enabled and set an owner/moderator who monitors delivery errors.
- Add only people who consented. Configure subscription, unsubscribe, posting permissions and moderation before accepting posts.
- Restrict member-list visibility and prevent open posting by strangers. Hosting mail limits still apply; a mailing list is not a bulk-marketing allowance.
- Test with a small group, including an unsubscribe and a rejected unauthorized post. Remove expired vacation rules when you return.
If something goes wrong
If automatic replies loop or a list is abused, pause the rule/list, keep evidence and contact support. Do not disable all spam filtering to make a list work.
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Last reviewed
2026-10-28