Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook

Watch this quick tutorial video on how to set up email rules.

Use rules to automatically perform specific actions on email that arrives in your inbox. For example, you can create rules that will change the importance level of messages as they come in, automatically move them to other folders, or delete them based on certain criteria.

Select a tab option below for the version of Outlook you're using. What version of Outlook do I have?

New OutlookClassic OutlookOutlook on the webOutlook.com

In Outlook.com, you have the option to:

Create an inbox rule in Outlook.com

Rules are applied to incoming messages and can be created from any folder.

To quickly create a rule that moves all email from a specific sender or a set of senders to a folder, right-click a message in your message list that you want to create a rule for, select Rule, then Create rule.
Choose the folder where you want all messages from that sender or set of senders to be moved, and then select OK.

If you'd like to do more than just move the message from a specific sender or set of senders to a folder, select More options.

To create a completely new rule, at the top of the page, select Settings > Mail > Rules.
Select Add new rule.

Tip: Every rule needs at least three things: A name, a condition, and an action. Rules can also contain exceptions to conditions. You can add multiple conditions, actions, and exceptions at each step by choosing Add a condition, Add an action, and Add an exception.

Press Save to create your rule or Discard to cancel rule creation.

If you don't want any more rules to run after this one does, select the Stop processing more rules check box. For more information, see Stop processing more rules in Outlook.com.

Edit an inbox rule in Outlook.com

At the top of the page, select Settings .
Select Mail > Rules.
In the rule you want to edit, select Edit .
Select Save to save your edited rule.

Note: Some rules created in other versions of Outlook can't be processed by Outlook.com. You won't be able to run or edit the rule in Outlook.com.

Delete an inbox rule in Outlook.com

At the top of the page, select Settings .
Select Mail > Rules.
In the rule you want to delete, select Delete .

Tip: If you just want to turn the rule off for a while, select the toggle next to the rule.

Set the order in which inbox rules are applied to incoming messages in Outlook.com

Inbox rules are applied to incoming messages based on the order they're in within the Inbox rules list. You can arrange the order in which the rules you create are applied to messages coming into your inbox.

At the top of the page, select Settings .
Select Mail > Rules.
Select a rule, and then use the Up arrow or Down arrow to change the order in which the rule is applied to incoming messages.

Run inbox rules on existing messages in Outlook.com

Currently, you can't run inbox rules on existing messages in the Outlook.com beta. A new rule is applied only to messages you receive after the rule was created.

However, you can use Archive, Move to, and Sweep to automatically move or delete messages in your inbox. To learn more, see Organize your inbox with Archive, Sweep, and other tools in Outlook.com.

Disable and enable rules in Outlook.com

If you'd like to temporarily pause, or suspend, a rule from operating and you don't want to delete it, consider disabling the rule. To disable or enable a rule:

At the top of the page, select Settings .
Select Mail > Rules.
Use the toggle next to the rule name to disable or enable the rule.

What else do I need to know about Outlook.com

You might have created a rule to forward or redirect messages you receive to another email address. If so, it's important to know the difference between forwarding and redirecting.

A forwarded message appears as a message you received and then forwarded to another recipient. When the recipient replies, the reply will go to the address the message was forwarded from.
A redirected message keeps the original sender on the From line. When a recipient that a message was redirected to replies, the reply will go to the original sender.