[Solved]: Outlook Rules are not Working

Outlook rules make email management easy. They help automate certain actions, such as moving emails to a specific folder, flagging specific emails or messages, and setting up alerts. You can also use rules to sort, mark, and filter incoming emails. However, sometimes, you find that Outlook rules are not working when new messages arrive in your inbox. The incoming emails are not going into their designated folders according to the set rules. Instead, they are arriving in the root Inbox folder or a different folder. This issue can arise due to various factors or reasons. In this article, we will find out the reasons for the Outlook rules not working issue and see how to fix the issue.

Reasons for the Outlook Rules are not Working Issue

This issue may occur due to various reasons, such as:

1. Rules are disabled
2. Rules are conflicting, overlapping, and contradicting each other
3. Corrupt or damaged rules
4. Rules limit exceeded
5. Wrong rule configuration or missing conditions
6. Bugs or software-related issues
7. Outdated Outlook version
8. Corruption in PST file

Solutions to Fix the Outlook Rules are Not Working Problem

If you are facing the problem of Outlook rules are not working properly, then follow the solutions discussed below to troubleshoot and resolve the problem.

1. Check if Rules are Enabled

The first thing you need to do is check and make sure that the Outlook rules that you have created are enabled. For this, follow these steps:

• Open Outlook, go to File, and click on Manage Rules and Alerts.
  
• In the Rules and Alerts dialog box, check that the checkboxes against the concerned rules are checked or ticked. If not, enable them.
  
• Once enabled, click Apply and then click OK.

From now onwards, Outlook rules that were not working should start working.

2. Check if Rules are Referring to a Deleted Folder

If all the Outlook rules are enabled and still not working, then there are chances that the rules may be referring to a mailbox folder that’s deleted or no more available in your mailbox. Since the mail folder is absent, Outlook may fail to execute the rules. The solution is to check the rules and their dependencies. For this,

1. Go to File > Manage Rules and Alerts.
2. Double-click on the Outlook rule that is not working.
   
3. In the Rules Wizard dialog box, click Next.
4. Under Select Actions, check the rules description which details where or to which folder the email is being moved.
   
5. If that folder is no longer available, you can create it or simply edit the rule by clicking on the destination folder and choosing a different or desired folder.
   
6. Click OK.

This should fix the Outlook rules not working issue in your Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, or 2021, and Outlook 365.

However, if the problem is still not fixed, then this indicates corruption in rules or in the Send/Receive Settings file. In such cases, you can try the below solutions to resolve the Outlook rules are not working issue.

3. Recreate the SRS File

If the Send/Receive Settings (SRS) file is damaged in Outlook, it may cause the problem of Outlook rules are not working. You can reset the SRS file to make the rules work properly. You can do this by following these steps:

• Close Outlook.
• Press the Windows + R keys, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Outlook and click OK or press the Enter key. Alternatively, you can navigate to the following location using the File Explorer:  C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook
• You will find a file named Outlook.srs. Rename this file as Outlook.srs.old. This will create a backup of the SRS file.

• After the backup, start Outlook. Since Outlook won’t find the old SRS file as it is renamed, it will recreate a new SRS file.

Now, check if the Outlook rules are working properly.

4. Reduce the Space Used by Inbox Rules

The default size quota for Outlook Inbox rules in Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 is 64 KB. In Exchange Server 2003, it is 32 KB. If the created rules exceed this size quota, you can’t create new rules or the existing rules may also not work properly. However, you can increase the size of this quota manually (maximum limit is 256 KB).

Note: You can’t increase the rules size limit in Exchange Server 2003.

You can use PowerShell cmdlets to increase the size quota of Outlook rules. Here’s the command:

Set-Mailbox -Identity (MailboxIdentity) -RulesQuota "(NewQuotaSize)"

In this, MailboxIdentity is the identity of the desired mailbox (UserName@CompanyName.com) and NewQuotaSize is the new (increased) quota size that can range from 32 KB to 256 KB.

Note: This requires your administrator's help.

