How to Filter Email in Outlook

Last Updated: August 5, 2019

This wikiHow teaches you how to filter incoming email to different folders in Microsoft Outlook. Messages can be filtered by email address (sender or receiver), words, and phrases.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Filtering by Email Address

1
Open Microsoft Outlook. It’s usually in the Microsoft Office folder, which you’ll find in the All Apps area of the Start menu.
2
Click a message sent to or from an address you want to filter. This opens the message in the right panel.
- For example, if you want to filter all mail sent from one email address, click an email from that sender.
- If you want to filter messages sent to one of your email addresses, click a message addressed to that address.
Advertisement
3
Click the Home tab. It’s near the top-left corner of the screen.
4
Click Rules. It’s in the row of icons near the top of the screen, toward the center.
5
Click Always Move Messages From <sender> or Always Move Messages To <address>. A list of folders on your account will appear.
6
Select the folder you to which you want these messages filtered. If you don’t see a folder you want to use, click New to create one, then select it.
7
Click OK. Future email sent to or from the email address you selected will be moved to the selected folder upon receipt.

Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Filtering by Words

1
Open Microsoft Outlook. It’s usually in the Microsoft Office folder, which you’ll find in the All Apps area of the Start menu.
2
Click a message containing a word or phrase you want to filter. The word or phrase can be anywhere in the message, such as the subject, body, or header.
3
Click the Home tab. It’s near the top-left corner of the screen.
4
Click Rules. It’s in the row of icons near the top of the screen, toward the center.
5
Click Manage Rules & Alerts.^{[1]
X
Research source}
6
Click New Rule. It’s at the top-left corner of the window.
7
Select Move messages with specific words in the subject to a folder. Even if you don’t want to filter only words in the subject, select this option for now.
8
Click Next. A list of options and check boxes will appear.
9
Remove the check mark from “with specific words in the subject.” You can skip this step if you only want the filter to look at words in the subject line.
10
Select the parts of the message where the filter will look for the words. Choose at least one of these options:
- with specific words in the subject or body
  - Example: You want to filter messages with the word “coupon” in either the subject or the body to a folder called Coupons.
- with specific words in the message header
  - Example: You want messages sent through a certain mail server to go straight to the trash.
- with specific words in the recipient’s address
  - Example: You want mail sent to support@yourdomain.com to go to a folder called Support.
- with specific words in the sender’s address
  - Example: You want messages sent from anyone with the word “wiki” in their email address to a folder called Wiki.
11
Click Next.
12
Type the word or phrase and click Add. You can add multiple words and phrases if you wish.
13
Click OK. This brings you back to the list of filter conditions.
14
Click the specified link. It’s in the box at the bottom of the window as a part of the phrase “specified folder.” A list of folders on your email account will appear.
15
Select the folder you to which you want these messages filtered. If you don’t see a folder you want to use, click New to create one, then select it.
16
Click OK.
17
Click Next. Now you’ll see a list of actions Outlook can take based on the filter you created.
18
Check the boxes next to what you’d like to happen. Make sure “move it to the specified folder” (the second option) is checked so the message lands in its folder. The others are optional, but can be helpful based on your needs.^{[2]
X
Research source}
19
Click Next.
20
Enter a name for the filter. This is how it will appear in your list.
21
Check the box next to “Turn on this rule.” If you’d like, you can also check “Run this now” so the filter will scan the mail you’ve already received.
22
Click Finish. Future incoming messages will now be sorted based on the word or phrase you entered.

Advertisement