Mar 27, 2026

How to Create Rules in Outlook (Every Version, 2026)

Outlook Email Rules Inbox Management Microsoft 365 How-to Email Productivity

Outlook rules let you automatically sort, move, flag, forward, or delete incoming emails based on conditions you define. Instead of manually dragging newsletters into folders or flagging messages from your boss, you set it up once and Outlook handles it from there.

This guide covers every current version: Outlook on the web, the new Outlook for Windows and Mac, and classic Outlook for Windows.

1. Create a Rule from Scratch

This is the most flexible method — you pick the conditions, actions, and exceptions yourself.

Outlook on the web / New Outlook (Windows & Mac):

Click the Settings gear icon (top right)
Go to Mail → Rules
Click Add new rule
Enter a Name for the rule (e.g., “Move newsletters to Reading folder”)
Under Add a condition, choose your trigger — such as From, Subject includes, or Has attachment
Under Add an action, choose what Outlook should do — such as Move to, Forward to, or Mark as read
Optionally, click Add an exception to exclude certain messages
Optionally, check Stop processing more rules if you don’t want later rules to also act on the same message
Click Save

The rule takes effect immediately on new incoming messages.

Classic Outlook for Windows:

Go to the Home tab in the ribbon
Click Rules → Manage Rules & Alerts
Click New Rule
The Rules Wizard opens — choose a template (e.g., “Move messages from someone to a folder”) or start from a blank rule
Click Next and select your conditions
Click Next and select your actions
Click Next to add any exceptions
Name the rule, and optionally check Run this rule now on messages already in “Inbox”
Click Finish

2. Create a Rule from an Existing Email

This is the fastest way to set up a rule — Outlook pre-fills the conditions based on the email you select.

Outlook on the web / New Outlook:

Right-click the email you want to base the rule on
Select Rules → Create rule
Outlook pre-fills the sender’s address and suggests moving those messages to a folder
Choose a destination folder or click More options to customize conditions and actions
Click OK or Save

Classic Outlook for Windows:

Right-click the email in your inbox
Select Rules → Create Rule
In the dialog, check the conditions you want (sender, subject, sent to)
Choose an action (move to folder, display alert, play a sound)
For more control, click Advanced Options to open the full Rules Wizard
Click OK

3. Common Rule Examples

Here are practical rules that handle the most common inbox problems.

Move all emails from a sender to a specific folder:

Condition: From → (select sender or type email address)
Action: Move to → (select or create folder)
Use case: Route newsletters, vendor emails, or automated notifications out of your main inbox

Flag emails from your manager:

Condition: From → (manager’s email)
Action: Flag message → Flag for follow up
Use case: Never miss a message from someone important

Forward emails with a keyword to a teammate:

Condition: Subject includes → “invoice” (or any keyword)
Action: Forward to → (teammate’s email)
Use case: Route client invoices to your accountant or finance team automatically

Auto-delete social media notifications:

Condition: From → (e.g., notification@facebook.com, noreply@linkedin.com)
Action: Delete
Use case: Keep social notifications from cluttering your work inbox

Categorize emails sent to a distribution list:

Condition: Sent to → (distribution list or group address)
Action: Categorize → (assign a color category)
Use case: Visually distinguish team-wide emails from direct messages

4. Manage, Edit, and Delete Rules

Outlook on the web / New Outlook:

Go to Settings → Mail → Rules
You’ll see all your existing rules listed
Click the pencil icon to edit a rule
Click the trash icon to delete a rule
Use the toggle switch next to a rule to temporarily turn it off without deleting it
Click Save after making changes

Classic Outlook for Windows:

Go to Home → Rules → Manage Rules & Alerts
Select a rule and click Change Rule to edit it
Select a rule and click Delete to remove it
Uncheck the box next to a rule to disable it temporarily
Click Apply → OK

5. Rule Order and “Stop Processing More Rules”

Rules run in the order they appear in your rules list, top to bottom. When an incoming message matches a rule, Outlook applies that rule’s action and then checks the next rule. This means a single email can trigger multiple rules.

Why order matters: If Rule 1 moves a newsletter to “Reading” and Rule 2 marks newsletters as read, both will apply — but only if the message still matches Rule 2’s conditions after Rule 1 runs. Put your most specific or highest-priority rules at the top.

How to reorder rules:

Web / New Outlook: In Settings → Mail → Rules, use the up/down arrows next to each rule to change position
Classic Outlook: In Manage Rules & Alerts, select a rule and click the Move Up or Move Down arrows

Stop processing more rules: Check this option on any rule where you want Outlook to stop evaluating further rules after a match. This is turned on by default in Outlook on the web and new Outlook. In classic Outlook, you can add it as the last action in the Rules Wizard.

6. Run a Rule on Existing Messages

New rules only apply to future incoming emails by default. If you have a backlog you want to sort, here’s how to retroactively apply a rule.

Classic Outlook for Windows:

Go to Home → Rules → Manage Rules & Alerts
Click Run Rules Now
Check the rule(s) you want to run
Click Browse to select the folder (defaults to Inbox)
Click Run Now

Outlook on the web / New Outlook: There is no built-in way to manually run rules on existing messages. Rules only apply to new incoming mail. To sort older messages, you’ll need to use classic Outlook or move them manually.

Tip during rule creation (classic Outlook): When finishing the Rules Wizard, check the box labeled Run this rule now on messages already in “Inbox” to apply it immediately to your current messages.

7. Server-Side vs. Client-Side Rules

Not all rules are equal. Understanding the difference can save you debugging time.

Server-side rules run on the Microsoft 365 server and work whether or not Outlook is open. Rules created in Outlook on the web or new Outlook are always server-side. These rules support a subset of conditions and actions — things like move to folder, delete, forward, and categorize.

Client-side rules run only when classic Outlook for Windows is open on your computer. Rules that play a sound, display a desktop alert, or use conditions like “on this computer only” are client-side. If you see “(client-only)” next to a rule in Manage Rules & Alerts, it won’t run when Outlook is closed.

If a rule you created isn’t firing, check whether it’s client-side and your desktop app is closed.

Quick Reference

What you want to do	Condition	Action
Sort newsletters into a folder	From → (sender)	Move to → (folder)
Flag emails from your boss	From → (boss)	Flag for follow up
Forward invoices to finance	Subject includes “invoice”	Forward to → (email)
Delete social notifications	From → (notification address)	Delete
Categorize team emails	Sent to → (group address)	Categorize → (color)
Mark low-priority mail as read	From → (sender)	Mark as read
Pin urgent emails	Subject includes “urgent”	Pin to top

Limitations to Know About

New Outlook and web don’t support rules on sent/outgoing mail — only incoming messages
New Outlook and web can’t run rules on third-party accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud)
New Outlook and web have no “Run Rules Now” option for existing messages
Classic Outlook is being phased out by Microsoft — if you rely on client-side rules, test them in new Outlook before switching
Rule size limits: Microsoft 365 accounts have a 256 KB limit for all rules combined. If you hit the limit, simplify conditions or consolidate rules

If you want to go beyond manual rules, Carly is an AI assistant that manages your inbox, handles scheduling, and connects to 200+ apps — automating the kind of email triage that rules alone can’t cover.

More on Outlook: How to add a signature in Outlook · How to schedule an email in Outlook · How to share your Outlook calendar · How to set up recurring meetings · How to add a calendar to Outlook