Microsoft Outlook Webmailfor Internet Explorer

Using Rules to Organize Your Email

Using Rules can help you organize your email in Outlook Webmail. Rules allow you to set actions that will be performed automatically after receiving a message that meets criteria you set. For example, Webmail can redirect messages with a certain subject line or messages containing a certain word or phrase. Or, messages from a colleague can be automatically forwarded or placed in a special folder. Webmail rules are flexible and allow you to tailor them to your needs.

Examples of Rules
Creating Rules
Deleting Rules

Examples of Rules

Webmail allows you to create many different types of rules to help automate and organize your email. Once set, these rules enable Webmail to automatically perform such actions as the following:

Flag messages from a specific person
Move messages from certain people to a special folder
Redirect messages based on subject
Display an alert message when an important message arrives
Assign a category based on the content of a message
Open or start a program after receiving a certain message
Filter unwanted or junk messages and send them to a special folder
Print messages containing specific words or phrases

Creating Rules

There are two ways to create new e-mail rules in Outlook Webmail; you can either create a rule from a specific message — in which case the New Rule dialog box opens with rule options based on that message — or you can create a custom rule from scratch.

Creating Rules: From a Message

Creating a rule from a message is fast and easy because the New Rule dialog box opens up preset with options that are based on the sender, type of message, and addressees of that message. The New Rule dialog box works dynamically with you while you build your rule, so that if you set it to move something to a specific folder, you will then be asked to specify that folder. If you set a condition based on an address, you will be given the opportunity to set other addresses as well.

Using the Folder List, navigate to the folder that contains the message you would like to base a rule on
EXAMPLE: The Inbox.
Right click the message you want to base a rule on » select Create Rule...
The New Rule dialog box appears with options specific to the email message chosen.
Under After the message arrives, select the condition you want your rule to be based on
NOTE: When you select any condition or action from the right pane, it will add it to the rule on the left. Underlined words can be clicked on to specify certain elements for that part of the rule.
EXAMPLE: If the "From John Doe" is selected in the picture above, "John Doe" would be underlined in the rule to the left. If clicked, it would open your address book so that you could add more names to the rule.
OPTIONAL: Click the underlined word within the rule at the left to specify the rule further
Under Do the following, select which action you would like the rule to take
NOTE: You may need to click the underlined "specify" in the written rule to the left in order to assign the folder you want your messages moved to.
Under Exceptions, select any desired exceptions to the rule
In the Name text box, type an appropriate name for your rule
Click SAVE
Your rule is created.

Creating Rules: Custom

You can build rules from the ground up in Webmail. There are a vast number of options available to you as you build a new rule, and the New Rule dialog box streamlines the process by working with you as you go, giving you only the options you need for the conditions you add.

From the Standard toolbar, click OPTIONS
From the Options list, select Rules
Click NEW RULE... » select Create a new rule for arriving messages
The New Rule dialog box opens.
Under After the message arrives, select the condition you want your rule to be based on
NOTE: When you select any condition or action from the right pane, it will add it to the rule on the left. Underlined words can be clicked to specify certain elements for that part of the rule.
OPTIONAL: Click the underlined word within the rule at the left to specify the rule further
Under Do the following, select which action you would like the rule to take
NOTE: You may need to click the underlined word in the written rule to the left in order to assign the specific action you want to be taken (e.g., which folder the message will be moved to).
Under Exceptions, select any desired exceptions to the rule
NOTE: If no exceptions are visible, click EXCEPTIONS and scroll down.
In the Name text box, type an appropriate name for the rule
Click SAVE
Your rule is created.

Deleting Rules

You may want to delete old rules that you no longer use or need. Use the following instructions to delete email rules in Webmail:

From the Standard toolbar, click OPTIONS
From the Options list, select Rules
From the list of rules, select the rule you want to delete
Click DELETE
A confirmation dialog box appears.
Click OK
The selected rule is removed from the list.