Filter One Sender's Mail to a Certain Folder in Outlook

Manage your messages with personalized folders for important email

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by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated September 16, 2018

In Outlook, creating a rule that files all mail from a specific address to a certain folder is easy. If you don't already have a folder set up for this purpose, create a new folder for the individual's email.

Your Latest Emails, Automatically Organized and Filed

Whether it is mail from your smart daughter, best client, oldest friend, latest colleague, or favorite neighbor, it can be filtered to its own folder right away.

Outlook can send all incoming messages to any folder automatically using a filter. It is easy to set up, too—especially when you have a message from the sender at hand and ready.

How to Filter One Sender's Mail to a Certain Folder

Screenshots showing how to automatically move emails into a folder in Outlook 2016
Outlook 2016 Directions.

To have Outlook file a particular sender's messages automatically:

  1. Open an email from the sender whose messages you want to filter.

  2. Go to the Home tab in the ribbon.

  3. Select Rules | Always Move Messages From: [Sender] under Move.

  4. Highlight the desired target folder.

  5. Click OK.

Filter One Sender's Mail to a Certain Folder in Outlook 2007 and 2010

Screenshots showing how to automatically move emails into folders in Outlook 2007
Outlook 2007 Directions.

To instruct Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 to file a particular sender's messages automatically:

  1. Click with the right mouse button on a message from the sender whose messages you want to filter.

  2. In Outlook 2007, select Create Rule from the menu that comes up. In Outlook 2010, select Rules | Create Rule from the contextual menu.

  3. Make sure From [Sender] is checked.

  4. Also check Move the item to folder.

  5. Click Select Folder.

  6. Highlight the desired target folder.

  7. Click OK.

  8. Click OK again.

  9. To move all existing messages from the sender that are located in the current folder to the filter's target folder right away, check Run this rule now on messages already in the current folder. Either way, the rule automatically sends the sender's new incoming messages in the future.

  10. Click OK once more.