Outlook rule not working is not very common and the symptoms will vary from user to user. It can prove to be a massive hurdle, and if you rely on it, it will not only slow you down but can also cause a lot of chaos and confusion leaving a mess that you will have to clean up.
Luckily, it is fixable. However, you will need to act fast as the longer this persists, the worse it will get. Here, will walk you through everything that you need to know to fix Outlook rules not working using effective methods prodded in this article.
What Are Outlook Rules?
Outlook rules are automated actions that roll out a set of tasks on sent or received emails based on user instructions. You could create a rule that would put all the emails from a particular sender into a folder, segregate incoming emails based on importance, and more!
However, If your set Outlook rules seem to malfunction, you can try out the methods listed in the following section.
Methods To Fix Outlook Rules Not Working
1. Outlook Rule Troubleshooting.
Here we will go through the most basic troubleshooting checks just to cover all the bases before moving on.
1.1. Update Outlook Application
Ensuring that your Outlook application is updated should be your first move when faced with any issue. You can update the Outlook application by following the steps below-
1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on File and Select Office Account.
3. Click on the Update options and Select Update Now.
1.2. Make Sure Outlook Rules Are Enabled
While the rules exist, they need to be enabled f you want to enforce them. Follow the steps below to enable your Outlook rules.
1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on File and Select Info.
3. Click on Manage Rules and Alerts.
4. Once the Rules and Alerts Window pops up, ensure that the check boxes next to the rules are checked.
1.3. Rename Outlook Rules
Lengthy rule names can cause unexpected performance issues. Try to ensure that they are as short as possible. You can rename your outlook rules accordingly by following the instructions below-
1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on File and Select Info.
3. Click on Manage Rules and Alerts.
4. Once the Rules and Alerts Window pops up, select the rule to rename.
5. Click on Change Rule and select Rename Rule.
6. Type in a shorter name for the rule and click on OK to confirm your choice.
1.4 Disable the Stop Processing More Rules Option
There is an option that prevents rules from being enabled. To disable the stop processing rules option in Outlook, follow the given steps-
1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on File and Select Info.
3. Click on Manage Rules and Alerts.
4. Once the Rules and Alerts Window pops up, select the Rule.
5. Click on Change Rule and select Edit Rule Settings.
6. Select all the Stop processing more rules checkbox.
7. Click on Finish and then Apply.
1.5 Configure Outlook Rules to Run on All Devices.
Outlook rules can be configured to run on a single device exclusively, if you want rules to apply on other devices as well you would need to configure Outlook rules to run on all devices by following the steps below-
1. Open Outlook.
2. Click on File and Select Info.
3. Click on Manage Rules and Alerts.
4. Once the Rules and Alerts Window pops up select a rule.
5. Click on Change Rule, and select Edit Rule Settings.
6. Once the Rules Wizard pops up uncheck the on this computer-only box.
2. Outlook Rule Management
Now that all the troubleshooting is behind us, let’s take a closer look at our Putlook rules to see if we can make a few improvements.
If you have too many rules, you may notice that they conflict with each other. In some cases, a large number of rules can be too much for Outlook to handle. During such cases, you can try out the following suggestions.
1. Delete Unwanted Outlook Rules – Deleting unnecessary rules will make things a lot easier for Outlook to implement them. Try removing rules that aren’t used often or hold no importance.
2. Combine Similar Outlook Rules – If you have similar rules, try to combine them into one, and make sure to delete all the unnecessary rules afterward.
3. Reset Outlook Rules – If One particular rule seems to be problematic, try deleting and recreating it carefully.
3. Reset the Outlook SRS File
The SRS file (short for send and receive settings) stores all your configuration settings and related data. Any errors, inconsistencies, or corruption will cause issues.
1. Use the Win+ R shortcut to open Run.
2. Enter %appdata%\Microsoft\Outlook in and click on OK.
3. Use the search bar to locate and Right-click on Outlook.srs file.
4. Select Rename to change the name to Outlook.srs.old.
4. Repair PST File
If your Outlook rules still malfunction, your Outlook data file may be corrupted. The good news is that there are special tools that you can use to repair a corrupted PST file.
4. A Fix Outlook Rules Not Working Using ScanPST
ScanPST is a free Inbox repair tool provided by Microsoft. It can be used to repair corrupted or damaged PST files with minor errors or inconsistencies. If you wish to fix your Outlook rules not working situation using scanPST, follow the instructions below.-
1. Locate ScanPST by referring to the given file pathways-
Outlook 2019
32-bit Version:C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
64-bit Version: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
Outlook 2016
32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\
64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\
2. Open opening ScanPST and use the Browse… option to import your corrupted Outlook PST file. Then, Click on Start to begin the scanning process.
3. ScanPST will then proceed to examine your PST file for errors and inconsistencies. If any are found, there are 3 things that you need to do.
- Check the box to create a backup of the scan file before repairing
- Use the Browse… option to select a save location and name the backup file.
- Click on Repair to begin the PST file repair process.
4. Verify the results.
4.B. Fix Outlook Rules Not Working Using RIKVR Repair for Outlook
ScanPST can only handle minor errors, if your PST file has higher levels of corruption, then you would need to use a professional PST repair tool. Here we will be using Rikvr Repair for Outlook–
1. Download, Install, and launch Rikvr Repair for Outlook.
2. Import the Corrupted PST file.
- Open Default PST File- Imports PST file from default location
- Select PST File Manually- manually browse and select the corrupted PST file
- Find All Your PST Files- The software scans the entire drive and lists out all the available PST files for you to choose from.
3. Choose a scanning method, select a save location, and click on Repair to begin the repair process.
4. Save the repaired PST file and verify the results.
To Conclude
Outlook rules are a great way to stay organized and optimize your workflow and making sure they function properly is important. I hope that you were able to fix Outlook rules not working with the help of this article. If you have any feedback or related queries, feel free to reach out.
