How to create rules in Outlook: 4 ways to filter your email
Learn four ways to create rules (filters) in the classic Outlook desktop app: by subject, by keywords in the body, by sender and other conditions, and a rule that moves mail from one account to another.
By Nur Islam- 8:47 video
- 6 steps
- 3.7K views
Jump to a step (6)
When the same kinds of email keep landing in your inbox, such as meeting invites, newsletters or messages from one client, you end up dragging them into folders by hand every day. Outlook rules do that sorting for you, for new mail and for what is already in your inbox.
Outlook calls its email filters rules. In this guide you create a quick rule from an existing email, a keyword rule with the Rules Wizard, look at the other conditions available, and set up a rule that moves messages between two accounts in the same Outlook app.
The video uses the classic Outlook desktop app. Rules you create there also show up in Outlook on the web, where you can edit them.
What you need
- The classic Outlook desktop app for Windows
- An email account connected to Outlook
- A second account added to Outlook, for the cross-account rule
Step by step
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01
Create a rule from an email's subject
Find an email you want to filter (in the video, a Zoom meeting invite). Right-click it, choose Rules, then Create Rule. Outlook fills in the subject from that email. You can edit the text.
Tick the subject condition only (leave the sender unticked so it applies to everyone). Optionally tick Play a selected sound to hear an alert when a match arrives.
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02
Move matching emails to a new folder
Tick Move the item to folder, click Select Folder, select Inbox and click New to create a subfolder (for example
Zoom Meeting Invites). Click OK, then OK again.Outlook asks whether to run the rule on messages already in the current folder. Tick that option and click OK to move the existing matches straight away. New emails with the same subject now go directly to the folder.
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03
Filter emails that contain certain words
Right-click an email or use Move > Rules > Create Rule, then click Advanced Options to open the Rules Wizard. Tick with specific words in the body, click the underlined specific words link, type the phrase (in the video:
watch this video), click Add and OK.Click Next, tick move it to the specified folder, create or pick the folder (for example
Watch Videoinside Inbox) and click Finish. If you do not tick the option to run it now, the rule only applies to new mail. -
04
Explore other rule conditions
In Advanced Options, the Rules Wizard lists many more conditions you can combine, for example:
- from people or public group (a specific sender)
- with specific words in the subject
- sent to specific addresses
- messages that have an attachment
- messages received in a specific date span
Pick the conditions, then choose what happens: move, delete, mark as read and more.
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05
Move emails from one account to another account's inbox
If you have two accounts in Outlook, open the inbox of the account that receives the mail. Go to Move > Rules > Create Rule > Advanced Options. Tick from people or public group and enter the sender's email address. Click Next, tick move it to the specified folder, and select the Inbox of your other account. Click Finish.
Outlook warns that this rule only runs while the Outlook app is open on your computer, because it moves mail between accounts. Click OK. Matching emails now arrive in the other account's inbox.
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06
Manage your rules in Outlook on the web
Rules you create in the Outlook app sync with Outlook on the web. Open Outlook on the web, go to Settings, then Rules, to see and edit them.
Tips and common problems
- When you create a rule from an existing email, tick the option to run it on messages already in the folder if you want to clean up old mail too. Otherwise it only affects new mail.
- Leave the sender condition unticked if you want a subject rule to catch the same subject from anyone.
- A rule that moves mail from one account to another is client-only. It only runs while the Outlook desktop app is open on your computer.
- Rules created in the Outlook app appear in Outlook on the web under Settings, Rules, so you can edit them from any browser.
Questions
How do I automatically move emails to a folder in Outlook?
Right-click an email, choose Rules, then Create Rule. Pick a condition such as the subject or sender, tick Move the item to folder, choose or create the folder and click OK. You can also run the rule on existing messages.
Can Outlook filter emails by words in the body?
Yes. In Create Rule, click Advanced Options and tick with specific words in the body. Add the words or phrase, then choose an action such as moving the email to a folder.
Why does my Outlook rule only work when Outlook is open?
Some rules, such as moving mail from one account into another account's inbox, run on your computer rather than on the mail server. Outlook shows a warning when you create one, and it only runs while the desktop app is open.
Are Outlook rules the same as filters?
Yes. What many email apps call filters, Outlook calls rules. They check incoming messages against conditions and then move, delete, flag or mark them as read.
