The sole objective of the Outlook 365 rules is to bypass the default email management system of Microsoft Outlook. Users set up new rules to avoid the hassle of forwarding and categorizing tons of emails from their accounts.
But, utilizing the rules becomes senseless if you have to forward the emails conventionally, as your well-organized rules in Outlook 365 stopped steering automatically. That’s not going to help you cope with long working hours, is it?
Chin up! Just hovering on the internet won’t resolve the issue itself. You need to implement some techniques to run the rules on Outlook automatically.
That’s what the article is about. Just read through the passages, and you’ll manage to resolve the issue yourself.
Why are my Outlook Rules not running Automatically?
Surpassing the rule quota ― the maximum size for a rule function (265 KB) is the main reason behind Outlook rules failing to run automatically. Additionally, corrupted IMAP/ Pop3 data and Microsoft’s recent application version glitches can also trigger the effect.
Recently, I received about twelve comments about these rules functioning issues on Outlook. From what I learned about solving their real-time problem, they tend to ignore the rule quota most of the time.
Simply put, you can’t activate lines of rules in your Outlook settings. You have to follow limitations beforehand to set up a new rule. Usually, you can’t afford to establish a rule file that exceeds more than 265KB in size.
Also, if the personal storage tablet (PST) file is damaged or corrupted, Outlook rules won’t function spontaneously.
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Fix Outlook Rule not Working Automatically but Works Manually
Now that you have acknowledged the grounds for having the rules functionality issue, it’ll be a lot easier to resolve the problem.
Moving on towards the basic steps to ensure Outlook runs automatically. First of all, I’ll need you to check your internet connection. Having a stable internet connection is a must if you want Outlook rules to run automatically. Irrespective of using client-side rules or server-side rules. Then make sure the rules you fixed are enabled.
Ensured both segments that I mentioned? Okay, let’s proceed to the proven solutions.
Here are the methods you can try when Outlook rules are not running automatically:
1. Rename the Rule
If your rules have a lengthy name, that can be a cause of the excessive rule quota. Using a rule name that doesn’t exceed the minimum value will be helpful for you.
But in case you utilized a wordy name for an Outlook rule, you can rename the rule easily to avoid functionality issues.
Here’s the procedure to rename a rule in Outlook:
- Launch Outlook from your device.
- Click on File from the dashboard.
- Select Rules & Alerts from the next window. A popup window will appear.
- Click on the problematic rule, then select the change rule from the dashboard.
- Select rename rule > change to a concise name.
After renaming Outlook’s rules, it might start to function automatically as it’ll decrease the rule size. If that doesn’t, move to the following solutions.
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2. Delete the Old Rules
Deleting the old rule and recreating it by applying proper guidelines is another method of shortening the rule’s size. You might wonder, do a few kilobytes matter? The answer is plain and simple. Yes, size matters!
Here are the steps to delete old rules from Outlook:
- Launch Outlook and go to the File section.
- Click on Manage rules and alerts.
- Select the rule you want to delete.
- Tap on Delete from the dashboard.
After deleting the old rules, set the new rule according to your preference. But make sure to keep the rule size less than 265KB.
Check if the Outlook rules are working correctly. Move to the following section if it’s not.
3. Enable Cached Exchange Mode
Sometimes, Outlook can’t access your data due to internet issues, bugs, and whatnot. Cached exchange mode provides you the liberty to connect and disconnect with the internet at any time.
Basically, Outlook saves a copy of your mailbox in the cached exchange mode. This copy offers Outlook access to your data which gets frequent updates.
Here’s the procedure to enable cached exchange mode on Outlook:
- Launch Outlook client from your device.
- Go to the file section from the dashboard menu.
- Click on Account settings > Account settings.
- Select the Change option from the Email tab.
- Tick on Use cached exchange mode in the offline settings section.
Exit and restart Microsoft Outlook. After enabling cached exchange mode, you’ll be able to find that the manual implementation of the Outlook rule has been resolved.
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4. Rename the SRS File
Damaged/ corrupted SRS file — send and receive settings file is also an important reason for rules not responding automatically. When you reset the SRS file/rename the file, that should solve your issue.
Here are the steps to reset the Outlook SRS file:
- Launch Microsoft Outlook from your computer.
- Press ALt + Ctrl + S altogether to open the Send/Receive group window.
- Select rename from the right side of the window.
- Include .old instead of .srs at the end of the group name.
That will reset the SRS file. Exit and relaunch the Outlook client. Wait for a few minutes and check whether the email rule automatically moves to the selected path or you have to set it manually.
Jump on to the following section if your issues aren’t resolved yet.
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5. Create a new Outlook Profile
Tried all the solutions that I mentioned above, and nothing works? Creating a new Outlook profile will do just fine. A new Outlook profile will reset the existing rules.
Though it’s not the ideal solution, you can recreate new rules for the server-side/ client-side, which is the final resort if the Outlook rules deny functioning automatically.
Here’s the procedure to recreate an Outlook profile:
- Exit from the launched Outlook application to initiate the process.
- Press Windows + S keys together to launch the Windows search box.
- Type control panel and hit Enter.
- Move to the User account section from there.
- Select Mail > Show profiles.
- Click on add to create a new profile.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Launch the application once you open a new profile for Outlook. Delete the previous rules to start from the beginning.
These are the proven solutions in case you encounter Outlook rules not running automatically on your desktop Outlook client. If you have further queries, check out the following section.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I Fix Outlook rules not working?
Reset the rules, for starters, if Outlook rules are not working. Also, you can read this article about server-side rules not working on getting a complete overview of this matter.
How do I fix Outlook rules not running Automatically on a Shared Mailbox?
Most probably, your Outlook rules have exceeded the default limit, or you haven’t turned on the rules yet. Fix that, and Outlook rules on a shared mailbox will function automatically.
How Many Outlook Rules Can I Have on Outlook?
Usually, you can add 25 to 30 rules even though the limit is based on the total size of the rules folder.
Do Rules Slow Down Outlook?
Yes, if you surpass the rules limit that I mentioned earlier, it can slow your Outlook client.
Final Remarks
Whether you are using the web version of Microsoft Outlook or the desktop client, encountering these issues is pretty apparent. It could be a bad internet connection or a buggy interface. However, as long as you read this article, getting around those issues won’t be complicated.
Share this article with your friends if you want to help them with their tech-related problems. And of course, comment below if anything mentioned in this article seems complicated.
