Tech Links & Tutorials »Outlook Mail Filters/Rules

Outlook Mail Filters/Rules

To set up user-defined filtering in Microsoft Outlook, use its Rules Wizard feature. Rules enables automated deletions, alerts, categorization, auto-forwarding, auto-replying, and spam filtering.

To set up an Outlook rule:

1. Open your Outlook Inbox.
2. From the drop-down menu, select Tools, Rules Wizard. A window listing existing rules will appear.
3. To create a new rule, click the New button. If prompted, select "Start From a Blank Rule."
4. Select "Check messages when they arrive" and click Next.
5. From the list of conditions, check the box next to the condition you want to use. You may need to scroll down to find the desired condition.

   Note: The rule description displayed changes depending on the condition selected.

6. Select a condition, such as "with specific words in the subject and body" and click on the underlined text in the rule description.

   To filter for messages flagged as spam, select the condition "with specific words in the subject" and click on the underlined text in the rule description.

7. Type one word or a phrase to be used by the rule into the "Add new" field, and click the OK (2000) or Add (XP) button. The word or phrase will be displayed in the Search list window.

   To filter for messages flagged as spam, use the phrase "*****SPAM*****" (without the quotation marks).

8. Repeat step 7 for each word or phrase to be used by the rule until the complete list of keywords or phrases has been defined.
9. If you get a message saying you cannot use your rules with previous versions of Outlook, you will probably want to say "Yes" to complete the rule, then click Next.
10. Specify the action you want implemented on the email filtered by the rule.
    • Check the box next to the action you want implemented. Example: "Move it to the specified folder."
    • Click on the underlined text in the rule description.
    • In the folder list that appears, select the folder to which the filtered mail should be delivered. You can create a new folder by clicking the New button.

    Note: Use a folder that is in your mailbox rather than a folder stored in a Personal folder file (PST) so the rule will be stored and executed on your server instead of your client (i.e., your personal computer). Rules storing messages in PST files are automatically stored on your client.

    You will want to avoid setting up client rules because they cannot be run while you are not logged on or when you log in using a different computer, such as a home office computer, or via the Web.

    • Select the folder, and click OK to display the folder name in the rule description, then click Next.
    • We recommend reviewing the contents of your spam folder on a regular basis to ensure no legitimate email was flagged as spam.
11. Specify any exceptions you want to apply, and click Next.
12. Enter a name for the rule that will make sense to you, and specify whether to run the rule on existing messages and whether to turn on the rule, then click Finish.
13. If other rules are in place, you can specify the order in which they are run by clicking on the Move Up or Move Down buttons.
14. Click OK to save the changes and close the window.