Inside organization and only contacts for away messages not working

Hi @Kelsberg David Earl

As a temporary test, go to Settings > Accounts > Automatic replies, turn off Send replies only to contacts, and save the changes. Then send a new test message from an external email address. 

If the external reply works after disabling this option, the sender’s address may not be recognized as a saved contact. Please confirm that the exact external email address is saved under People in New Outlook. You can then enable Send replies only to contacts again and perform another test. 

Please note that disabling this option allows automatic replies to be sent to all external senders, so it should only be used temporarily for testing. 

If you continue to receive two automatic replies, with one of them blank, here are a few steps you can try: 

1. Turn Automatic Replies off and back on 

• Open Settings > Accounts > Automatic replies. 
• Turn off Automatic Replies completely. 
• 
• Click Save. 
• Wait approximately five minutes to allow the mailbox settings to synchronize. 
• Turn Automatic Replies back on and re-enter or verify both messages. 
• Click Save, then send a new test email and check whether the additional blank reply is still received. 

2. Check for duplicate rules 

• Go to Settings > Mail > Rules. 
• Look for any active rules that automatically reply, forward messages, or use a reply template. 
• Temporarily disable any relevant rules. 
• 
• Send another test email. 

3. Test through Outlook on the web 

• Sign in to Outlook on the web and configure the same Automatic Replies settings under Settings > Accounts > Automatic replies. Then send another test email. 

4. Repair or reset New Outlook 

If the issue occurs only in New Outlook, please try repairing the application following the steps here: Repair an Office applicationIf repairing does not resolve the issue, return to the same page and select Reset.  

Please note that resetting the application may remove its local app data and require you to sign in or add the account again. 

Hopefully, the suggested steps will resolve the issue effectively. If you experience any inconvenience or need further assistance, please feel free to reply and share the results.