Set Up Rules In Outlook

Setting up a rule in Outlook means asking Microsoft Office email to take automatic actions when faced with specific conditions.

Setting up a rule on Outlook allows you to take advantage of some interesting automatisms. Microsoft Office email can read certain situations with total autonomy. More precisely, it can activate specific operations only if it recognizes the assumptions indicated by the user. 

The rules consist precisely of this and are divided into three sub-categories: the first is that of the Conditions, the second is that of the Actions, and the third (optional) is that of the Exceptions.

To set up rules in Outlook, you need to open your mailbox from the desktop and click on Settings. You have to select View all Settings, Mail and then Rules. 

At this point, the first thing to do is give the rule a Name. Then the conditions that will trigger it must be dictated: for example, the arrival of an email containing certain keywords in the subject. 

Then we move on to the Action, i.e. the behavior that Outlook should perform when the Condition occurs. Finally, the Exceptions: are different conditions that cancel the execution of the rule. 

Set Rules In Outlook: Choose Name And Condition

• The procedure for setting rules in Outlook, starting from any desktop browser, is quite simple. There are two steps to follow, and the process can be completed in minutes.
• The first thing to do is open your email and click on Settings: a menu item graphically represented by the famous gear icon. In Outlook, the Settings are located within a horizontal strip of blue at the top of the screen.
• A vertical column containing various Quick Settings will open: for example, the possibility of setting the dark mode, highlighting the inbox, or activating notifications on the desktop.
• The entry to look for is View all Outlook settings, allowing you to access a new screen. Here you have to move between different menu levels, selecting the item named Mail and then the item named Rules.
• You need to click on + Add a new rule to enter into the merits of setting a rule. The first thing to do in this sense is to choose the Name of the rule.
• The rule’s Name should be distinct from the actual Action, which will be discussed in the following paragraphs. The Name is useful for the user and helps him quickly identify the rule in question. Choosing a suitable Name is essential, especially if you want to set up multiple rules in the same email box.
• The next step requires you to indicate what Outlook calls a Condition, i.e. the assumption that triggers the rule. Many conditions are available, ranging from those concerning the sender to those concerning the object.
• Some rules are activated when a name is identified, while others are activated when the system recognizes a keyword. Among the available conditions, one called Apply all messages: the latter allows you to activate a rule every time you receive an email.

Set Up Rules In Outlook: Schedule An Action

• The third step to set up a rule in Outlook is to add an Action. The Action indicates the behavior that Microsoft Office email is asked to adopt when it identifies a Condition.
• The available Shares are organized into three macro-categories, e. The first is called “Organize” and involves moving an email, deleting it, copying it to another folder or moving it up.
• The second macro-category of Actions is called “Mark message” and allows you to assign specific priorities to emails. But also to categorize them and mark them as unwanted or already read.
• The third macro-category is called “Forward” and provides the user with a whole series of forwarding or redirection options: both the email as such and the message in the form of an attachment.

Set Rules In Outlook: Add An Exception

The possible combinations of Condition and Action are many and help to understand how vast the world of rules is in Outlook. Using them allows you to assign the right priority to all messages received from your colleagues. 

But also to automatically forward the relevant emails concerning specific topics. Or to categorize all messages received before or after a specific date in ad hoc sub-folders.

The management of the Microsoft Office client allows you to go even deeper with the optional addition of a fourth step. This step allows you to enter the so-called Exceptions: circumstances that automatically cancel the execution of the rule just set. 

The items in the Exceptions menu are the same as in the Conditions menu described in the previous paragraphs. The proper interlocking of Conditions and Exceptions allows the user to organize the functioning of Outlook with absolute attention to detail. 

To give a concrete example, it is possible to imagine activating a rule on all emails arriving before an “X” date. At the same time, it is possible to think of one or more Exceptions that deactivate the rule in question: perhaps in the case, the message arrives from a particular sender. Or if the subject or body of the email includes a keyword. 

Finally, before saving, it is possible to tick or not a box named Stop processing other rules. If you do not select this item, it is important to remember that Outlook activates the rules following the order indicated in the list, starting from the first rule above.

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