ARCHIVED: With the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, how do I configure filters to control mail redirection?

With a BlackBerry, you control how mail is redirected by configuring filters in the BlackBerry Desktop Manager. Filters are rules applied to messages as they arrive in your Exchange mailbox, and determine whether to redirect the message to your BlackBerry device.

The Desktop Manager has two preconfigured filters. The first, called "To & BCC Default", automatically forwards to your BlackBerry all email that is sent to you directly or as a blind carbon copy (BCC). The second, called "CC Default", forwards the headers of all email that is sent to you as a carbon copy (CC). You can change this filter to forward the entire message.

Following are examples of filters that accomplish some useful tasks.

Forward all messages

You can instruct Desktop Manager to forward all messages you receive, whether or not they match a filter, by specifying forwarding as the default action:

1. Open the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, click Email Settings, and on the left, select Filters tab.
2. Under "When no filters apply:", select Forward email messages to the device. Now all matching messages will be forwarded as your filters specify, and any messages that don't match will also be forwarded. If you don't want the redirector to do any filter processing, deselect all of your filters.

Forward bodies of CC messages

1. Open the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, click Email Settings, and on the left, select the Filters tab.
2. Check CC Default, and then click Edit. Under Forward email message to the device, uncheck Forward header only. Click OK.

Preserve high priority flags when forwarding messages

You can add a filter to forward to your BlackBerry with any message received with "High" importance:

1. Open the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and click Email Settings.
2. In the Email Settings dialog box on the left, select Filters, and then click New.
3. In the "Filter Name:" box, enter High Priority.
4. Check Importance:, and from the drop-down list, select High.
5. Make sure Forward message to the device is selected, and check Forward the email message with high importance notification. Click OK.

Forward mailing list messages

You can create a filter to forward messages from a mailing list you subscribe to:

1. Open the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and click Email Settings.
2. On the left, select Filters tab, and click New....
3. In the "Filter Name:" field, enter the name of the mailing list or lists this filter will apply to.
4. Check Sent to, and enter the mailing list or lists in the text box, separated with semicolons.
5. Set the importance level, if desired, and click OK.

Saving and loading filter sets

To save your filter set to a file or restore a filter set from a file, use the Export... and Import buttons under "Import and export filters:". The filter set is exported to a file with an .rfi extension.