Manage DirectAdmin Autoresponders and Vacation Messages

DirectAdmin autoresponders send a configured reply for a selected address. Use them for an acknowledgment or informational response, but verify the incoming message also has an intended delivery destination. A responder is not automatically a mailbox.

Create the responder

1. Open your verified HTTPS DirectAdmin account, select the correct domain and use E-Mail Manager > Autoresponders. Older skins may call the area E-Mail Management.
2. Choose the create action and enter the responder’s local address and a clear plain-text message. The documented autoresponder form does not accept HTML tags.
3. If using the optional CC field, understand that it receives copies of generated autoresponder output. It is not a substitute for preserving incoming messages in a mailbox.
4. Confirm the same address has an appropriate mailbox or forwarder, then save and inspect the resulting entry.

DirectAdmin’s guide warns that a responder without an associated mailbox or forwarder can produce a delivery failure alongside the reply. To retain incoming messages, use a real mailbox for the address. Do not create a discard destination merely to silence a bounce unless intentional message loss is part of an approved workflow.

Consider Vacation Messages for an existing mailbox

For a scheduled absence, the separate Vacation Messages feature may better match the task: select the existing account, configure start/stop dates and enter the response. Do not assume those date controls exist in the ordinary autoresponder form. Verify saved dates and the account’s delivery behavior.

Edit, remove and test

Use the exact responder’s modify action to change its text or CC destination. To retire it, select only that entry and confirm deletion. Removing the response rule does not delete an associated mailbox or unsend earlier replies.

Test with a consenting external address and harmless content. Check both the original’s destination and the generated response, including filtering and outbound restrictions. Avoid loops between automated responders and do not include private whereabouts or credentials in a public-facing response. Receiving one reply does not establish that every sender will receive one or that a support request has been handled.

Reference: DirectAdmin Site-Helper autoresponders and vacation messages.

Reviewed October 15, 2026. Documentation review only; no account, responder or outgoing mail was changed or tested.