Rules I created did not work

Question

I created a rule to notify me when the renewal date is approaching, but this did not work twice. I tried turning it on and off, deleting it and creating a new one, but it did not seem to work. I only have one rule created, so I did not exceed the rule limit.

Answer 1

Hi @Danny, 

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.  

Thank you very much for reaching out regarding the Outlook rule you set up to notify you when a renewal date is approaching. I appreciate your patience and the details you provided. 

To clarify, Outlook rules only trigger on messages that arrive or are sent not on future dates and desktop alerts are client‑side (requiring Outlook to be open and not suppressed by Focus Assist/Do Not Disturb), a rule will only fire when an incoming message precisely matches your specified conditions (e.g., Subject/Body/From); otherwise, it won’t run. 

Recommended approach for date‑based reminders, you may choose the option that fits best: 

1/ Calendar event + reminder (Classic Outlook) 

• You can drag the email from Inbox and drop it into the Calendar section (bottom-left). 
• Fill in the title and renewal date, set a reminder X days before. 
• Click Save & Close. 

More info here: Add or delete notifications or reminders in Outlook - Microsoft Support 

2/ Task / Microsoft To Do + due date 

Option A - Flag an email 
When you flag an email in Outlook (Classic or New), it syncs to Microsoft To Do and appears as a task with the email subject as the task title.  

You can open the task to view the email preview, add notes, set reminders, assign a due date, or move it to another list. 

Option B - Create a manual task 
If you prefer creating a task yourself  

• Add a new task in Microsoft To Do, name it “Renewal - <contract>,”  
• Set the due date to the renewal date and add a reminder a certain number of days before.  
• You can also add subtasks, repeat settings, or attach related documents.

Notifications sync across devices if To Do notifications are enabled. 

More info here: Using Microsoft To Do with flagged email from Outlook - Microsoft Support 

3/ Power Automate (Optional) 

If your renewal dates are stored in email, Excel, or SharePoint, you can build an automated flow that runs daily, checks which items are within N days of their renewal date, and then automatically sends a reminder email, creates a task, or updates a list.  

This method does not rely on new messages arriving and is useful when managing a large number of renewals or when reminders need to be sent to multiple people. 

In case you require more in-depth guidance or support for these steps, I’d recommend posting your query in the Microsoft Power Automate Community. This is a dedicated channel for Power Automate discussions. The reason I suggest posting a new topic there is that in the general Q&A Forum, resources and expertise on Power Automate are limited. In the Microsoft Power Platform Community Forum, you’ll find the most qualified group of respondents, and other partners who regularly read the forums can share their knowledge or learn from your interaction. 

 

I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out.    

Thank you again for your understanding and cooperation. 

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Answer 2

Several common issues can cause Outlook rules not to run even if they are enabled and under quota. Based on the described behavior, check the following in order:

1. Confirm the rule is enabled

• In classic Outlook, go to Tools > Rules.
• Select the account type in the left pane.
• Make sure the Enabled checkbox next to the rule is selected.

2. Verify the rule is being applied to new messages only Rules run automatically only when messages are received or sent. If the renewal reminder emails already exist in the mailbox, the rule will not trigger automatically on them.

• To apply the rule to existing messages:
  1. In the navigation pane, select Mail.
  2. Select the folder that contains the messages (for example, Inbox).
  3. On the Message menu, point to Rules > Apply, then choose the rule or Apply All.
  • Note: Manual application works only for “On My Computer” rules and not for server-based rules.

3. Check that the rule does not reference a deleted folder If the rule moves or copies messages to a folder that was deleted or renamed, it will not work.

• Go to Tools > Rules.
• Double-click the rule.
• Under the actions (for example, “move to folder”), ensure the target folder exists and select a valid folder if needed.

4. Ensure the rule is created for the correct account type A rule applies only to the account type it was created for (for example, POP vs IMAP vs Exchange).

• In Tools > Rules, select the correct account type in the left pane and verify the rule is listed there.
• If the renewal messages arrive in a different account type, recreate a similar rule under that account.

5. Check rule order and interaction with other rules Even if only one custom rule exists, built-in or other rules may run first and stop further processing.

• In Tools > Rules, select the account type.
• Make sure the renewal rule is high enough in the list.
• Edit the rule and under Then, clear Do not apply other rules to messages that meet the same conditions if multiple rules must apply.

6. If using new Outlook or Outlook on the web If the rule originated in classic Outlook and is a client-side rule, it may not work or be editable in new Outlook.

• In new Outlook, go to Settings > Mail > Rules and recreate the rule there if it shows as “This rule can't be edited or viewed.”

If, after these checks, the rule still does not trigger, recreate it carefully in the correct Outlook experience (classic vs new vs web), ensuring the condition exactly matches the renewal messages (sender, subject, or other criteria) and that the action (notification, move, etc.) uses existing folders.

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References:

• The rule I created does not work
• Edit or fix a broken rule in Outlook