ARCHIVED: In Outlook 2001 for Mac OS, how do I set up rules to handle incoming mail?

In Outlook 2001 for Mac OS, when configured to access a Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox, you can use Inbox rules to forward, filter, or move incoming mail.

Creating or editing rules

1. From the Tools menu, select Rules... .
   
   
2. In the Rules window, to add a rule, click Add Rule... , select the rule you want to add, and make your selections from the list below. To edit a rule, highlight the rule you wish to edit, click Edit rule... , then make your selections from the list below:
   
   
   • To apply a rule to mail received from a particular address, click the From... button and select a name from the Global Address List. Alternatively, you can enter the address in the "From..." field. This will trigger the rule whenever a mail message arrives from that address.
   • To apply a rule to a "Sent To" address, click the Sent To... button and select a name from the Global Address List. Alternatively, you can enter an address in the "Sent To..." field. This will trigger the rule whenever you send a mail message to that address.
   • Check the boxes for Sent directly to me or Copied (Cc) to me if you wish to filter your mail based on these criteria.
   • You may also use the content of the subject or message body to apply a rule. Type the content information in the "Subject:" or "Message Body:" field.
   • If you click the Advanced...  button, you will see that you can also trigger a rule using other criteria, including message size and date. Click OK after making your selections in the Advanced window.
   
   
3. Click the checkbox next to the action you would like to be performed for the rules you've chosen:
   
   
   • The Alert with option allows you to specify a text message or a sound to notify you when a new message has arrived.
   • The Delete option automatically moves the message to the Deleted Items folder.
   • The Move to option allows you to specify a folder to which you would like the new message to be moved automatically. Click the Folder... button to select a folder or create a new folder, then click OK to close the Move Message To... window.
   • The Copy to option allows you to specify a folder to which you would like the new message to be copied, retaining the original message in your Inbox. Click the Folder... button to select a folder or create a new folder, then click OK to close the Copy Message To... window.
   • The Forward option allows you to specify another email address to which you would like incoming messages to be sent automatically. Enter the email address in the field provided, or click the To... button to select an email address from your Contacts, Personal Address Book, or the Global Address List.
   • The Reply with option sends an automatic response to the message. Click the Template... button to create the response. When you are finished, from the File menu, select Save & Close.
   
   
4. When you have made all your selections, click OK and Yes as needed to close all open dialog boxes.

Deleting rules

1. From the Tools menu, select Rules... .
   
   
2. Highlight the rule you wish to delete, and click Delete Rule.
   
   
3. Click Yes to confirm, then OK to close the Rules dialog box.

Creating temporary rules

You can also set up temporary rules by using the Out of Office Assistant. Using this feature, you can set up the same kinds of rules as above and have them in operation only when you are away from your computer, on vacation, or when you want to have your mail temporarily forwarded to a different address. For more information about using the Out of Office Assistant, see the Knowledge Base document In Microsoft Outlook, how do I set up the Out of Office Assistant (vacation mail)?

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