Why Outlook Rules Not Working and How to Fix It?

Are your Outlook rules not working? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many users are struggling with rules not working in Outlook. In this write-up, we will cover why Microsoft Outlook rules not working and how they can be fixed.

Microsoft Outlook rules help users automatically manage incoming and outgoing emails. It allows users to automatically perform actions such as moving emails to folders, deleting unwanted emails, forwarding, or categorizing messages based on specific conditions. It helps to keep the mailbox organized. Sometimes Outlook rules stop working properly. Emails may stay in the inbox instead of moving to folders.

How to Fix Outlook Rules Not Working Automatically?

Now, we have walked through some essential key points that helped us understand why the Microsoft Outlook rules not working. So, moving further, we will tackle all the concerns about how to fix such a troubling issue. Let’s consider some solutions‌.

1. Enable Outlook Rules

First of all make sure that the Outlook rules are enabled.

1. Open MS Outlook and go to File tab.
2. Click on Manage Rules & Alerts option.
3. Now, the Rules and Alerts dialog box will open, where enable the checkboxes next to the rules.
4. Click on Apply and press OK.

2. Delete and Recreate Outlook Rules

Deleting & recreating the rules can help to fix Outlook rules not working issue.

To Delete:

1. Open Outlook and go to File tab.
2. Click on Manage Rules & Alerts.
3. Select the rules that are not working and click Delete button.

To Create:

1. Go to File tab in Outlook.
2. Click on Manage Rules & Alerts option.
3. Choose the New Rule and create a new rule in Outlook.

3. Recreate the SRS File

If the Send/Receive Setting file or SRS file is corrupted, then Outlook rules stop working. To fix it reset the SRS file.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Press Win + R and type %appdata%Microsoft\Outlook and press Enter.
3. Here, you will find a file named Outlook.srs.
4. Right-click on it and select Rename option.
5. Change the Outlook.srs file name to Outlook.srs.old.
6. Now, open Outlook and it will start recreating a new SRS file.

4. Update Outlook

If your Outlook is not updated to the latest version, it may also cause the issue of Outlook rules not working. So, ensure you are using the latest version of Outlook.

1. Open Outlook and click on File tab.
2. Now, click on Office 365 Account option.
3. Choose the Update option and click on Update Now.

5. Repair Outlook Data File

Corruption in the Outlook data file due to incorrect POP3 or IMAP accounts configuration can stop Outlook rules for working. So, repair the corrupted PST file to fix it. You can repair your file using Inbox Repair Tool or using a third-party tool.

1. Open Inbox Repair Tool.
2. Browse and choose PST file that you want to repair.
3. Click on Start button to begin the scanning process.
4. If any issue detect, then click on the Repair button.

You can also try the Advik PST Repair Tool to fix all Outlook issues. The software can easily repair corrupted PST files without affecting data items. There are no restrictions on the size of PST file to repair corrupted file. Additionally, the tool can also export the recovered data in different formats such as MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, etc.

Final Words

The Outlook rules not working is a common issue. This error can be easily solved with the right approach. In this post, we have explained several troubleshooting steps to fix rules not working in Outlook. If these manual methods do not work for you, try the Advik PST Repair tool that will help you to quickly fix the Outlook data file issues.