Microsoft Outlook offers a convenient and powerful solution for filtering and sorting emails to create a smooth working experience.
Manually sorting and filtering emails can be time-consuming, but with Outlook’s rule feature, users can optimize their organization based on specific criteria.
Outlook provides several methods to filter emails and move them to designated folders, making it an essential tool for users aiming for inbox organization.
By taking advantage of Outlook’s capabilities, individuals can streamline their workflow and reduce clutter in their inboxes.
Now that you have a general understanding let’s dive into the details of filtering emails in Outlook.
How does Outlook apply the Rule to Existing Mail?
In Outlook, we can create and customize inbox rules to better organize and manage our emails.
When utilizing these rules, we have the option to either follow the organized templates provided by Outlook or create our own templates based on our specific needs.
Through these rules, we can set conditions, criteria, and exceptions to determine how our received and sent messages are processed.
Rules in Outlook can be either server-based or client-only, and they can be edited using the Rules Wizard.
To apply a rule to existing mail, we must first choose the corresponding rule from the list of available templates and make any necessary adjustments.
Then, we run the rules on our current messages to sort and organize our inboxes.
By doing so, we gain more control over our email organization and can easily manage email subscriptions and unwanted messages.
Using this method ensures that our inbox remains efficient and uncluttered.
The following picture and video illustrate some of the templates provided by Outlook Check.
You can see when you select the template, the pre-designed rule description in step 2 appears, all you have to do is select the hyperlink and make changes if required.
How to Filter Emails in Outlook?
In order to effectively filter emails in Outlook, we need first to understand our specific filtering needs.
By exploring Outlook’s built-in templates and email management features, we can create custom filters to automatically organize incoming messages.
To begin, open Outlook, click on the Home Tab, then Rules, and finally Manage Rules and Alerts.
This will guide us through the process of creating and applying personalized email filters based on our requirements.
By using this functionality, we can streamline our Outlook experience for a more efficient email management process.
How to Move Messages from Someone to a folder in Outlook?
To create a rule for moving messages from a particular sender to a specified folder in Outlook, follow these steps:
- Choose the option to move messages from someone to a folder, which will lead you to the rule configuration in the next step.
- Select the “from people or a public group” hyperlink and pick the desired contacts or groups. If needed, import your contacts list into Outlook.
- Determine where you want the messages to be moved by clicking the “Specific” hyperlink provided in the third step. This will let you configure the target folder where the messages will be routed. You can create a new folder if necessary.
- Once the folder is selected, click “Finish” to create the rule for moving messages from the chosen sender(s) to the designated folder.
If you want to apply the rule to existing messages in the current folder, follow these additional steps:
- Click “Run rules now” and choose the rule you just created.
- Select “Apply rule to All messages” and click “Run Now“.
This will execute the rule on messages already in the current folder, organizing your inbox and making it easier to manage your emails.
By following these simple steps, we can effectively sort and organize our Outlook messages into specific folders, streamlining our email management process.
Filter Emails and send to Folder [Using New Search Folder]
New Search Folder is the customized folder designed to separate and keep a copy of the specific nature of emails from your desired folder, whether by size, date, address, or any other multiple options.
A new search Folder consists of a predefined filter, and you can also create your own customized filter and create a new search folder.
Go to Folder Tab, from the ‘New‘ section click on ‘New Search Folder‘, which consists of multiple sections with subsections.
- Reading Mail
- Unread Mail
- Mail Flagged for Follow up
- Mail either unread or flagged for Follow up
- Important Mail
- Mail from People and Lists
- Mail from and to a specific person
- Mail from Specific Person
- Mail send directly to me
- Mail send to public groups
- Organizing Mail
- Categorized mail
- Large Mail
- Old Mail
- Mail with attachment
- Mail with Specific Words
Once you select any of them, Outlook asks too few minor related questions, and everything is set, relevant email messages create a copy with a new search folder.
Let’s understand a few examples with pictures for better understanding:
Filter Large Mail – New Search Folder
The New Search Folder feature in Outlook allows users to create customized folders to store and manage emails based on their specific attributes, such as size, date, sender, or other criteria.
To filter large emails, follow these simple steps:
Large than 100 KB folder under new search folder created with emails getter than 100KB.
A new folder labeled “Larger than 100 KB” will be created under the New Search Folder, containing copies of emails larger than 100 KB in size.
Mail from Specific Person – New Search Folder
Creating a New Search Folder specifically for emails received from a certain person is a helpful way to keep track of important communications.
Here’s how to do it:
Select New Search Folder, select Mail from a specific person, and select Choose.
A select name dialog box appears, select the email address/ groups from the list or enter the email/s under from section and click OK.
Also, the Black Friday folder appears under the newly created search folder, which contains all the emails received from the group members.
Use the Filter Email Feature and Copy all to the Folder
Microsoft Outlook consists of one feature filter email, You can filter emails from the email list according to your required criteria, copy all of them, and transfer them to the specified folder.
Click on Home Tab, go to filter email, and click on the drop-down list, you find a few categories by default, from the bottom of the drop-down list, there is an option for a customized filter ‘More filters’, that will directly walk you through the search bar.
The search bar is designed to find any type of group of emails. once you have the list of emails, you can transfer, them or copy-paste them to a specific folder.
Once all filtered emails are on your screen, go to the inbox of your respective email, click the right mouse button, and select new folder.
The new folder appears, just below the inbox, name your folder.
All your required emails are filtered, and a new folder is also available, click Ctrl-A to select all the emails, hold one email message from your mouse left button, and drop it into that newly created folder.
By following these steps, we can efficiently filter and organize important emails in Microsoft Outlook, ensuring that unwanted messages are removed and our mailbox remains clutter-free.
This method also allows us to easily manage our blocked senders list, keeping any crucial communications separate without the need for elaborate templates or extensive manual sorting.
Why Do You Need the Filtering Feature in Outlook and Create a Separate Folder?
You don’t have to turn your filter on, but it can help improve your productivity with both personal and business email.
Here are some of the top reasons you may benefit from the filter feature and separate them in a folder:
- Search for specific messages. If you’re always looking for emails from a specific person (like your boss) or type of email (like travel plans), you can use the filter option to keep those emails separate from everything else.
- Preserve search results: If we repeatedly perform specific searches, categorizing them into a designated folder allows us to revisit them effortlessly whenever needed.
- Automatically direct emails to folders: By setting up filter rules, we can swiftly identify certain emails as they arrive and send them to their respective folders. This feature ensures we stay organized and never miss important correspondence.
By adopting these Outlook practices, we can maintain a well-organized and efficient inbox, making it easier to manage our personal and professional emails.
Wrap Up
By adapting the filtering settings in specific folders, we can efficiently manage our inbox in programs like Microsoft 365 or Outlook 2019.
Focusing on certain folders for meeting requests, for example, will allow us to better organize our emails based on specified criteria.
While using the Rule function or the new search folder, we can separate emails for various purposes.
This helps us better utilize subscription benefits, such as training courses and secure device management from Microsoft 365, Exchange, and Office 365.
It’s essential to remain confident and knowledgeable when managing our Outlook.com or Windows computer accounts and ensure we use POP, PIN, and Clutter features effectively.
Don’t hesitate to explore more about other Outlook functions, like creating to-do lists, managing junk mail, exporting email addresses, and importing contacts from Excel!
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