ARCHIVED: In Microsoft Outlook 2000 or 2002, how do I set up rules to handle incoming mail?

You can use Outlook Inbox rules to forward, filter, or move incoming mail. The information below applies to Outlook installed in Corporate or Workgroup mode, configured to access a Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox.

Outlook 2000 and 2002 use the Rules Wizard to handle incoming email. Because each newer version of Outlook offers more powerful rules, older versions cannot edit rules created in a newer version. You should always edit a rule in the version you used to create it. While using a mail folder, you may access either the Inbox Assistant or the Rules Wizard through the Tools menu.

To set up a rule in Outlook 2000 or 2002 to automate the handling of mail:

1. From the Tools menu, select Rules Wizard.
   
   
2. Click New.... A dialog box will open.
   
   
3. Under "Which type of rule do you want to create?", select the rule you would like to use.
   
   
4. Under "Rule description (click an underlined value to edit it)", if there are underlined words, click them to edit or add information about the rule. Click Next.
   
   
5. Under "Which condition(s) do you want to check?", check the boxes for the conditions you want to use for the rule.

   Note: Outlook 2000 and 2002 have an extra capability to check for a specific word or phrase in the body of the message. Check the box next to with specific words in the body and enter the text to search for.

6. Under "Rule description (click an underlined value to edit it)":
   
   
   • To create a message to use with the rule, click a specific message.
   • To specify the importance as low, normal, or high, click importance.
   • To select names from the Global Address Book, click people or distribution list.
   • To specify a word or phrase to search for in the recipient's address, click specific words.
   • To enter a message flag to check for, click action.
   
   
7. Click Next. The prompt will ask "This rule will be applied to every message you receive. Is this correct?" Click Yes.
   
   
8. Under "What do you want to do with the message?", check the appropriate box to determine if the message is moved to a folder, deleted, or forwarded.

Organizing your mail

In addition to using the Rules Wizard in Outlook 2000 and 2002, you can also organize your mail in other ways. While you have a message selected, from the toolbar (or, from the Tools menu) click Organize. This opens the "Ways to Organize Inbox" pane, from which you can create a rule and organize your mail.

To create a rule:

1. Click Using Folders on the left (if it is not already selected).
   
   
2. Use the drop-down box to toggle between from and sent to.
   
   
3. Click Create. This will create a new rule for the selected message.

Note:To create more rules (like those described above), go to the top of the "Ways to Organize Inbox" pane and click Rules Wizard... .

You can also use the "Ways to Organize Inbox" pane to:

• Create a new mailbox or personal folder. At the top, click New Folder.
  
  
• Color-code messages based on criteria you specify. On the left, click Using Colors.
  
  
• Change how your messages are sorted. Click Using Views.
  
  
• Create filters for junk email (spam). Click Junk E-mail.