Outlook and rules

[#1]

I'm hoping someone can offer some advice, please.

I have outlook 365 installed on the PC (don't like the web version) and am having trouble with rules not working. Let's say I have a domain with Mythic Beasts xxyyzz.me.uk. The default mailbox set in Mythic Beasts is spec@xxyyzz.me.uk. I have one other mailbox set up for a specific address so no need for rules there.

I have various folders in Outlook where I would like certain emails to go based on the senders address but they all just go to the 'spec' folder. If I run the rules manually all emails go to their relevant folders.

An example rule on the inbox 'spec@xxyyzz.me.uk' is as follows;

There are no exceptions, the rule does not stop after it is processed and the rule is turned.

Any clues as to why the rule fails to work as the emails come in?

Cheers.

Edit: I use IMAP but can't see how that would make a difference.

[#2]

Are your rules server or client side?

[#3]

Client side.

[#4]

Could be why, I think you should recreate them server side through the web client.

[#5]

I've never done that. Is it difficult?

[#6]

Ah, I just reread your post. Ignore me, I was thinking you were using the microsoft365 email too, but it's mythic beasts.

[#7]

Have you remembered that the rules only work when the emails arrive in Outlook.

If you want to run the rules on items that are already in your mailbox / folder then you need to go to manage rules and run rules.

[#8]

@IMM 

Yes, I understand that. As I said in the OP running the rules manually after all the emails have arrived works just fine. They simply don't work as the emails arrive.

[#9]

@Mav seems you're not alone with the problem ...

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook_com/forum/all/outlook-for-desktop-rules-do-not-run-autom...

[#10]

@Mav  As I remember the rules are actioned sequentially so check there is no rule neart the top of the list whick could affect rules further down the list. Also check rules which end with  "and stop processing more rules"

[#11]

@MisterW 

Interesting read of which most I have tried.

@Champnet 

I have only one rule turned on at the moment and none of them had the 'stop processing more rules' option set.

[#12]

@Mav  A simple test to check if rules are working.

Create a folder dummy, set up a rule : subject contains xyzzy move to folder dummy
Send an email to yourself , no text just subject xyzzy.
See what happens.

[#13]

@Champnet 

It's strange that some rules on another domain work as expected.

I tried your suggestion as above then once more but this time with 'test' in the subject and the rule changed from 'Specific words in the subject' to 'from people or public groups' with the other domain I am sending from in the relative field.

Both of these worked as expected.

In the meantime I had gone into MythicBeasts mail configuration and saw that I had a default mailbox set to 'box@xxyyzz.me.uk' then another mailbox set exactly the same. After deleting the second (non-default mailbox) things seem to work as expected. One email has just had the rule work properly.

I'm beginning to think it all may have something to do with how I have mailboxes set up within MythicBeasts! Maybe the screenshot below for a different domain but with similar issues can help?

@MisterW 

Can you see anything untoward in that setup?

[#14]

I may be wrong here - but I think that the Outlook rules only work on items in the Inbox. If I've read your mythic beasts set up correctly your default email address routes to Inbox/all else - so new emails will appear in the all else folder and not be seen by the Outlook rules.

[#15]

@Mav Ok, so I'm not familiar with Outlook but do its rules operate just on INBOX or will it process subfolders ? ( I suspect its INBOX only )

You have some of your mail addresses storing mail directly into folders e.g mikew stores in ...INBOX/mikew, this is done directly by the Mythic server, in which case Outlook will not see the mail in INBOX.

As regards specific email addresses and default, AIUI the default rule will ONLY apply if there is no match on any specific email address.

Does that help ?

edit: well it seems 2 of us think the rules only apply to INBOX