If the quota limit is already 256 KB, then you can reduce the space taken by the rules. The amount of space used by Outlook rules depends on factors such as the number of conditions created in a rule, the length of the rule name, etc. You can reduce the space taken up by the rules by:

• Deleting old rules that are no longer needed.
• Renaming rules, having long and complicated names, with shorter names.
• Merging similar rules.

5. Convert Client-Based Rules into Server-Based Rules

Outlook rules can be divided into two categories - client-based and server-based. Client-based rules only work when the Outlook email client is running.

If a rule is not working in Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, or another version, it’s possible that the rule is client-based and Outlook is not running when emails are received. If you want the rules to work even when Outlook isn’t running, log in to your account via web-based access, i.e. OWA, and recreate the rules there.

Note: If you have both server-based rules and client-based rules, then the server-based rules will be applied first, followed by client-based rules.

6. Delete and Recreate the Rules

If the above solutions fail or the rules are corrupted/damaged, then you can delete the rules and recreate them. For this, follow these steps:

• Close Outlook and go to the Start Menu.
• Enter Outlook.exe /cleanrules in the search field and wait for the system to perform the search.
• Once your system found the Outlook.exe /cleanrules command-line switch, click on it or press the Enter key. You can also click Open or Run as administrator to delete all rules from Outlook.

• Now, recreate the rules in Outlook by using the Rules Wizard.

If you can’t run the outlook.exe /cleanrules, you can follow these steps to delete the rules:

• Press Windows+R and paste or type outlook.exe /cleanrules and press the Enter key or click OK.
• This will clean all the rules from Outlook.

If some of the rules are not working, then you can delete only those rules, instead of all the rules. For this, follow these steps:

• Open Outlook and click File.
• Click Manage Rules & Alerts to open the Rules and Alerts dialog box.
• Select the rules you want to delete and click Delete.

7. Update Outlook

Bugs in the Outlook application can also lead to issues, such as Outlook rules not working. Updating the Outlook application can help fix some bugs or issues. So, you can check and install Outlook updates. Here’s how:

• Open Outlook.
• Go to File > Office Account (or Account in some versions).

• Under Product Information, select Update Options and then click Update Now.

If the Update Now option is not available in your Outlook client, you can download and install Windows Updates to get the latest bug fixes and updates for MS Office, including Outlook.

8. Disable Add-Ins

Faulty or conflicting add-ins may also prevent rules execution in Outlook. You can check and remove the faulty add-ins. The steps are as follows:

• Close Outlook.
• While holding the Shift key, double-click on Outlook to launch it in safe mode.
• Alternatively, you can press Windows + R, type outlook.exe /safe and press Enter to start Outlook in safe mode.
  
• Then, click File > Options and select Add-ins.
• Click the Go… button and uncheck all the add-ins.
• Click OK to disable all the add-ins.
  
• Once the add-ins are disabled, restart Outlook normally.

9. Repair Outlook Data File

If the PST file is damaged/corrupt, rules or even Outlook won’t work properly. To fix the problem, you need to repair the damaged or corrupted PST file. For this, you can use the Outlook built-in SCANPST or Inbox Repair tool.

If SCANPST fails to repair the corrupt PST file, you can also use an advanced PST repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook. This software can recover all the items, such as emails, calendars, contacts, etc., from the damaged or corrupt PST file and save them to a new healthy PST file. This utility is safe and is compatible with Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and earlier versions.

Conclusion

If Outlook rules are not working, then you can try the solutions mentioned in this article to fix the issue. However, if the problem can’t be resolved, you can check and repair your PST file with the help of SCANPST. This tool can help find and fix errors and inconsistencies in the PST file where all your mail items are stored.

You can use an advanced PST repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook when the SCANPST fails to repair the file. Unlike SCANPST, this software can repair severely corrupt, large, or encrypted PST files with complete integrity and precision. It can also export all the mail items from corrupt or damaged PST file directly to Microsoft 365 (Office 365) or live Exchange Server.