Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook Archived: 2026-04-05 20:08:19 UTC Notes:  If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select the Classic Outlook tab and follow those steps instead. Currently, new Outlook does not support rules for managing third-party accounts like Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud. To set up rules for these accounts, please configure them through the respective email service providers. In new Outlook, you have the option to: Create a rule | Edit a rule | Delete a rule | Set rule order | Run rules | Disable rules Create an inbox rule for new Outlook for Windows Rules are applied to incoming messages and can be created from any folder. 1. 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, hover over Rules and then select Create rule. 2. Choose the folder where you want all messages from that sender or set of senders to be moved, and then select OK. 3. After selecting OK, the rule will be applied to all incoming messages. 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. The rules settings menu will open. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/manage-email-messages-by-using-rules-c24f5dea-9465-4df4-ad17-a50704d66c59 Page 1 of 3 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. 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. Press Save to create your rule or Discard to cancel rule creation. Edit an inbox rule in new Outlook for Windows 1. At the top of the page, select Settings . 2. Select Mail > Rules. 3. In the rule you want to edit, select . 4. Press Save to save your edited rule. Note: Some rules created in classic Outlook can't be processed by new Outlook because they are client-side rules. To fix a rule that was migrated from classic Outlook, create a new rule to replace it. Delete an inbox rule in new Outlook for Windows 1. At the top of the page, select Settings . 2. Select Mail > Rules. 3. In the rule you want to delete, select . 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 new Outlook for Windows https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/manage-email-messages-by-using-rules-c24f5dea-9465-4df4-ad17-a50704d66c59 Page 2 of 3 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. 1. At the top of the page, select Settings . 2. Select Mail > Rules. 3. 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 new Outlook for Windows By default, an inbox rule runs on incoming messages after you've created the rule. To run a rule on existing messages: 1. At the top of the page, select Settings . 2. Select Mail > Rules. 3. Select next to the rule you want to run. Disable and enable rules in new Outlook for Windows 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: 1. At the top of the page, select Settings . 2. Select Mail > Rules. 3. Use the toggle next to the rule name to disable or enable the rule. Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/manage-email-messages-by-using-rules-c24f5dea-9465-4df4-ad17-a50704d66c59 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/manage-email-messages-by-using-rules-c24f5dea-9465-4df4-ad17-a50704d66c59 Page 3 of 3