Rules with "OR" instead of "AND" conditions?

Question

Can you create an Outlook rule with an "OR" condition instead of an "AND" condition? I want a rule to sort "from" fields. Messages from certain, multiple senders should be filed in the same folder. I don't want to have to create a separate rule for every sender.

Answer 1

Hi @ML,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum

I understand you're looking for a way to organize your inbox more efficiently by creating a single Outlook rule that can sort emails from multiple senders into the same folder—without having to build separate rules for each address.

You can set this up in Outlook by following these steps:

1. Right‑click an email from any of the senders > Rules > Create rule (or go to Settings > Mail > Rules)
2. Give it a clear, descriptive name.
3. Under Add a condition, choose From. In the people picker, type each sender’s email address and press Enter to add them. This creates a single From condition containing multiple values, which Outlook treats as “from any of these senders.”
4. Under Add an action, select Move to, then pick the folder where all these messages should go.
5. (Optional) If you don’t want later rules to override or re‑sort these emails.
6. Click Save. Since this is a server‑side rule, it will apply even when Outlook isn’t open.

For more detail: Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook.

 

 

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Answer 2

Yes. A single Outlook rule can use multiple conditions combined with OR so that one rule handles several senders and files all matching messages into the same folder.

In new Outlook for Windows:

1. Right-click a message from one of the senders in the message list.
2. Hover over Rules and select Create rule.
3. In the rule dialog, select More options.
4. Give the rule a name.
5. Under Add a condition, choose a condition such as From.
6. Add additional From conditions for each sender by selecting Add a condition again. These conditions are evaluated together so that messages matching any of the listed senders will trigger the rule.
7. Under Add an action, choose Move to (or similar) and select the folder where all these messages should be filed.
8. Optionally select Stop processing more rules if no later rules should apply to these messages.
9. Select Save.

This creates one rule that moves messages from any of the specified senders (logical OR across the multiple conditions) into the same folder, without needing separate rules per sender.

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References:

• Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook