The first way to make a rule in Outlook is by using an existing email message as the base. Outlook then tries to find messages similar to the one you’ve selected and lets you apply actions to them.
The other way is to create a rule from a template. In this method, you either choose a template to make a rule or create a rule from a blank template. This gives you more options as to what you want to do with your emails.
When Outlook opens, find the email you’d like to use as a base. For example, we want to send all emails from Zoom to a specific folder, so we find an email from Zoom. Then right-click this email and choose Rules > Create Rule.
A “Create Rule” window will open. Here, Outlook pre-fills certain fields from your selected email to save you time. To use these fields, make sure to enable the checkbox beside each field. If you’d like to change the contents of the fields, feel free to do so.In the same window, in the “Do the Following” section, you decide what action to apply to your selected emails. For example, if you want to automatically move emails similar to the one you’ve selected to a folder, activate the “Move the Item to Folder” option. Then click “Select Folder.”On the “Rules and Alerts” window, choose the folder where you want to move your emails. Then select “OK.”Back on the “Create Rule” window, click “OK” to create and save your rule.In the “Success” prompt that opens, if you’d like to apply your new rule to the existing emails as well, then enable the “Run This Rule Now on Messages Already in the Current Folder” option. Then choose “OK.”Create a Role Using a Template in Outlook Outlook has multiple templates that offer to help you create some basic rules. To use these templates, first, launch Outlook on your machine. Then, in Outlook’s top-left corner, click “File.”In the left sidebar, click “Info.” Then, on the right pane, select “Manage Rules & Alerts.”A “Rules and Alerts” window will open. Here, beneath the “Email Rules” tab, click “New Rule.”You’ll see a “Rules Wizard” window offering various templates to use for your new rule. Select the template that you’d like to use. For example, choose “Move Messages with Specific Words in the Subject to a Folder” if you want to move your emails containing a specific word in their subject line to a specific folder in your email account. We’ll use the above-mentioned template in the following steps. After you’ve chosen a template, at the bottom of the window, select “Next.”On the following page, in the “Step 2” section, click “Specific Words.”You’ll see a “Search Text” window. Here, click the “Specify Words or Phrases to Search for in the Subject” field and type the words or phrases by which you want to filter your emails. Then add these words to the list by clicking “Add.” When you’ve added your word(s), click the “OK” button.Once again, in the “Step 2” section, click “Specified.”Choose the folder in which you’d like to move your emails. Then select “OK.”You’re now back on the “Rules Wizard” window. Here, at the bottom, click “Next.” Then select “Next” and “Next.”In the “Step 2: Setup Rule Options” section, to use the role for all your existing emails in addition to the new emails, enable the “Run This Rule Now on Messages Already in ‘Inbox’” option. Activate the rule by selecting “Turn on This Rule.” Then, at the bottom, click “Finish.”On the “Rules and Alerts” window, at the bottom, choose “Apply” followed by “OK.”Your rule is now created and it will filter and perform actions on your selected emails. You’re all set.
