How to create and edit email autoresponders in cPanel

An autoresponder sends an automatic reply when a message arrives for an address. Use it for out-of-office notices, vacation replies, business-hour notices, or quick acknowledgements.

Create an autoresponder

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Open Email and choose Autoresponders.
3. Click Add Autoresponder.
4. Leave the character set as UTF-8 unless you have a specific reason to change it.
5. Set the interval. This controls how often the same sender receives the automatic reply.
6. Enter the email address, sender name, subject, and body text.
7. Choose whether the message is plain text or HTML.
8. Click Create or Create/Modify.

Schedule start and stop dates

For vacations or temporary notices, set a start and stop date. The autoresponder will activate and deactivate automatically, so you do not need to remember to turn it off later.

Use your local timezone carefully when scheduling. If the message must stop before a business day begins, set the stop time early enough to avoid sending stale replies.

Edit or delete an autoresponder

1. Open Email and choose Autoresponders.
2. Find the autoresponder in the list.
3. Click Edit to change the subject, body, interval, or schedule.
4. Click Delete to remove it completely.

Best practices

• Set the interval to at least 24 hours for out-of-office replies.
• Do not put sensitive internal details in an auto-reply.
• Avoid autoresponders on mailing-list addresses; they can create reply loops.
• Keep the message short and include a real contact for urgent requests.
• Test from an external email address after creating the autoresponder.

Related: How to create and manage email accounts in cPanel | Email forwarders in cPanel: redirect mail to another address | Email filters in cPanel: block, redirect, or sort mail | Email not sending-troubleshooting outgoing email

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