Automatic replies cannot be displayed because the server is currently unavailable

claire 0 Reputation points
2026-09-03T09:38:26.6333333+00:00

We are experiencing this pop-up when trying to add automatic replies: "Automatic replies cannot be displayed because the server is currently unavailable"

This is when trying to apply to our own accounts. We have tried signing out of office and back in as well as removing the profile and adding back on.

Office version is 1808. When I click update now, it says that we are all up-to-date.

This was working fine about 3 weeks ago but has stopped in the last couple of weeks.

Is there a fix for this?

Many thanks

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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  1. Lucus-V 11,765 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-03T17:06:57.02+00:00

    Hi claire,

    Thank you for posting in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Since this was working recently and the error message indicates that the server is unavailable, it is possible that this is a temporary service or connectivity issue rather than a problem with your Outlook profile. Recreating the profile and signing out/in would typically address common client-side issues.

    For now, I would suggest waiting a day or two and then testing again. In the meantime, please check whether you can configure Automatic Replies through Outlook on the web (OWA). If OWA works while Outlook continues to show the error, that would help narrow the issue down to the Outlook client.

    If the issue persists after a few days, please let us know whether it affects a single user or multiple users and whether you are able to set Automatic Replies in OWA.

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