How to create rules in Outlook

A rule tells Outlook what to do with an email the moment it arrives. Mail from a client goes to its own folder, newsletters skip the inbox, invoices end up in one place.

Below you'll find the steps for every current version of Outlook, how to manage your rules once you have a few, and what to check when one stops working.

Which Outlook do you have?

A rule is always the same idea: a condition (for example, who the email is from) and an action (for example, move it to a folder). Where you set it up depends on your version of Outlook.

Not sure which Windows version you have? Classic Outlook has a File tab at the top left. New Outlook doesn't, and looks a lot like Outlook in your browser.

1Create a rule from an email

This is the quickest way, and it fills in the sender for you. It works in new Outlook for Windows and in Outlook.com.

1. Right-click an email from the sender you want a rule for.
2. Choose Rules, then Create rule. In Outlook.com the menu item is called Rule.
3. Pick the folder these emails should go to, and select OK.

Want more than "move to a folder"? Select More options in that same window. That opens the full rule, where you can add conditions, actions and exceptions, as in the next step.

2Create a rule in Settings (new Outlook and Outlook on the web)

1. Select Settings, then Mail, then Rules.
2. Select Add new rule.
3. Give the rule a name you'll still understand in a year, like "Morgan Studio to Clients".
4. Under Add a condition, choose what the email must match, such as the sender or a word in the subject.
5. Under Add an action, choose what should happen, such as moving it to a folder.
6. Optional: use Add an exception for emails the rule should leave alone.
7. Decide whether to keep Stop processing more rules ticked, then select Save.

3Create a rule in classic Outlook

From an email

1. Right-click an email and choose Rules, then Create Rule.
2. Tick the condition and the action you want, and select OK.
3. To sort the emails you already have as well, tick Run this new rule now on messages already in the current folder.

From a template, with more options

1. Select File, then Manage Rules & Alerts, then New Rule.
2. Choose a template, for example moving messages from someone to a folder, and select Next.
3. Click the underlined words in the rule description to fill in the details, such as the person or the folder.
4. Work through the steps with Next, then select Finish and OK.

4Create a rule in Outlook for Mac

1. Open the Outlook menu at the top of your screen and choose Settings.
2. Select Rules in the side pane, then Add Rule.
3. Give the rule a name, pick a condition, and choose what should happen to matching emails.
4. Optional: Add another condition or Add an exception. Then save the rule.

As on the web, Stop processing more rules is on by default. Outlook for Mac only supports rules that run on the mail server, so they keep working when your Mac is switched off.

5Edit, pause, reorder or run a rule

Outlook works through your rules from top to bottom, so the order matters. Put the most specific rules at the top.

New Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com

• Go to Settings > Mail > Rules.
• Pause a rule with the switch next to its name.
• Edit or delete it with More actions (the three dots), then Edit rule or Delete rule.
• Reorder: select a rule and use the up or down arrow.
• Sort emails you already have (new Outlook): select Run rule now next to the rule. In Outlook.com this isn't possible: a rule only works on email that arrives after you create it.

Classic Outlook

• Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
• Pause a rule by clearing the tick box next to it.
• Edit with Change Rule, or remove it with Delete.
• Sort emails you already have with Run Rules Now: pick the rules and the folder, then select Run Now.
• A rule shown in red is broken. Click the underlined links in the rule description to fix it.

Three rules worth setting up

Rules work best on email that looks the same every time. These three are a good place to start.

• Newsletters to a "Reading" folder. Condition: from the newsletter's address. Action: move to "Reading". Your inbox is left with people.
• Supplier invoices to "Admin". Condition: from your supplier's address, or the word "invoice" in the subject. Action: move to "Admin". Everything is in one place when you do your books.
• Automatic notifications out of sight. Booking systems, payment providers and delivery updates. Condition: from that system's address. Action: move to "Notifications".

Why your Outlook rule isn't working

Microsoft lists a few common causes. Work down this list.

• Classic Outlook isn't runningSome rules in classic Outlook run on your computer, not on the mail server. They only work while Outlook is open on that computer.
• You switched to new OutlookRules from classic Outlook that ran on your computer can't run in new Outlook. Create them again.
• It's a Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud accountNew Outlook doesn't support rules for these accounts. Set them up with the provider instead. For Gmail, see how to use filters and labels in Gmail.
• A rule higher up stops itIf an earlier rule matches the same email and has Stop processing more rules ticked, your rule never gets a turn.
• The space for rules is fullWith Microsoft 365, all switched-on rules share 256 KB. When it's full, you can't add or change rules. Combine similar rules and delete the ones you no longer need.
• A forwarding rule has too many addressesYour account may limit how many addresses a rule can forward to. Add more and the rule stops working, so test it after you save.

What rules can't do

Rules sort by pattern: who sent it, which words are in it. They don't know what an email means. A rule can put every email from Ellie in "Clients", but it can't tell a thank-you from a question about next week. So you still open every email to find out.

And a rule never answers anything. Ellie's email is in the right folder, but her two questions are still waiting, and the reply is still yours to type. With every new client, there's another rule to add, and after a year it's hard to remember what each one does.

That's the gap we built Soonbeam for. You connect your Outlook or Microsoft 365 mailbox and set up nothing: no rules, no folders. Soonbeam reads each email, pulls out the questions, and gives you a few answers to tap. From your choices, it writes the reply in your own style. You read every reply and send it yourself, and if Soonbeam isn't sure about an amount or a date, it asks you first.

Your email stays in your own mailbox, so Outlook keeps working as it does today. Rules for newsletters and invoices are still handy alongside it.

Questions