Email templates for work: out of office messages and everyday replies
Most work email isn't hard to write. It's the same dozen messages, rewritten from scratch: the auto-reply before a trip, the nudge when nobody answered, the recap after a call, the note that says you need two more days. Each one takes five minutes because you're choosing words you've already chosen many times before.
This pack collects those messages. The first half covers time away, from a standard out of office message to Christmas closures, parental leave, sick days and the auto-reply you leave when you change jobs. The second half covers the everyday emails around meetings, deadlines and documents.
Every template is plain text that works in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Slack or a browser form. Copy one, or add it to Retext and type a short trigger like ;ooo-std. The parts that change each time, such as a return date or a person's name, are fill-ins, so Retext asks for them as the text goes in.
Installs every template with its trigger and fields. On the free plan Retext adds as many as your plan has room for.
The 23 templates
Each one has a primary version, at least two variants, and notes on when to use it.
Out of office message
;ooo-stdHi, Thanks for your email. I'm out of the office until [Return date] and won't be checking email regularly. If it's urge…
Vacation auto reply
;ooo-vacHi, I'm on vacation and back at work on [Return date]. While I'm away, [Backup name] ([Backup email]) is looking after a…
Holiday out of office
;ooo-holHello, Our office is closed for [Holiday name] from [Closing date] to [Reopening date], so replies will be slower than u…
Christmas out of office
;ooo-xmasHi, Thanks for your message. Our office is closed from [Closing date] and reopens on [Reopening date]. If something urge…
Maternity leave out of office
;ooo-leaveHello, I'm on parental leave and expect to be back in [Return month]. I won't be reading this inbox while I'm away. Whil…
Sick day out of office
;ooo-sickHi, I'm off sick today and not checking email. I'll reply when I'm back, which I expect to be [date in 1 days]. If this…
Conference out of office
;ooo-confHi, I'm at [Event name] until [Last day], so replies will be slower than usual. I'll get back to you by [Reply by]. If y…
Business trip out of office
;ooo-tripHi, I'm travelling for work until [Return date] and working on [Time zone] time, so I'll be reading email mainly [Online…
Out of office Slack status
;ooo-slackOut until [Return date] · ask [Backup name] for anything urgent
Left the company auto reply
;ooo-leftHello, Thank you for your email. As of [Last day], I no longer work at [Company], and this inbox isn't monitored. For [Y…
Reduced hours auto reply
;ooo-hoursHi, Thanks for your email. I work [Working days], so I'm not in today and will reply on [Next working day]. If it can't…
Follow-up email
;em-followupHi [Name], Following up on [Topic]. To keep things moving, I need [What you need] by [Deadline]. If it's easier, a one-l…
Follow up after no response
;em-nudgeHi [Name], I know things get busy, so I'll keep this short. Are you still able to [The ask]? A quick yes or no is all I…
Meeting request
;em-meet-askHi [Name], Could we find [Length] to talk about [Purpose]? By the end I'd like us to [Outcome]. Would [Option one] or [O…
Meeting recap
;em-recapHi all, Thanks for your time on [weekday]. Here's what we agreed on [Meeting topic]: Decisions - Actions - [Owner one]:…
Thank you after a meeting
;em-thanksHi [Name], Thank you for making time to meet today. [Specific takeaway] was especially useful, and I'm going to [What yo…
Introduction email
;em-introHi [First person] and [Second person], Introducing you two, as promised. [First person]: [Second person] is [Who the sec…
Polite reminder
;em-remindHi everyone, A quick reminder that [Task] is due [Due date]. You can do it here: [clipboard] If you've already done it,…
Apology for a mistake
;em-sorryHi [Name], I made a mistake on [What went wrong], and I'm sorry for the trouble it caused. I've already [What you've don…
Declining a meeting
;em-declineHi [Name], Thanks for the invite. I can't make [Meeting] this time, but I don't want to hold anything up, so here's my i…
Rescheduling a meeting
;em-reschedHi [Name], I need to move our [Meeting] on [Original time]. Sorry for the change. Would [Option one] or [Option two] wor…
Sharing a document
;em-docHi [Name], Here's [Document] for your review: [clipboard] What I'd most like your view on: [Feedback wanted]. No need to…
Deadline extension request
;em-extendHi [Name], I'm going to need more time on [Deliverable], which is due [Original deadline]. [Brief reason] I can send you…
Who this pack is for
Anyone who sends work email: people setting an auto-reply before time off, managers who send the same follow-ups every week, assistants who schedule and reschedule meetings, and anyone who has ever stared at a blank reply trying to word a polite reminder.
