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5 min fix 3 min read Recently reviewedBeginner

By , IT support technician

Quick Answer

In the New Outlook, click the Settings gear icon > Mail > Rules. Find the rule you want to execute, and click the Run rule now (play button) icon next to it.

How to Manually Run Inbox Rules in the New Outlook ​

Estimated Time to Fix: 5 minutes

Applies to: New Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the Web
Article Type: Troubleshooting
Last Updated: 2026-07-21

Summary ​

Email rules are fantastic for automatically moving newsletters to a "Read Later" folder or prioritizing emails from your boss. But occasionally, a rule fails to catch an email as it arrives. In the old "Classic" Outlook, you could open a menu and run all your rules across your entire inbox. The "New" Outlook handles this differently.

Symptoms ​

  • Emails that should have been moved by a rule are sitting in your primary Inbox.
  • You have created a new rule and want it to apply to emails you received yesterday.

Prerequisites ​

  • You must be using the New Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the web (office.com).
  • You must already have at least one rule created.

Instructions ​

1. Open the Rules settings ​

  1. Open the New Outlook app.
  2. Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner of the window.
  3. In the left navigation pane, click Mail.
  4. Click Rules in the middle pane.

2. Run the rule manually ​

You will see a list of all your configured rules.

  1. Locate the rule that you want to apply to your inbox.
  2. Hover your mouse over the rule.
  3. Click the Play button icon (a triangle pointing right). The tooltip will say "Run rule now".
  4. The rule will immediately scan your Inbox and perform its assigned action (like moving emails to a folder).

Note: You have to click the play button for each rule individually. The New Outlook does not currently support running every rule simultaneously with one click.

3. Verify the rule is working ​

If you clicked the play button and the email still didn't move, the rule's criteria might be too specific.

  1. While still in the Rules menu, click the Pencil icon (Edit) next to the broken rule.
  2. Check your conditions. Did you spell the sender's email address correctly? If the rule looks for the word "Invoice" in the subject, does the email actually say "Receipt" instead?
  3. Click Save and try running the rule again.

Troubleshooting ​

WARNING

Rules in the New Outlook only run automatically on emails that land directly in your Inbox. If an email goes straight to your Junk folder, or if you manually move an email to another folder on your phone before opening Outlook on your computer, your rules will ignore it.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
The Play button is grayed outRule is disabledEnsure the toggle switch next to the rule is turned On. Disabled rules cannot be run manually.
Rule runs manually, but never automatically"Stop processing more rules" conflictIf you have a rule higher up in your list that applies to the same email, and it has "Stop processing more rules" checked, the second rule will be ignored. Reorder your rules.