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Web Hosting‱December 16, 2025‱ 125 views

How to create autoresponders in cPanel

How to create autoresponders in cPanel

How to Create Autoresponders on cPanel

Estimated Time : 5 minutes
Difficulty : Easy ⭐
Prerequisites : Existing cPanel email account

📋 Introduction

An autoresponder is an email message sent automatically in response to any email received at a specific address. It is an essential tool for maintaining professional communication, even when you are unavailable.

Common Use Cases

Situation Example
đŸ–ïž Vacation / Leave Out-of-office message with return date
🏱 Office Hours Response outside of business hours
📧 No-reply Address Inform that the address is not monitored
✅ Receipt Confirmation Automatic acknowledgment of receipt
📋 Information Requests Automatic sending of rates, FAQs, etc.
🛒 Customer Support Ticket confirmation with response time

⚙ Create an Autoresponder

Step 1: Access Autoresponders

  1. Log in to cPanel
  2. In the Email section, click on Autoresponders

Image

Step 2: Add an Autoresponder

  1. Select the relevant domain from the Manage dropdown (if you have multiple)
  2. Click on Add Autoresponder

Image

Step 3: Configure the Autoresponder

Fill in the following fields:

General Settings

Field Description Recommendation
Character Set Character encoding utf-8 (default)
Interval Delay before resending to the same sender 8 hours minimum

💡 Interval Tip : Set at least 8 hours to avoid spamming the same person with repeated responses.

Email Information

Field Description Example
Email Part before the @ contact
Domain Domain of the address yourdomain.com
From Name or address of the sender Customer Service or [email protected]
Subject Subject of the automatic message Re: Your message - Acknowledgment of receipt

Message Content

Option Description
This message contains HTML Check if you are using HTML formatting
Body The content of your automatic message

Scheduling

Option Description
Start Immediately or Custom (specific date/time)
Stop Never or Custom (end date/time)

⚠ Important : If you choose Custom, the end date must be after the start date.

Step 4: Save

Click on Create/Modify to activate the autoresponder.

📝 Dynamic Variables

You can customize your messages with variables that will be automatically replaced:

Variable Replaced by Example
%subject% Subject of the received email "Request for quote"
%from% Name of the sender "John Doe"
%email% Email address of the sender "[email protected]"

Example Usage

Hello %from%,

Thank you for your message regarding "%subject%".

We have received your email and will get back to you as soon as possible.

Best regards,
The Support Team

📋 Message Templates

đŸ–ïž Out-of-office Message (Vacation)

Subject : Out of Office - Back on [DATE]

Hello %from%,

Thank you for your message.

I am currently out of the office from [START DATE] to [END DATE], 
with limited access to my emails.

I will review your message upon my return and respond to you 
as soon as possible.

For urgent matters, you can contact:
📧 [COLLEAGUE EMAIL]
📞 [PHONE NUMBER]

Best regards,

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR POSITION]
[YOUR COMPANY]

🏱 Out of Office Hours Message

Subject : Acknowledgment of Receipt - Response within 24 business hours

Hello %from%,

Thank you for contacting us.

Our team is available Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Your message has been received and will be processed as soon as our offices reopen. We commit to responding within 24 business hours.

For emergencies only: [EMERGENCY NUMBER]

Best regards,

The [COMPANY NAME] Team
---
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE]
[WEBSITE]

✅ Acknowledgment of Receipt (Support)

Subject : Ticket received: %subject%

Hello %from%,

We have received your request regarding:
"%subject%"

📋 Your ticket has been logged in our support system.

⏱ Estimated response time: 24 to 48 business hours.

In the meantime, you can check our FAQ: [FAQ LINK]

Thank you for your patience and trust.

The Support Team
[COMPANY NAME]

📧 No-reply Address

Subject : This address does not receive replies

Hello,

You have sent an email to an address that is not monitored (no-reply).

⚠ Your message will not be read or processed.

To contact us, please use:
📧 [email protected]
📞 01 23 45 67 89
🌐 www.yourdomain.com/contact

Best regards,
[COMPANY NAME]

📋 Automatic Sending of Information (Rates)

Subject : Our Rates - [COMPANY NAME]

Hello %from%,

Thank you for your interest in our services.

Below are our current rates:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           RATE GRID                     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────
│ Service A ................ 99€ HT/month  │
│ Service B ................ 199€ HT/month │
│ Service C ................ 299€ HT/month │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

📄 Complete catalog: [LINK]
💬 Customized quote: [email protected]

Our sales team is available for any questions.

Best regards,

The Sales Team
[COMPANY NAME]
[PHONE]

🛒 Order Confirmation / E-commerce Contact

Subject : We have received your message

Hello %from%,

Thank you for contacting us!

✅ Your message has been received by our team.

Our advisors are available Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM 
and will respond within 24 to 48 hours.

📩 For tracking your orders: [TRACKING LINK]
❓ Frequently asked questions: [FAQ LINK]
↩ Returns and exchanges: [RETURNS LINK]

See you soon!

