Level 2 - Finding and Sorting Items
Print this page: Organize Messages (pdf)Organize Messages
Outlook allows you to organize your messages in various ways. The Ways To
Organize Panel provides access to some frequently used rules for organizing
your Outlook items using folders, colors or views. The Ways to Organize Inbox
panel is shown below:
The Rules Wizard is a series of dialog boxes that takes you
step-by-step through the process of creating a rule. Rules created with the
Rules Wizard contain a condition and an action, and may also contain an exception.
Outlook has an assortment of rule templates predefined rules that can be used
as the basis for creating your own rules. Or, you can start with a blank rule
and compose your own criteria. The first step of the Rules Wizard is displayed
below:
To organize a message using color:
- Display the folder that contains messages you want to organize.
- Choose Tools --> Organize to display the Ways to Organize Panel.
- In the Ways to Organize Panel, click the Using Colors link.
- From the Color Messages drop-down list, select either From or Sent To.
- In the Color Messages text box, enter the user name of the person whose messages you want to display in color.
- From the color drop-down list, select a color.
Note: For more detailed formatting options, click Automatic Formatting. - Click Apply Color. The specified messages are displayed in the selected color. Any incoming messages that meet the conditions will be displayed in color also.
To organize messages using a rules template
- Display the folder that contains messages you want to organize.
- Display the Rules and Alerts dialog box:
- Choose Tools --> Rules and Alerts
- Or, in the Ways to Organize panel, click the Using Folders link and then click Rules and Alerts
- In the Rules and Alerts dialog box, click New Rule to launch the Rules Wizard.
- Select the Start Creating A Rule from the template option.
- From the template list, select the template and click Next.
- From the Which Condition(s) Do You Want To Check list box, check the condition(s).
- In the Edit The Rule description box, click any underlined value, edit it, and click Next.
- In the What Do You Want To Do With The Message list box, check the desired options.
- If necessary, in the Edit The Rule Description box, edit any underlined values and click Next.
- If desired, in the Add Any Exceptions list box, check the desired exceptions, and click Next.
- In the Specify A Name For This Rule text box, type a name for the rule.
- If desired, set up a rule option.
- Click Finish to create the rule and close the Rules Wizard.
- In the Rule list, select the rule and click OK to apply
the rule and close the Rules and Alerts dialog box.