Automatically forward emails according to the subject line in Outlook

Microsoft Outlook has a number of built-in tools to assist users like you who get a variety of messages that should all be forwarded to your colleagues. Forwarding these messages one by one is tiresome, and it’s difficult to send every message on time. When messages arrive, you may create a rule that automatically forwards them to your colleagues. If you are not using Outlook while connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server or Office 365 environment, or while linked to an Outlook.com account, you must leave Outlook open on a computer for forwarding to work. So how do you automatically forward emails based on the subject? The step-by-step instructions below will show you how to establish a rule that will automatically send emails with specific subjects to defined persons.

Step by step process – Automatically forward emails according to subject line in Outlook?

  • First, open your Outlook application.
  • Right-click on an email that you want to set up a rule for.
  • Hover over “Rules” in the popup menu.
  • Then click on “Create Rule…”
  • Click the “Advanced Options…” button in the Create Rule dialog box.
  • Check the box next to “with…in the subject.”
  • Click the “Next” button.
  • Check the box next to “forward it to people or public group.”
  • Check the box next to “stop processing more rules.”
  • Next, click on the blue link in “with…in the subject.”
    • A dialog box will open.
    • Enter the specific words you’re looking for.
    • You can “Add” multiple search terms that Outlook will search the subject lines for.
    • Select a search term and click “Remove” to remove them.
    • When you’re finished, click “OK.”
  • Then click on the blue link, “people or public group.”
    • A dialog box will open.
    • Double-click on the names of people you want to forward the email to.
    • When you’re finished, click “OK.”
  • Click the “Next” button until you get to “Finish rule setup.”
  • Ensure that the box next to “Turn on this rule” is checked.
  • Finally, click the “Finish” button.

If the option to Run this rule now on messages already in “Inbox” is selected, it will immediately forward any existing messages in the Inbox folder that have the given content in their subject lines.

This may be done with VBA or a Run a Script rule. If you’re using a rule to move messages to a different folder, executing a script rule is usually the best option because it can quickly send mail that meets certain criteria. Using Execute Rules Now, you may run the rule as messages come or on the messages in the folder at any moment.

When would you use Auto Forwarding in Outlook

You might wish to automatically forward the email that arrives in Outlook to another account at times. It can be useful to auto-forward messages to a co-worker if you’re going on vacation, for example.

Thing you should know about mail forwarding in Outlook

Messages that you reroute will stay in your Inbox as copies. If you apply a delete action to a message, the message will be moved to your Deleted Items folder and count against your mailbox limit. You may be prohibited from sending or receiving new messages if you exceed your mailbox limit, and forwarding rules may not operate until you remove messages to reduce the total below the mailbox limit.

You can enter several addresses to transmit to when creating a forward or redirect rule. Depending on your account’s settings, the number of addresses you may send to may be limited. Your rule will not operate if you include more addresses than are permitted. If you’re going to build a rule with several addresses, make sure you test it first.

In depth Step by step process – Automatically forward emails according to the subject line in Outlook?

Step by step breakdown:

  • First, open your Outlook application.
  • Right-click on an email that you want to set up a rule for.
  • Hover over “Rules” in the popup menu. (1)
  • Then click on “Create Rule…” (2)
  • Click the “Advanced Options…” button in the Create Rule dialog box.
  • Check the box next to “with…in the subject.” (1)
  • Click the “Next” button. (2)
  • Check the box next to “forward it to people or public group.” (3)
  • Check the box next to “stop processing more rules.” (4)
  • Next, click on the blue link in “with…in the subject.” (1)
    • A dialog box will open.
    • Enter the specific words you’re looking for.
    • You can “Add” multiple search terms that Outlook will search the subject lines for.
    • Select a search term and click “Remove” to remove them.
    • When you’re finished, click “OK.”
  • Then click on the blue link, “people or public group.” (2)
    • A dialog box will open.
    • Double-click on the names of people you want to forward the email to.
    • When you’re finished, click “OK.”
  • Click the “Next” button until you get to “Finish rule setup.”
  • Ensure that the box next to “Turn on this rule” is checked. (1)
  • Finally, click the “Finish” button. (2)

If the option to Run this rule now on messages already in “Inbox” is selected, all existing messages in the Inbox folder with the provided text in their subject lines will be instantly forwarded.

That’s it for this Blog. Thank you for taking time out to read our content, please feel free to email our team about how it went if you followed the steps or if you need more help with the questions we answered in this Blog.

Saajid Gangat

Saajid Gangat has been a researcher and content writer at Business Tech Planet since 2021. Saajid is a tech-savvy writer with expertise in web and graphic design and has extensive knowledge of Microsoft 365, Adobe, Shopify, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and more! You can connect with Saajid on Linkedin.

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