You can create rules in outlook online to automate email management actions like flagging, moving, deleting, or forwarding. These rules can be applied to all incoming email or only certain messages.
When you create a rule, you specify conditions (words or phrases in an email that meet specific criteria), actions, and/or exceptions for which the rule should be applied. In addition, you can add a condition, action, and/or exception for which the rule should not be applied.
For example, you can set up a rule that automatically flags emails sent to a VIP client. This allows you to quickly respond to those important messages so that you can keep your clients happy and get paid for your services!
To create a new rule, sign in to your outlook online account and ensure the Mail app is selected. Click the Settings icon and, from the subsequent menu options, click Options.
In the Inbox and sweep rules window, click New inbox rule to open the rules editing page. Choose the type of action that you want to perform, then click OK.
You can also use the Add another condition, Add another action, or Add an exception controls to add more conditions, actions, or exceptions. You can also edit an existing rule in the rules window or remove it completely by clicking Discard.
For example, you might want to create a rule that moves all newsletters or email lists that you have subscribed to into a folder so that you can look at them later. This way, you won’t have to scroll through hundreds of emails to find the ones that are most important for you.
Alternatively, you might want to create a rule to automatically move priority emails into a folder so that you can respond to them as soon as possible. This can be helpful for those who have busy schedules and are short on time.
Then, you can edit the rules and change what happens when each condition or action is met. You can even move the rule to a different position in the rules list, which may help you manage your inbox better.
If you don’t want to apply this rule to every incoming message, select the Stop processing more rules check box. This will prevent other rules from running against the incoming message and will only apply this rule to it.
Once you have created a rule, you can review it by logging into your account. If you don’t see the rule you created, it might have been moved or deleted by a user in your organization. To find it again, you can search for it in the Rules & Alerts tab of the Manage Rules & Alerts window.
When you are finished creating a rule, you can click Save or Discard to save the new rule. You can also reopen the rule editing window at any time to make changes to the rule’s conditions and actions. You can also disable a rule temporarily by clicking the blue toggle button to the left of the rule name.