Outlook rules can be used to easily organize email. Effective use of Outlook rules can help make sure you not miss important emails and can even make your folders act as drop boxes to immediately sort emails from students.
A rule in Outlook is an action taken automatically on an arriving (or sent) message that meets the conditions that you specify in the rule. The quickest and easiest way to create a new rule is to create a rule based on a message.
Creating a rule
- Open a message and click Rules → Create Rule… on the Message tab toolbar at the top of the page. The Create Rule dialog box will open.
- Select one or more of the three conditions listed. Messages that match ALL of the conditions you specify will be acted upon.
For example, if you love receiving TECH TIP TUESDAYS and want the weekly messages to be automatically moved to a folder you would create a rule that says When I get an email and the Subject contains “Tech Tip Tuesday”, Move the item to folder: TECH TIP TUESDAY.
A few ideas for how to use rules
- Create a rule that moves all messages sent from specific students to folders organized by class period or course name.
- Create a rule that moves messages with the class period or course name in the subject to specific folders.
- Create folders for a specific project, when you introduce the project, include directions for what your students need to include in the subject line of their email when they submit the assignment. Create a rule that moves emails with the project name in the subject to a project folder (drop box)
- Create a rule that moves all messages sent from your department head or division leader to a specific folder.
