Outlook Email
Email rules
Outlook allows you to create rules in order to automatically sort, file or respond to your messages. You can
create rules to tell Outlook how to handle emails which meet certain conditions, such as those which have
a specific word or phrase in the message subject or body, or emails which are marked with a particular
category, or ones which are sent to or from certain people.
There is a quick process for creating simple rules based on the properties of the message which is selected
when you create the rule. If the quick rule doesn’t include the combination of instructions that you want,
you can go into the rules wizard to create an advanced rule which is more refined.
When you have created a rule, you can choose to switch it on or off either manually or automatically so it is
only applied at certain times.
Outlook rules which are created in the Outlook client do not always transfer to the Outlook Web App, so
you may have to create rules in the web app to ensure they are consistently applied.
Creating quick rules
Quick rules are created based on the properties of one of the messages already in your inbox. When
applied, they pick out all new messages which are of the same type and perform the same action on each.
Move rules
Move rules move messages from your inbox to one of your other folders automatically. They apply to
messages which come from a particular sender or are sent to a particular recipient. For example, you
might want emails from students taking a particular course to go into a folder designated for that course.
To create a quick rule to move messages to a folder:
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Select a message to base your rule on by clicking on it
Click the rules button on the home tab of the ribbon
From the menu, choose the rule which selects the messages you want to move
In the dialogue box, click on the folder which will hold these messages
Click OK
The message rule will then examine all the messages in your inbox and move those which meet the move
rule’s condition. If you have several messages meeting this condition this may take a few minutes.
To create a quick move rule, click on a message
which meets the condition you want in the rule
Click the rules button
Suggested
move
rules will
appear in
the menu –
choose one
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Click on the folder to
which your messages
will be moved
Click OK to run
your rule
The rule may take a
few minutes to run on
existing messages – it
will also be applied
when new messages
arrive
Custom quick rules
If you want your rule to be more sophisticated than a move rule, or to select messages based on conditions
other than the sender or recipient, you can create a custom quick rule. A custom quick rule allows you to
select from a limited range of conditions to create a rule rather than using the full range of possible options.
As with move rules, the options available for the conditions depend on the message you select before
creating the rule.
To create a custom quick rule:
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Select a message on which to base your rule by clicking on it
Click on the rules button on the home tab of the ribbon
Choose create rule from the menu
Tick boxes to select conditions to dictate which messages the rule will apply for
Tick boxes to choose an action – this is what will happen to the message when the rule is applied
Click OK – this opens a warning dialogue box
Tick the box to run the rule on existing messages
Leave the box unticked for only new messages to be affected by the rule
Click OK
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Quick rule options
There are a few different options for conditions and actions for quick rules.
Options for conditions:
Option
Behaviour
Messages from the sender of the
message you selected
The rule will apply to messages from the same sender as the
selected message
Subject contains a certain word
Click the box to type in a word – messages where the subject
contains your word will have the rule applied to them
Sent to
Choose from the recipients of the selected message (including
yourself) – the rule will applied to the selected recipient
Options for actions:
Option
Behaviour
Display in the new item alert
window
When rules matching your conditions arrive, a pop-up window will
appear to alert you of the message
Play a selected sound
Makes a noise when new messages which your rule applies to
arrive
Move the item to folder
You can pick a folder within your mailbox for messages to be moved
into, as you would with a move rule
To create a custom
quick rule, click the
rules button
Choose create rule
from the menu
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Set conditions
for when this rule
will apply using
these tick boxes
You can click
here and type
a keyword for
the rule to look
for in each
message
subject
Choose what
action the rule
will perform using
these tick boxes
Click select folder to choose a folder into
which the rule will move messages
If you need more possibilities,
click advanced options to
open the rules wizard
If you have
clicked select
folder,
choose a
folder by
clicking on it
Click OK to
confirm which
folder you want
your messages
to move into
When you are happy with your
conditions and actions, click OK
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Tick this box to apply the
rule to messages already in
your mailbox – otherwise it
will only be applied to new
messages you receive
Click OK to
implement
your new rule
Creating advanced rules
If the quick rules are not sophisticated enough for your purposes, you can create far more refined rules
using the rules wizard.
