o365 email rules will not run automatically

Question

I have created rules for my emails and they will not run automatically. They only work if I manually run the rules.

Answer 1

Hi @shannonm,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A, and thank you very much for reaching out.

Based on your description, may I check whether the rule you created is server‑side or client‑side?

You can verify this by signing in to Outlook web > Settings > Mail > Rules and checking whether the rule appears there. If the rule exists in Outlook web, it is a server‑side rule.

If your inbox rules are server‑side rule, from my research, the recommended way to resolve this behavior is to recreate the rule directly in Outlook web, rather than in Outlook Classic.

To avoid any potential conflicts, please first delete the existing rules in Outlook Classic. It may be helpful to note what each rule does so you can recreate it accurately.

Next, create the same mail rule in Outlook on the web. Once created, the rule should automatically sync back to Outlook (Classic) and begin running as expected.

I hope this helps.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".      

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

If your Office 365 email rules are not running automatically and only work when you manually execute them, there could be several reasons for this issue. Here are some potential causes and solutions:

1. Rule Limitations: Ensure that your rules do not exceed the size limit for rules in your mailbox, which is typically set at 64 kilobytes. If your rules exceed this limit, they may not function properly. You can increase the size limit to 256 kilobytes if necessary.
2. Client-Only Rules: If your rules are set to run only on the machine where they were created (client-only rules), they will not run automatically on the server. Make sure to clear the "On this machine only" checkbox in the rule settings if you want them to run on the server as well.
3. Mailbox Configuration: Check if your mailbox is configured correctly. Some mailbox types, such as journaling mailboxes, do not support rules. Ensure that your mailbox is not set as a journaling mailbox.
4. Automatic Replies and Delivery Notifications: Be aware that rules may not work for certain types of messages, such as automatic replies or delivery notifications, due to design limitations in Outlook.
5. Outlook Settings: Sometimes, the settings in Outlook may prevent rules from running automatically. Verify that your Outlook application is set up correctly and is connected to the Exchange server.

If these suggestions do not resolve the issue, you may need to consult with your IT department or refer to Microsoft support for further assistance.