Auto reply in Gmail only outside your business hours

Short answer: Use a free Google Apps Script that answers new emails only when you're closed, such as evenings and weekends, and stays quiet during your open hours. Gmail's own vacation responder can't do that. It runs in your own Google account; nothing is sent to us. Setup takes 6 steps: Make a Settings tab; List your open days; Write your reply; Paste the script; Turn it on; What it does with each email.

How to set it up

1. Make a Settings tab. Open a new Google Sheet and add a tab called Settings. Put your opening hour in B1 (for example 9) and your closing hour in B2 (17 for 5pm), using the 24-hour clock.
2. List your open days. In B3, type your open days as three-letter names with commas: Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri. Any day not listed counts as closed all day.
3. Write your reply. Put the reply text in B5, for example when you'll be back and a number to call if it's urgent. B4 is an optional subject line; leave it blank and the reply keeps the original subject.
4. Paste the script. Open Extensions, then Apps Script, paste in the code from our email, and save. Reload the sheet and a Business hours menu appears.
5. Turn it on. Choose Business hours, then Start auto reply. Google asks for permission the first time, because the script reads your inbox and replies from your account. From then on it checks every 5 minutes.
6. What it does with each email. Outside your hours, each new unread email gets one reply. The thread gets an Auto-replied label so nobody hears from it twice, and it stays unread for you. Senders that look automatic, such as no-reply and notification addresses, are skipped.

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Good to know

• Hours follow the time zone set in the Apps Script project (Project Settings), so check it matches yours.
• To stop it, choose Business hours, then Stop auto reply.
• A reply goes out only for mail from the last day, so turning it on doesn't answer an old backlog.

Questions

What does this script do?

It is a free Google Apps Script that answers new emails only when you're closed, such as evenings and weekends, and stays quiet during your open hours. Gmail's own vacation responder can't do that.

How do I set it up?

In 6 steps: 1. Make a Settings tab; 2. List your open days; 3. Write your reply; 4. Paste the script; 5. Turn it on; 6. What it does with each email. The full steps are on this page.

Is it free, and does it send my data anywhere?

It is free: enter your email on this page and we email you the script (Code.gs). It runs in your own Google account; nothing is sent to us.

Can you install it for me?

Yes. We set it up in your Google account in a short Connect session, connect it to your sheet and check that it runs.

Want this connected to the rest of your tools? Send us a short brief.