Are you working on MS Outlook? Are you looking for ways to get the most out of your MS Outlook? All you need to set rules. Microsoft has always tried to offer the best user experience for MS Outlook. Along with many other advanced features, Outlook gives its users the flexibility to manage and organize emails by using Rules. Users can able to set different rules for emails. Below is the mechanism of Rule function in various versions of MS Outlook.

MS Outlook rules are an automatic action which is based on the specifications that you have set. Users have the flexibility to set specifications with the help of Rule Wizard and Outlook applies them to emails.

Templates of Rule Wizard Featuring Rules

• Stay Organized: The rule offers to set rules from a specific sender with a specific word or phrase in the subject to move to a certain folder.
• Stay Up to Date: With this rule, you can able to get a sound or visual alert when you get specific messages which you have set as specific. You are allowed to set the alert message on your mobile also.
• Start from Blank Rule: The rule works like other rules but it is not created using predefined templates. Here you set the rules on your own.

Are Setting Rules of MS Outlook Beneficial?

• Setting rules for emails can make your email management well organized. Suppose, you have a hip of messages in your inbox and you wish to filter messages from your colleague. Doing it manually can be hectic and time-consuming. If you set the rule for it, email management can be easy. As you set rules, you can-
• Set a particular category or flag emails received from the office
• Forwarding of emails automatically from your junior to manager as you receive in your inbox
• Move emails holding a specific subject to a certain folder

For MS Outlook 2003 & 2007

Step1- Open MS Outlook, go to Menu, then Tools and from the drop-down select Rules and Alerts

For MS Outlook 2010 & 2013

Step 1- Go to Home, from the Move tab, select rules and then Manage Rules & Alerts

Step 2- A new window will pop-up, select New Rules from the menu to create rules and specify conditions.

Note- Outlook allows you to change rules, copy, delete and import/export them.

Press Ok

Step3- A new window ‘Rules wizard’ will open with some predefined conditions. You can select them to create a new rule.

Step 4- Select the “template” to create the rule from categories and press Next tab

Step 5- A new window of Rules Wizard will open along with conditions. You can check the required options and provide necessary rules by ‘Edit the Rule Description’ by clicking the underlined values (in step 2).

Step 6- Press Next tab to provide a name to the ‘Rule.’ Activate the rule by check mark the options ‘Run this rule now on messages in inbox’ and ‘turn on this rule.’

Step 7- If you have multiple account and want to apply the set rules on all account, check mark ‘Create this rule on all accounts’

Rules are one of the most powerful features of MS Outlook. It will help you manage your emails smartly and effortlessly. Set your rules to get the most out of MS Outlook.

Rules are those actions that MS Outlook take up automatically. These rules are set by users for specific emails. MS Outlook gives the flexibility to set unique rules by selecting condition or by customizing rules. When rules are created they can be either server-side or client-side. In case, rules comprise the actions, conditions, and exceptions, they can be performed by the Outlook, it is the client-side rule. In case it is depended on the specific configuration of Outlook, it will be added to ‘on this machine only’ condition.

Client-Side Rules

The rule is set to run on your computer locally. The rule is followed when you run Outlook. The exchange is not going to follow a client-side rule.

Server Side Rules

If you are operating Exchange Server, some rules can be followed without access to MS Outlook. These rules are applied to messages when they are delivered to Inbox.

How to Execute Client-Only  or Server -Side Rule

When you make a rule and provide certain specifications with the rule, it saved in a .rwz file under the ‘Rule Wizard stores’. The file name of the file is the same as the user’s profile. Rules are automatically set for all incoming messages. It is stored in the INBOX folder and the server also.

When an email is received, the server compares it with the rules. In case, the server doesn’t run the rule, it creates a DAM or a deferred action message in a hidden folder in the mailbox.

When users operate MS Outlook, they first evaluate the deferred action folder and DAM. List of Client-Side Conditions

List of Client Side Actions

List of On This Machine Only Conditions

Actions of On This Machine Only

The article provides rules, actions and conditions of client-only and , on this machine only. If you want to execute these rules without accessing MS Outlook for you your IMAP and POP3 account, you will have to log-in to configure these rules.

Outlook is one of the most well-organized email clients. It gives you a number of features to manage your emails. These are smart modern day’s features to keep you well organized with your emails. Every day, you receive a number of emails. How about organizing specific category emails to a folder. For example, you can separate your office emails with individual emails by creating a folder. Outlook offers the opportunity.

If you are spending hours by moving emails from inbox to a particular folder, the feature of MS Outlook can help you a lot. You can automate incoming mail filtering. The idea of filtering emails has now become a number one choice in corporate. MS Outlook allows you to set rules where you can command the email client to filter both incoming and outgoing emails.

The first step is to open the Rules Manager. The feature to filter emails is almost the same in all MS Outlook, but the location of Rules Manager is different. Let’s know how to open Rules Manager in different versions of MS Outlook. Outlook 2007- Go to the Tool Menu and from the drop-down select Rules and Alerts

Outlook 2013-2010- In the Home menu, click to Move and then Rules. After that select ‘Manage Rules & Alerts’

Now a new tab Rules & Alerts will open, press New Rules tab to create a rule to filter incoming mails.

The Rules Wizard will open, from the various messages, select the topmost ‘Move Messages from Someone to a Folder’

In Step 2- Click on the People or Public link. It will access the emails you saved in the address. From the list select the emails you want to move to a specific folder and press ‘move it to the specific folder’ and then select the folder of your choice.

Press Next tab. You have choices to customize the rule. Set the rule that you find suitable for the message which is in the Inbox. By doing so, all mails of the selective person will be transferred to the directed folder.

Note: Before running the rule, make sure you want to move all existed emails or upcoming emails. For this, you have to check ‘Run this rule now on messages already in inbox’ option.

Finally, finish button.

If you have set multiple rules, it may cause duplicate emails. So, Outlook suggests using minimum and strictly required rules.

So while creating rules, enable the option stop processing multiple rules. It will help prevent duplicacy.