How the triggers are named
Time-away messages start with ooo- (;ooo-std, ;ooo-vac, ;ooo-sick) and everyday emails start with em- (;em-recap, ;em-nudge). Two prefixes keep the list short when you start typing, and none of the triggers is the start of another, so each one expands only when you finish it.
Write your out of office once, not before every trip
The auto-reply itself lives in your mail app: Gmail calls it the vacation responder, Outlook calls it Automatic Replies. Retext doesn't switch it on for you. What it does is type the message into that box in a couple of seconds, so the hard part, the wording, is done once.
Keep one standard message (;ooo-std) and a few situational ones: a holiday closure, a conference, a sick day. When you type the trigger, Retext asks for the return date and the person covering for you, so you never send last month's dates by accident.
Every field is filled in when you type the trigger, not when the auto-reply goes out. A computed date like {date+7} becomes a fixed date the moment you set up the reply, which is what you want.
Follow-ups that don't sound like follow-ups
Most follow-up emails fail because they only say "just checking in". The follow-up templates here restate the one thing you need, offer an easy way to answer, and give a date, so the reader can reply in one line.
Space them out. A sensible rhythm is a first nudge after three to five working days, a second a week later, and then a clear close. The {date+N} fields make it easy to name a deadline without opening a calendar.
Use fill-ins instead of find-and-replace
Details that never change, like [Your name], are in square brackets. Replace them once after you install a template and they stay put; Retext only asks for the parts that change.
Saved replies in most mail apps are static, so you end up hunting for [NAME] and hoping you caught every one. Retext fill-ins ask for each value every time the snippet expands, before the text goes in. If the same field appears twice in one snippet, such as a person's name in the greeting and the last line, you're asked for it once per expansion.
{clipboard} is useful for links. Copy a document link, type ;em-doc, and the link lands in the right place. {cursor} puts your cursor where the personal sentence goes, so the template handles the frame and you write the part that matters.
The same messages in every app
Your snippets work in every app on your Mac, so ;em-resched reads the same in Mail, Gmail, Outlook or Slack. If you prefer talking to typing, hold the dictation key and say "insert snippet em-thanks" to drop a template in by voice (voice commands are in beta).
Per-app snippets let one trigger behave differently by app. Keep the full ;em-thanks email as the everywhere version, add a one-line ;em-thanks limited to Slack, and the same trigger types the right length in each place.
Snippets that work everywhere
Type ;trigger in any Mac app, from Gmail and Outlook to Zendesk, Slack and your terminal.
How snippets workDynamic fields
Fill-ins ask for the name or order number when the snippet expands. Dates calculate themselves, {clipboard} drops in what you copied, and {cursor} puts you where the personal line goes.
See dynamic fieldsPer-app snippets
Keep one trigger with different text per app: a full signature in Mail, a one-liner in Slack, a formal reply in Outlook and a short one in Teams.
Set snippets per appQuestions
Can Retext turn on my out of office reply?
No. The auto-reply is a setting in your mail app (Gmail's vacation responder or Outlook's Automatic Replies). Retext types the message into that box, with your dates and backup contact filled in, so setting it up takes seconds instead of minutes.
Do these templates work in Gmail and Outlook?
Yes. They're plain text, so they paste the same way into Gmail, Outlook (new, classic and Mac), Apple Mail, Slack, Teams or any text box. Retext works system-wide on your Mac.
What are the words in curly braces?
They're Retext dynamic fields. {fill:Return date} asks you for a value when the snippet expands, {date} inserts today's date, {clipboard} pastes what you last copied and {cursor} marks where your cursor ends up. If you copy the plain text version instead, they become [brackets] you replace by hand.
Can I install the whole pack at once?
Yes. Use the Add all button on this page and every template installs with its suggested trigger. If a trigger is already taken in your library, Retext gives the new one a numbered trigger rather than overwriting yours.
How should I name my own email snippets?
Pick a short prefix per kind of message and a word you'd guess without looking, like ;em-recap or ;ooo-vac. Avoid triggers that are the start of another trigger, because the shorter one would fire first.
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Type ;ooo-std instead
Add this pack to Retext and every reply above is a short trigger away, in any app on your Mac.
Free to start. No account required on the Mac.