How to Create a Mailbox Rule in O365

Use inbox rules to automatically manage incoming emails based on conditions you define. Here’s how:

Step-by-Step Instructions

Go to https://mail.office365.com and sign in with your O365 credentials.
Click the gear icon (⚙️) at the upper-right corner.
In the side panel, click “Mail” under Settings and select "Rules".
Click “Add new rule”.
Name your rule (e.g., “Move Ring Central emails to folder”)
Add condition(s) to define when the rule should apply. You can combine multiple conditions:
- From: Filter emails by sender.
- To: Filter by recipient address (including shared mailboxes or distribution lists).
- I’m on the To line: Only applies if you're directly addressed (not CC’d).
- I’m on the CC line: Only applies if you're CC’d.
- Subject includes: Applies when subject contains specific keywords.
- Body includes: Checks for specific text in the email body.
- Has attachment: Applies to emails with one or more attachments.
- Importance: Filter by message importance (High, Normal, Low).
- Received before/after: Filter by date and time the email was received.
- Message type: E.g., Email, Meeting request, etc.
You can use “Add another condition” to combine multiple filters with AND logic.
Add Action(s) – what you want to happen when the condition(s) match:
- Move to: Moves email to a folder you choose.
- Copy to: Copies the email to another folder; it stays in the original location.
- Delete: Moves the message to Deleted Items. Use with caution.
- Mark as read: Automatically marks the message as read.
- Categorize: Assigns a color-coded category.
- Forward to: Forwards the message as if it were from you. Replies will return to you.
- Redirect to: Forwards the message without changing the sender. Replies go to the original sender.
- Pin the message: Pins the message to the top of your inbox.
- Mark with importance: Sets message importance level.
You can add multiple actions as needed.
Click Save at the bottom right.

Notes:

The rule will apply only to new emails you receive from the moment it's created. It will not automatically process emails that were already in your inbox before the rule was set up. However, you can manually apply a rule to existing emails by clicking the ellipsis (⋯) next to the rule and selecting “Run rule now.” This is useful if you want to process older emails with the new rule immediately.
If you have multiple rules, their order matters. You can reorder them to prioritize one over another.
You can edit or delete rules later from the same “Rules” menu.