To open the rules wizard:
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Click on the rules button on the home tab of the ribbon
Choose manage rules and alerts from the menu – this opens the rules and alerts dialogue box
Click the new rule button – this opens the rules wizard
To open the rules wizard,
click the rules button and
choose manage rules and
alerts from the menu
Click the new rule
button to open the
rules wizard
Setting up a rule using a template
The first screen of the rules wizard offers you several options for templates to make the process of creating
your rule faster. If you decide that none of the templates suit what you want to do with your rule, you can
opt to enter all the conditions and actions for your rule manually by choosing one of the start from a blank
rule options at the bottom of the templates section.
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To use a template:
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Select the template that best suits what you want the rule to do
In the panel at the bottom, click on any words in blue to adjust the template
Fill in the required information in the dialogue box
Click OK
Check that the rule is correct in the bottom panel
Click next
You will then have the opportunity to manually add more conditions if you want to.
This is the rules wizard – it helps
you to create customised rules
These templates will put
some conditions and actions
in place to start you off – you
can then manually adjust or
add conditions if you wish
If none of the templates fit
what you want to do, choose
a start from a blank rule
option and move straight to
manually adding
Each template will fill in parts of
the rule description for you
Click on the words
underlined in blue to
customise the template – this
will open a dialogue box
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The dialogue box will
vary according to the
type of condition you
are adjusting
Here we should type
in text to search for
and click Add
This adds the
text to the
search list
When you are
happy with the
search list, click OK
If you have to
specify a folder,
select the folder
by clicking on it
Click OK to use the
selected folder
When you close the
dialogue box, the
rule description will
be updated to show
your changes
When the rule description for the
template is complete, click next to
manually add further conditions
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Manually adding conditions
If you need more refinement for your rule than is offered by the template, or you have opted not to use the
templates, you can manually add conditions for your rule. Extra conditions are set from the second screen
of the rules wizard. Any conditions which you created from a template will already be ticked and show up in
the rule description when you get to the second screen.
To add a condition:
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Tick the box for the type of condition you want to add
Click on a blue-underlined word in the rule description
Enter the details required into the dialogue box
Click OK
Repeat until all your conditions are entered
Click next
You will then have the opportunity to add actions to your rule.
The second screen of the
rules wizard allows you to set
extra conditions for your rule
Tick boxes to add
more conditions to
your rule – untick the
boxes to remove them
Any extra conditions will
appear here – click on the
blue-underlined words to
fill in the details
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In the dialogue box, enter
the details necessary for
your condition
To enter dates, type into
the box or click the
arrow and choose from
the calendar
Click OK to update
the condition
Check the rule description
is correct
Click next to add
actions to your rule
Adding actions to your rule
Once you have set the conditions for your rule, Outlook will know which messages to select. You will then
need to tell it which actions to perform. Some of the actions may already be filled in by the template if you
have used one.
To add actions to the rule:
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Tick the box next to the action you wish the rule to perform
Click on any blue words that appear in the rule description
Fill in the details in the dialogue box which appears – this will vary according to the type of action
Click OK
Repeat if necessary to add further actions
You will then have the opportunity to add exceptions to your rule.
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Choose which actions
the rule will perform on
messages which meet the
conditions
Click to customise any
of the words
underlined in blue in
the rule description
Different dialogue boxes may
appear according to the action
you have chosen – this one is
to add categories
Tick to add any
categories to be
applied by your rule
Categories
which are
selected but
not ticked will
not be applied
Click OK to return to
the rules wizard
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Check the rule description
is correct
Click next to add
exceptions to your rule
Adding exceptions to your rules
Whilst your rule may now pick out a group of messages to which it will apply, you can also select from
within that group messages to which it will not apply. You do this by adding exceptions to the rule.
To add an exception:
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Tick the box next to the exception which suits your need
Click on any blue words that appear in the rule description
Fill in the details in the dialogue box which appears – these vary according to the type of exception
Click OK
Repeat if necessary to add further exceptions
You will then be able to name and apply your rule.
Exceptions exclude certain
messages from your rule
Tick boxes to select
exceptions
Click on the blue
writing to fill in the
details of your
exception
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Fill in the details in
the dialogue box
Click OK when you
have added what
you needed to
Check that the rule
description matches what
you want the rule to do
Click next
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Finishing your rule
To finish your rule you will need to give it a name, and decide whether to run it on existing or new
messages, or to keep it turned off until you want to apply it.
To finish your rule:
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Type in a name for the rule
Choose the setup rule options by ticking the appropriate boxes:
- Choose run this rule now to apply the rule to existing messages
- Choose turn on this rule to apply it to new messages you receive
Check for the last time that the rule description is correct
Click finish
You will see a warning that the rule is client-only. This means it will only run when you have Outlook open
on the computer at which you created the rule. Click OK to dismiss the rule.
