Outlook Filtering Rules

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Setting up Email Filtering Rules for Outlook

This document is excerpted from a longer document about organizing email in Outlook from OneNorthWest.org (http://www.onenw.org/bin/page.cfm?pageid=36). It describes the process for filtering email using rules in Outlook 2000. (These tips also apply to Outlook 2002). Rules are created with the powerful but complex Rules Wizard.

For basic rules, Outlook provides a simple shortcut interface that fills in the blanks automatically, based on the message you currently have selected. The most common type of rule is one that checks messages when they arrive. In this example we will demonstrate how to move email messages into their own folder before they ever hit your Inbox. (Note: Filtered or moved messages will still appear as unread.)

Starting the Rules Wizard

While in the Inbox, click the Organize button.
In the upper right hand corner click Rules Wizard, skipping the organize shortcuts.
(The Rules Wizard is also available from the Tools menu.)
Click New.

Selecting the type of rule

Begin by selecting "Check messages when they arrive."
Click "next"

Setting the criteria for the rule
In the next step, you will choose the criteria that the rule is looking for. The first thing that you must ask yourself when creating a rule is, “what about this type of message will differentiate it from all other messages?” For example, a message to an email list has the name of the list in the To: field. So, to apply a rule to messages from the listname@onenw.org list, you would:

Scroll down and select “with specified words in recipients address."
In the description box below, click on the highlighted "specified words."
Enter the name or a part of the name of the list, in this example listname@onenw.org.
Click "Next."

You'll have to use your common sense to determine how best to specify the criteria for a rule--this is one area where the computer can't substitute for good old fashioned judgment.

Setting the action for a rule
Next, “What do you want to do with the message?” In this case, we want to move the selected message to a specific folder (or delete it).

Select “move it to the specified folder”
Click on the word "specified" in the description box.
Next you can select an existing folder or create a new one by clicking on "New."
Type a name for the folder
Choose "Mail Items" under “Folder contains:”
And finally highlight a location for this new folder to be placed.
Click OK.
Make sure that the new folder is highlighted and click OK.
With the action defined, you can click Next to proceed.

Naming and activating the rule
Now you simply type a name for this rule and choose when you want it to run. If you check the “Run this rule now…” box, the rule will filter through messages currently in your inbox. Do this if appropriate, otherwise simply confirm that the “Turn on this rule” box is checked and click finish.

Your rule is now active and ready to check all incoming messages. To manually apply a rule to a specific folder, go to the Rules Wizard as described above, click Run Now and choose the rule and folder.

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