Each email client (such as Outlook, Gmail, or Apple Mail) has their own name and system for creating "Rules". These Rules are automated instructions the system follows, which can do a number of things.
For example, you can send emails from a specific person directly to a folder instead of the inbox, send emails containing the subject "BYU-Idaho" to a specific folder, or even place any emails that contain the word "cat" into your funny cats folder. All you need is to create Outlook Rules.
Creating Rules on Outlook Web
Since there are many ways to create and use rules, this tutorial will go over one of the options. In this case, we will move all emails with the subject line "BYU-Idaho" to the folder "BYU-Idaho News."
1. Log in to your Outlook Email.
2. Click the Settings icon (gear icon) in the top right corner.
3. Click View all Outlook settings.
4. Click Rules.
5. If you haven't created any rules, your page should look like this:
| If there are already Rules in your box that you didn't create, delete them. Unless they are presets that Microsoft has already set up, they are a viruses. Delete it immediately. For more information on viruses in Rules, see Using Outlook Rules to Find Viruses. |
6. Click + Add new rule.
7. Type in the name of the rule you want to make. In this case, type "BYU-Idaho News."
8. Add a condition. Conditions tell the computer what to look for. As you can see, there are many conditions you could set.
For this example, click Subject includes because we are only looking for emails containing "BYU-Idaho" in the subject line.
9. In the box to the right, fill in the phrase we are looking for. In this case, we are looking for "BYU-Idaho".
10. Select an action.
An action tells the computer what to do when a condition is met. But, as mentioned, there are dozens of options to choose from. You can make these Rules do practically anything.
In this case, select Move to because we are moving an email from the inbox to the BYU-Idaho News folder.
11. Select the folder you want to place the email in. Since you probably don't have this folder, scroll down to select New folder.
12. Type "BYU-Idaho News" in the New Folder box and click Enter.
13. Your page should now look like this:
| You will notice that there are options to add on more conditions and actions and exceptions. These are for complicated instructions, like sending all messages from the name Windy Weather, but which also contain the word "tornadoes." Mixing and matching these items can create powerful and specific instructions. |
14. If this option shows up (sometimes it doesn't), select Run rule now. Then, click Save.
15. You can turn a rule on and off whenever you like by selecting the Blue Toggle button to the left of the rule.
You're all done! Think of all the possibilities with your Rule tool!
Unfortunately, these neat tools can be used by hackers. Can you see now how someone may use these tools to create Rules that hide or steal important information from you? Remember to frequently check your rules for suspicious activity. If you didn't create a rule and you don't know what it does, it is probably a virus. Delete it immediately.
If your rules are not functioning, see this article.
For more information on viruses and rules, check out our other article: Using Outlook Rules to Find Viruses.
For more help visit BYU-Idaho's Yammer community for Microsoft Outlook Users.
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