Check that your rule is ticked to show it is active, and then click OK to close the rules and alerts dialogue
box.
Type a name for
your rule – or accept
the one Outlook
suggests
Tick this box to run the rule
on existing messages
Tick this box to run the rule
on new messages
Check the rule
description is
correct
Click finish to
complete the rule
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Click OK to
acknowledge
the warning
Check that the rule is
ticked here – this means
it is active
Click OK to close
the dialogue box
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Switching rules on and off
Rules do not have to be active all the time. For example, you might want to set a rule which forwards your
messages to a colleague when you are busy. You have the opportunity to switch each rule on or off as you
need to.
To choose whether a rule is active or not:
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Click on the rules button on the home tab of the ribbon
Choose manage rules and alerts from the menu – this opens the rules and alerts dialogue box
Tick the boxes next to the names of rules which should be active
Untick the boxes next to the names of rules which should be inactive
Click OK
Click the rules button
Choose manage rules
and alerts from the menu
Tick boxes next to
rules which should
be active
Unticked rules will
not be applied to
your messages
Click OK
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Modifying rules
If you want to alter the details of any of your rules, you will need to go into the rules and alerts dialogue box.
From there, you can make quick adjustments such as changing the name of the rule, or you can go back
into the rules wizard to adjust any aspect of the rule.
To modify a rule, open the rules and alerts dialogue box:
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Click on the rules button on the home tab of the ribbon
Choose manage rules and alerts from the menu
When you have opened the dialogue box, you can go on to modify your rule.
Click the rules button
Choose manage rules
and alerts from the menu
Making quick adjustments to a rule
Some attributes of rules can be altered from the change rule menu within the rules and alerts dialogue box.
You can alter some the rule description by clicking on any of the words underlined in blue and changing
the information you entered there when you created the rule.
You can
change any of
the information
you added to
the rule by
clicking on
blue words
and entering
new details
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To make a quick adjustment:
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Click on the rule you want to change to select it
Click the change rule button
Choose an option from the menu – this usually opens a dialogue box
Fill in any extra information required – type in a new name, for example
Click OK to close the dialogue box
Click the change rule button
Click OK to accept your changes to the rule
Click on a rule to
select it for editing
Choose from the
menu which attribute
you would like to edit
Add in any additional information
such as typing a new name or
browsing to a new folder
Click OK
Changes you make to
the rule will show in the
rule name or the rule
description
Click OK to apply the
altered rule
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Making detailed adjustments to a rule
If the option you want to edit is not available in the change rule menu, you can go back into the rules
wizard and change any of the attributes of the rule.
To make a detailed adjustment to a rule:
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Click on the rules button
Choose manage rules and alerts from the menu – this opens the rules and alerts dialogue box
Click on the rule to be changed to select it
Click the change rule button
Choose edit rule settings from the menu
Tick or untick boxes to make your changes
Check that the rule description shows the right settings
Click next to move to the next section of the wizard and make any alterations you need to
Click finish to accept your changes
Click OK to acknowledge the warning that the rule will only run on the Outlook client.
You can click finish to exit the wizard at any point – you do not have to go through all the pages.
Click the rules button
Choose manage rules
and alerts from the menu
Click on the rule you
want to edit in order to
select it
Click the change
rule button
Choose edit rule settings
to open the rules wizard
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Tick or untick boxes
to make the changes
you require
Click on blue words to
refine the settings you
have changed
Check that the rule
description matches what
you want the rule to do
Click next to move
through the wizard
When you are happy
with the rule description,
click finish
Click OK to
acknowledge
the warning
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Check that the
rule is ticked
here – this means
it is active
Click OK to close
the dialogue box
Deleting rules
If you decide that you no longer need a rule, you can delete it. This will permanently remove it and you will
have to recreate it from the start if you need it in future.
To delete a rule:
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Click the rules button
Choose manage rules and alerts from the menu – this opens the rules and alerts dialogue box
Select the rule from the list
Click the delete button
In the warning box, click Yes
Click OK to close the dialogue box
Click the rules button
Choose manage rules
and alerts from the menu
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Select the rule from the
list by clicking on it
Click the delete button
Click Yes to permanently
delete the rule
The rule will disappear
from the list
Click OK to close the
dialogue box and
return to your email