How Conditional Formatting in Outlook for Multiple Words Works?

Conditional Formatting is a real game-changer for the user, you can format, and identify & separate your data using conditional formatting color coding, font, effects.

Most of the users prefer the search bar to find specific emails consisting of special word/s. Microsoft Outlook application has a separate search tab with multiple functions to find an email message.

Here in this article, an email message was received with specific words required to identify and highlighted using color. Conditional formating rules work as a pipeline for all the emails that pin up and format that email message if all criteria match.

In a few articles earlier, you have learned a few things about How Conditional Formatting Highlight Emails in Outlook.

Let’s dive in to explore more about conditional formatting for multiple words.

How to use color to identify incoming Outlook messages having specific word(s)

You can set up a rule that makes the email appear in a specific color or a specific size and type of font in case of specific words or multiple words present in the subject line or body.

For instance: I want an email message received with the word “mail smartly” in the subject line or body of the message. Here below tutorial walk you through the step-by-step process.

use color to identify incoming Outlook messages
  • Advance view setting dialog box pops up >> Click conditional formating.
  • The Advanced View Settings window lets you customize the folder view. Click the ‘Conditional Formatting button.
incoming Outlook messages having specific word
  • The next step brings you to set up the conditional formatting rule, which will apply to all the existing messages in your folder and for the upcoming inflow.
outlook table conditional formatting
  •  Some of the default options are already available for conditional formating, in our scenario you need to create one, Hit Add name your rule, select your rule, and click font, (it will allow you to change the font, color, effects, and complete visibility of your desired email message.
  • Now click a condition (this step is very important), Filter named dialog box appears.
  • Click messages in the filter dialog box >> Enter your specific word(s) in the “Serch for the word(s)” bar
  • Select “Subject field and message body” from the in the dropdown list: – which consists of three options (1) subject field only, (2) Subject field and the message body, & (3) frequently used text fields.
  • You can also enter the email address or domain address followed by “@” sign if you required your formatting from a specific email address, but in our case, left it blank to get your text “mail smartly” related emails to grab the list.
Configure Outlook
  • Click OK >> OK >> OK

All is set, you can cross-check whether conditional formatting working properly or not, Enter “your keyword” into the search bar, and the results hit the screen if everything is working properly the color of those emails reflects as per your conditional formatting.

How conditional formatting Rules Work

These instructions, along with illustrations and instructions for additional features of Conditional Formatting for Message Lists work helpful to the user.

Final Words

In conclusion, by formatting your email, you will soon be able to catch important messages that may otherwise slip through the cracks. Conditional Formatting in Outlook helps highlight important information in emails without cluttering or distracting.

Related Articles

Amit Bansal

My Name is Amit Bansal, and I am the founder of "Mail Smartly", With a track record of penning in-depth blogs and producing informative YouTube videos, for a deeper dive into solutions and tutorials, visit my YouTube Channel

View all posts

Leave a Comment