Create an Outlook rule with Copilot

✅ How to

1. 1The principle: describe, don't configureCreating a rule in Outlook used to be a small chore: open the settings, stack conditions, exceptions, actions… With Copilot, the approach changes. You describe the outcome you want in one sentence, like to a colleague, and Copilot turns it into a working Outlook rule. A few example phrasings: ➞ « Automatically file emails from my manager into a “Priority” folder. » ➞ « Mark newsletters as read and move them to “Read later”. » ➞ « Flag every message containing the word “invoice”. »
2. 2Example 1: sort emails from one personA very common first case: automatically file messages from a specific contact. Here, we ask Copilot to move emails received from a colleague (Lisa) into a « Manager » folder. Copilot creates the rule, you confirm, and it's live. The video below shows the whole exchange.
3. 3Example 2: sort by message subjectAnother classic: sort by a keyword in the subject line. In this example, every email whose subject contains « Thunderbolt » is filed automatically. Perfect to isolate everything about a project.
4. 4Adjust, or rephrase if neededCopilot understands natural language, but it isn't infallible: a request may sometimes be misread. No worries, just rephrase your instruction more precisely (the exact folder, the condition, the expected action) and try again. You can also tweak an existing rule the same way, as the video shows.
5. 5Where to find your created rulesEvery rule created via Copilot is a real Outlook rule: you'll find them in Settings › Mail › Rules. That's where you can enable or disable them, reorder them (they apply top to bottom), edit or delete them. In the screenshot, you can see the two rules created in the previous examples: sorting by sender (Lisa to the Manager folder) and by subject (Thunderbolt).
   

   Settings › Mail › Rules: the rules created via Copilot, toggleable and editable.

6. 6Good to know: the limitsTwo things to keep in mind: ➞ Copilot relies on « classic » Outlook rules. If your request can't be expressed as a classic rule (too complex or not supported by Outlook), Copilot won't be able to create it. ➞ Keep it simple and explicit: one condition, one action. The clearer the rule, the more reliable the result, and the less you'll need to rephrase. Otherwise, it's a real time-saver: you describe, Copilot sets it up, and your inbox stays tidy effortlessly. More rule examples will be added to this article.

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