📎 This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓
In this article
If you move the same kind of email to the same folder every day, Outlook can do it for you. Rules act on mail as it arrives: move it, flag it, categorise it, or notify you.
The fastest way: from a message
Right-click an email from the sender › Rules › Always Move Messages From… › pick a folder. Done. Or Create Rule for more choices (subject contains, sent to, play a sound).
The full Rules Wizard
Classic Outlook: File › Manage Rules & Alerts › New Rule. New Outlook / web: Settings › Mail › Rules › Add new rule. Every rule has:
- Conditions: from, subject contains, my name in CC, has attachment, sender’s domain…
- Actions: move to folder, assign category, flag, mark as read, forward.
- Exceptions: except if marked important, except if from my manager…
Five useful rules
| Rule | Condition | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletters | Body contains “unsubscribe” | Move to Reading |
| CC mail | My name is in the CC box | Category “FYI” |
| Boss | From manager | Category “Priority” + flag |
| System alerts | From noreply@ or subject “Alert” | Move to Alerts, mark as read |
| Bank and statements | Sender domain is your bank | Move to Bank |
Apply to existing mail
At the end of the wizard tick Run this rule now on messages already in Inbox, or later use Run Rules Now. Your 4,000-email inbox can shrink in seconds.
Server vs client rules
Most rules run on the server (Exchange/Microsoft 365) even when your PC is off. Rules marked “client-only” (like playing a sound or certain actions) run only while classic Outlook is open on that computer.
Where beginners go wrong
| Problem | Cause |
|---|---|
| Important mail hidden in a folder | Rule too broad; add an exception |
| Rule never fires | Condition text doesn’t match exactly, or a rule above stops processing |
| Unread counts in many folders | Add “mark as read” for low-value mail |
More: Outlook rules and Quick Steps.
Menus differ slightly between classic Outlook for Windows, the new Outlook and Outlook on the web; where they differ, both are given.
Practice
Download the hands-on checklist below and do the Lesson 2 section in your own Outlook. Nothing in it sends mail to anyone else.
📎 Practice files for this article
- 📘Outlook hands-on checklistStep-by-step tasks for all 8 lessons to do in your own Outlook.⬇ DOCX · 37 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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