Create an autoresponder

Autoresponders allow you to automatically respond to messages sent to you. This can be very convenient if you are going to be unable to access email for a while, or need to reply to everyone that emails a specific address with the same reply. Please note that each email address that contacts you will only receive one copy of the auto-response per day. So, if you test three times, you will only receive a single response.

Autoresponders automatically send a pre-written email to anyone who writes to a designated email address on your domain while still receiving the original emails.

Examples of autoresponders

Here are a couple of ways you can use an autoresponder:

• You go on vacation for a week, somewhere without Internet access. You can set up an autoresponder to let folks know you will not be able respond to their email immediately.
• You have a web page devoted to your business, and a thousand people a day write to you asking for more information about it. You can set up a new email address, such as example@example.com, then create an autoresponder for this alias that contains whatever information you feel would be relevant. Every time someone writes to the address you configured, an email with that information is sent to them, and you do not have to take any further action.

1. Navigate to the Autoresponders page.
2. Enter the following into the fields:
   • Messages sent to: Choose the email you wish to add the autoresponder to.
   • From Name: This is who the autoresponse will appear to be sent from.
   • Subject: Create a custom subject line you’d like the autoresponder to send.
   • Quote Subject?: You can also check this box to quote the subject of the email sent to your address.
   • Message Body: Add a custom message.
   • Is this HTML?: Check this box if you wish to send an HTML email.
   • Starting at/Stopping at: Enter the time values you wish the autoresponder to remain active.
3. Click the Add Autoresponder button to save.

Individual users can also create an autoresponder without logging into the panel. See the Mailboxes article for further details:

1. Log into https://mailboxes.dreamhost.com.
2. Once logged in, scroll down to the Auto-Responder section.
3. Check the box titled Activate Auto-Responder.
4. Fill in the rest of the fields as shown in the panel example above.

1. Navigate to the Autoresponders page.

   If an autoresponder is active, a green check appears under the Active column.

2. Click the Edit button to the right.
3. Uncheck the first checkbox titled Activate Autoresponder.
4. Click the Edit Autoresponder button to save changes.

Can I send HTML-encoded autoresponders?

Yes. To enable:

1. Check the checkbox titled Is this HTML? which enables HTML tags in your message to be interpreted as HTML (for mail clients that have HTML capabilities).
2. Paste your HTML code directly into the text area that says "Message:"

Also, if some recipients who receive your autoresponder can't read HTML-formatted email: your message is sent as a multi-part message – those who can't read HTML will also receive a plain text version.

How do I start or stop an autoresponder? Can I reschedule it?

Each autoresponder includes start and stop fields, which are empty by default. You can set an autoresponder to 'active' with a specific start and stop date. It will then automatically start sending autoresponses at the specified start date and time and stop sending them at the stop date and time.

You can also leave the fields blank for it to function continuously.

My autoresponder isn’t working — what can I do?

The first thing to do when your autoresponder is not working is to confirm that all the settings are correct. Also, if you added a 'starting/stopping' time, it must be set in Pacific Time and not your local time. If all the settings are correct and it has been more than an hour since you last saved any changes, please contact support for further assistance.

Can autoresponders forward messages to another email address?

No. An autoresponder configured in the panel is not able to forward messages to another email address. It is only able to reply to messages sent directly to it.