Automatic Replies: cannot be displayed because the server is currently unavailable.

Hi @Cody Cummings,

Thank you for reach out and for outlining everything you have already tried. Since you have ruled out the usual profile and reinstall causes, I want to confirm one specific scenario that is known to trigger this exact message in classic Outlook.

There is a known issue where opening Automatic Replies fails with: “Your automatic reply settings cannot be displayed because the server is currently unavailable. Try again later.” when you are trying to manage Automatic Replies for a shared mailbox that is added in the Outlook profile as an additional account (or set as the primary account).

To narrow this down, can you confirm the following:

1. Are you clicking Automatic Replies for a shared mailbox, not the user’s primary mailbox?
2. How is the shared mailbox added in Outlook on the affected workstations?
   1. Added as an additional mailbox under the primary account
   2. Added as a separate account in the profile
3. Does Automatic Replies open normally for the user’s primary mailbox on those same machines, and only fails for the shared mailbox?

Once I have this information, I will be able to provide you with more targeted solutions.

Thank you for your time and patience during the process. I'm looking forward to your repsonse.

The error is a known Outlook issue related to Automatic Replies (Out of Office) and can be caused by different problems depending on version and scenario. From the details provided, two main patterns in the context apply:

1. Classic Outlook with shared mailboxes (Microsoft 365 Apps)
2. Outlook 2010/Exchange Autodiscover/OOF configuration issues

Because multiple workstations are affected and standard client repairs and new profiles did not help, focus on server-side and known-bug workarounds.

1. If the problem is with a shared mailbox in Classic Outlook (Microsoft 365 Apps)

If the error appears when opening Automatic Replies for a shared mailbox (added as additional or primary account) in Classic Outlook for Microsoft 365, this matches the documented bug:

“Your automatic reply settings cannot be displayed because the server is currently unavailable. Try again later.”

Status and fix

• The bug affects Current Channel builds starting with 18510.10000+ and was first observed in Version 2505 (Build 18827.20128).
• It is fixed in Version 2508 Build 19127.20000.

Action steps

1. Update Office to a fixed build
   • On an affected workstation, open Outlook.
   • Go to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.
   • Confirm that the version is 2508 (Build 19127.20000) or later.
2. Temporary workaround via Outlook on the web (OWA) Until all clients are on a fixed build, configure Automatic Replies for the shared mailbox in OWA:
   • Use the “Open the shared mailbox in a separate browser window” option described in Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook.
   • In OWA, select the Settings cog (top right) → Account → Automatic replies and configure the message there.
3. Optional: switch channel to avoid the bug If clients are on a Current Channel build that includes the bug and cannot yet get the fixed build, switch Office to Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel, which does not contain the issue:
   • Run Command Prompt as administrator.
   • Execute the registry command (single line):

          reg add HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\common\officeupdate /v updatebranch /t REG_SZ /d Deferred
     

   • Then open any Office app and go to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now to move to the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel.
4. Optional: revert to a known-good build for testing To confirm the issue is this specific bug, revert one test machine to the last build before the bug:
   • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
   • Run:

          "%programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\officec2rclient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.18429.20158
     

   • After testing, update back to the latest build via File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.

2. If the problem is with a user’s own mailbox (not shared) in older Outlook (e.g., Outlook 2010)

If this is Outlook 2010 and the error occurs for the primary mailbox, there is a documented fix that uses a registry value after applying a hotfix.

Registry-based resolution (Outlook 2010)

Warning: Incorrect registry edits can cause serious problems. Back up the registry before making changes.

1. Open regedit (Start → Run → regedit).
2. Navigate to:

      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Security
   

3. On the Edit menu, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name it: WinhttpAuth.
5. Double-click WinhttpAuth and set Value data to 1.
6. Close Registry Editor and restart Outlook.

This enables the hotfix behavior that corrects the Out of Office Assistant error for Outlook 2010.

3. If Out of Office is set but not functioning correctly

If Automatic Replies can be opened but do not behave correctly (e.g., not sending), use the server-side approach:

1. In Exchange Online PowerShell, run:

      Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration <identity> -AutoReplyState Disabled
      Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration <identity> -AutoReplyState Enabled
   

2. Use MFCMapi to verify the PR_OOF_STATE property in the mailbox store matches the intended state (True when enabled, False when disabled). If it does not, Microsoft Support should check for queued events (Exchange 2010 only).

References:

• Cannot open the Automatic Replies setting of a shared mailbox in Classic Outlook
• "Your Out of Office settings cannot be displayed, because the server is currently unavailable. Try again later" error when you try to open the Out of Office Assistant in Outlook 2010
• The Out of Office feature in Outlook doesn't function correctly in Microsoft 365