Server-side rules operate on the server rather than in the Outlook customer, so they let you use guidelines before messages ever strike your system. Here’s how they work and what you can do with them.

What Are Server-Side Rules?

When you set up normal rules in Outlook, they only work when the Outlook app is open on your system. These are called client-side guidelines due to the fact that they work in the Outlook customer app. They’re great for things like filtering email into different folders due to the fact that the rules fire off when you open Outlook or when any messages hit your inbox.

What if you desire rules that fire off when Outlook is closed, such as forwarding messages to a colleague while you’re on getaway? For that, you require server-side rules, which deal with the server that manages your mail regardless of whether you have Outlook open on your computer system. Outlook lets you develop those too, so let’s action through the procedure.

Caution: Server-side guidelines work if you are utilizing Microsoft Exchange for your email server (either cloud-based O365 or an on-premises Exchange server), however not if you’re utilizing Outlook to process mail from a supplier like Gmail or Yahoo!. You can still establish an out-of-office reply and guidelines for a non-Microsoft account, however you’ll have to leave Outlook on and running. If that’s what you need, we’ve got directions for you.

How to Set Up Server-Side Rules

You create typical (client-side) rules in the Rules Manager by going to Home > > Rules, however we’re not utilizing those. Instead, go to File > > Options and click the “Automatic Replies” button.

To begin crafting a server-side rule, click the “Rules” button.

This brings up the Automatic Reply Rules panel, and as you can see, there’s not a lot you can do other than click the “Add Rule” button.

The Edit Rule window that opens is where you can form your brand-new server-side guideline.

You’ll see that the options for these guidelines are much simpler than in the Rules Manager. This is because you are restricted to actions that can be performed by the server. If you want Outlook to play a specific noise when a mail from your employer gets here, you can only do that with a client-side guideline.

Let’s say one of the group is away, and they want any mail about How-To-Geek to be transferred to a specific folder and forwarded to a particular individual. First, they ‘d choose the “Sent straight to me” option. Next, they ‘d go into “How-To-Geek” in the subject line. They ‘d then select the “Copy to” choice and select a folder. They ‘d check the “Forward” option, select the recipient from the address book, and then click “OK.”

The guideline is contributed to the list of server-side guidelines and after that will be run despite whether Outlook is open.

You can add as a lot of these guidelines as you like. And undoubtedly, you can do more with them than the simple example we’ve revealed here. You might use them to alter the importance of messages from specific contacts or which contain specific words in the topic. Or you might have a server-side guideline erase particular kinds of messages before they ever reach your inbox.

Server-side guidelines run on the server rather than in the Outlook customer, so they let you use guidelines before messages ever hit your system. When you set up typical rules in Outlook, they just work when the Outlook app is open on your system. These are called client-side guidelines because they work in the Outlook customer app. What if you desire rules that fire off when Outlook is closed, such as forwarding messages to a coworker while you’re on vacation? For that, you need server-side rules, which work on the server that handles your mail regardless of whether you have Outlook open on your computer system.