How to automatically move mail to a specified folder

Problem:

You want to move emails from a default folder to a specified (e.g. public) folder.

Solution:

The configuration procedure is described below. For the purpose of this article, let us assume that the folder structure in your Outlook looks as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. The Public Folders' structure.

1. Go to the default Sent Items folder, and on the Home tab click the Rules button and select Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. The Rules and Alerts window opens. Click the New Rule button.
3. Locate the Start from a blank rule section, select the Apply rule on messages I send option, and click Next (Fig. 2.).

   
   Fig. 2. The new rule wizard in Outlook.

4. Check the through the specified account option and click the specified link in the bottom section (highlighted in Fig. 3.).
5. A dialog box with the list of all defined accounts is displayed. Select an account for this rule (Fig. 3.) and click Next.

   
   Fig. 3. Selecting an email account for a rule.

6. Choose the move a copy to the specified folder option, and in the bottom section click the specified link (highlighted in Fig. 4.). In the folder browser, indicate the public folder to which the messages will be moved. In this example, the Common Sent Items folder is selected (Fig. 4.). Click OK.

   
   Fig. 4. Choosing a public folder where messages will be redirected.

7. Click the Next button to configure exceptions. Here, you specify when the rule should not be applied.
8. Click Next to proceed. The setup summary displays, where you can also type the name of the rule.
9. Click Finish to save the rule and close the configuration window, then click OK to close the Rules and Alerts window.

This sample rule can be extremely useful for companies in which mail sent from multiple machines needs to be accessible from a single public folder.