The vacation auto-reply feature in Roundcube automatically sends a response to anyone who emails you while you are away. This is useful when you are on holiday, out of the office, or otherwise unavailable. This guide covers how to set up and manage vacation messages.
Enabling a Vacation Auto-Reply
- Log in to Roundcube Webmail at
yourdomain.com/webmail. - Click the Settings icon (gear icon) in the left sidebar or top-right corner.
- Select Vacation (or Autoreply) from the settings menu.
- Toggle Vacation Auto-Reply to ON.
- Fill in the auto-reply details:
- Subject: Enter a subject line for the auto-reply (e.g., "Out of Office: Returning on 15 April").
- Body: Write your message. Keep it concise and include:
- The dates you will be away.
- When you expect to return.
- An alternative contact person (if applicable).
- Start date: Optionally set a date for the auto-reply to begin automatically.
- End date: Optionally set a date for the auto-reply to stop automatically.
- Click Save to activate.
Vacation Auto-Reply vs cPanel Auto-Responder
- Roundcube Vacation: A server-side (Sieve) auto-reply. Works independently of cPanel. You can set start/end dates and the response is sent per-sender only once (to avoid loops).
- cPanel Auto-Responder: Configured in cPanel under Email → Auto-Responders. Offers similar functionality but is managed from cPanel rather than webmail.
- Do not enable both at the same time for the same email address, as this will cause duplicate responses.
Best Practices
- Keep the message short and professional.
- Always include your return date.
- If possible, provide an alternative contact for urgent matters.
- Set an end date so the auto-reply does not continue after you return.
- Test the auto-reply by sending a test email from a different account.
Important Notes
- Roundcube typically sends only one auto-reply per sender during the vacation period to prevent email loops.
- The auto-reply will be sent in response to emails received from the moment you save the settings.
- Some mailing lists may reject or block auto-reply messages.
Troubleshooting
Auto-reply is not sending:
- Ensure the vacation toggle is set to ON and you clicked Save.
- Check if a cPanel Auto-Responder is conflicting. Disable one or the other.
- Contact your hosting provider if the vacation feature is not available.
Sender is receiving multiple auto-replies:
- This should not normally happen. If it does, check that you do not have both a cPanel auto-responder and a Roundcube vacation enabled simultaneously.
Cannot find "Vacation" in Settings:
- Your hosting provider may not have the Sieve vacation plugin installed. Contact support.