The [STORE NAME] Team

🎄 Seasonal Message (Holidays)

Subject : Happy Holidays! We will return on [DATE]

Hello %from%,

🎄 The entire team at [COMPANY NAME] wishes you happy holidays!

Our offices are closed from [START DATE] to [END DATE].

We will process your message upon our return on [RETURN DATE].

For any urgent matters during this period: [EMERGENCY EMAIL/PHONE]

We thank you for your trust throughout this year 
and wish you an excellent year [YEAR]!

Warm regards,

The [COMPANY NAME] Team

🎹 HTML Message (Formatted)

For a more professional message with formatting, check "This message contains HTML" and use HTML code:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
    <div>
        
        <div>
            <h1>Thank you for your message!</h1>
        </div>
        
        <div>
            <p>Hello <strong>%from%</strong>,</p>
            
            <p>We have received your message regarding:</p>
            <p>
                <em>%subject%</em>
            </p>
            
            <p>Our team will respond within <strong>24 to 48 business hours</strong>.</p>
            
            <div>
                <a href="https://yourdomain.com/faq">
                    Check our FAQ
                </a>
            </div>
        </div>
        
        <div>
            <p>
                <strong>Company Name</strong><br>
                123 Example Street, 75000 Paris<br>
                📞 01 23 45 67 89 | 🌐 www.yourdomain.com
            </p>
        </div>
        
    </div>
</body>
</html>

✏ Modify an Autoresponder

  1. Go to Email → Autoresponders
  2. Under Current Autoresponders, find the autoresponder to modify
  3. Click on Edit in the Actions column
  4. Make your changes
  5. Click on Create/Modify to save

đŸ—‘ïž Delete an Autoresponder

  1. Go to Email → Autoresponders
  2. Under Current Autoresponders, find the autoresponder to delete
  3. Click on Delete in the Actions column
  4. Confirm by clicking on Delete Autoresponder

💡 Tip : If you often use the same autoresponder (e.g., vacation), instead of deleting it, change the email address to a non-existent address to temporarily disable it. You can easily reactivate it later.

⚠ Best Practices

To Do ✅

Practice Reason
Set an interval of at least 8 hours Avoid spamming senders
Indicate a specific return date Manage correspondents' expectations
Provide an alternative contact For emergencies
Use a clear subject Facilitates message identification
Schedule an end date Avoid forgetting to disable
Test before leaving Ensure it works

To Avoid ❌

Practice Risk
Interval of 0 Repeated spam to the same sender
Message too long Risk of being ignored
Sensitive information Security (exact vacation dates = empty house)
Forget to disable Outdated messages sent
Reply to newsletters Generates unnecessary spam

🔧 Troubleshooting

The autoresponder is not working

Future start datePast end date
Possible Cause Solution
Incorrect email address Check the exact spelling
Non-existent email account Create the email account first
Check the start date
Check/change the end date

Emails are still arriving

This is normal! The autoresponder:

  • ✅ Sends an automatic response
  • ✅ The original email still arrives in your inbox

The autoresponder does not filter emails; it simply responds to them.

Too many responses sent

Problem : The same sender receives multiple responses.

Solution : Increase the Interval value (minimum 8 hours recommended).

Special characters displayed incorrectly

Problem : Accents appear as é or ?.

Solution : Ensure that Character Set is set to utf-8.

The autoresponder responds to spam

Unfortunately, the cPanel autoresponder responds to all emails received, including spam.

Solutions :

  • Set up anti-spam filters before the autoresponder
  • Use a high interval to limit responses
  • Enable SpamAssassin in cPanel

📊 Summary Table

Parameter Recommended Value Description
Character Set utf-8 Support for accents
Interval 8 to 24 hours Delay between responses to the same sender
From Name or email Identifies the sender
Subject Clear and descriptive Ex: "Acknowledgment of receipt"
Start As needed Immediately or specific date
Stop Return date Avoids forgetfulness

📝 Recap

CREATE AN AUTORESPONDER:

1. cPanel → Email → Autoresponders
2. Click on "Add Autoresponder"
3. Fill in the fields:
   ├── Character Set : utf-8
   ├── Interval : 8 (minimum hours)
   ├── Email : your-address
   ├── Domain : yourdomain.com
   ├── From : Name or email
   ├── Subject : Subject of the message
   ├── Body : Content of the message
   ├── Start : Immediately or Custom
   └── Stop : Never or Custom (end date)
4. Click on "Create/Modify"

AVAILABLE VARIABLES:
├── %subject% → Subject of the received email
├── %from% → Name of the sender
└── %email% → Email of the sender

VACATION MESSAGE EXAMPLE:
"Hello %from%,
I am out from [DATE] to [DATE].
For emergencies: [CONTACT]
Best regards, [NAME]"

BEST PRACTICES:
├── Minimum interval: 8 hours
├── Always indicate a return date
├── Provide an alternative contact
├── Schedule the end date
└── Test before leaving!
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