A rule in Outlook is an instruction you set up once that then quietly sorts your mail for you, forever, until you change it. By the end of this page you will know how to create a rule from a condition and an action, how to test that it works the way you expect, and how to undo one if it turns out to be wrong.
If you find yourself moving the same kind of email into the same folder over and over, or always wanting mail from one particular person to stand out, that repetitive habit is exactly what a rule is for. A rule watches incoming mail and, whenever a message matches a condition you set, automatically carries out an action such as moving it, flagging it, or forwarding it, without you lifting a finger.
Rules live under File > Manage Rules & Alerts, or you can start one directly from an email by right-clicking it and choosing Rules > Create Rule. Starting from an actual email is often easier for beginners, because Outlook pre-fills the sender and subject for you, and you only need to choose what should happen when a matching email arrives. Every rule needs at least one condition, describing which emails it applies to, and at least one action, describing what to do with them.
- Create a rule from this email
- Rules lives on the Home tab
Try it yourself
Right-click on an email from a sender whose messages you always want treated the same way, and choose Rules > Create Rule.
Starting from a real email means Outlook already knows the sender's address, saving you from typing it out yourself.
In the dialog box, tick the condition you want, such as 'From [sender name]', and leave subject-based conditions unticked unless you specifically need them.
Keeping the condition as simple as possible reduces the chance of the rule accidentally catching emails you did not intend to include.
Tick 'Move the item to folder', click Select Folder, choose or create the destination folder, then click OK.
This is the action half of the rule, telling Outlook exactly what to do once it finds a matching email.
Before closing the dialog, tick the option to run the rule on messages already in the inbox, if offered, so existing mail is filed immediately.
Without this, the rule will only apply to mail that arrives from now on, leaving older matching emails untouched in the inbox.
Send yourself or ask a colleague to send a test email that matches the condition, and check it lands in the folder you chose.
Testing straight away catches a mistyped condition or wrong folder before it causes weeks of missed emails.
Words people use
Rules are at their best when kept few and simple, each doing one obvious job, such as filing newsletters away or flagging mail from your manager. A mailbox with a dozen overlapping rules quickly becomes as confusing as no rules at all, so review your list occasionally and remove any that no longer earn their place.
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I can create a rule directly from an email using right-click.
- I understand that a rule needs a condition and an action.
- I know how to test a new rule with a real email.
- I can find and switch off or delete a rule that is not working.