Tech Tip : Make Important Emails Stand Out Automatically
If important emails sometimes get lost among everything else in your inbox, Outlook can automatically make messages from particular people, or about particular subjects, appear in a different colour so they immediately catch your eye.
Why Is This Useful?
Unlike an Outlook rule that moves messages into another folder, Conditional Formatting leaves emails in your normal inbox but changes how particular messages appear.
For example, you could make emails from an important customer appear in red, messages from your manager appear in blue, or emails containing a particular project name appear in green. This makes important messages much easier to spot when quickly scanning a busy inbox.
How To Set It Up In New Outlook
In new Outlook:
- Click Settings.
- Select Mail > Conditional Formatting.
- Click + Add rule.
- Give the rule a name, such as “Important Customer”.
- Choose the condition you want to use, such as a particular sender.
- Choose the colour you want those messages to appear in.
- Click OK, then Save.
New Outlook has fewer conditional formatting options than classic Outlook, but it is ideal for straightforward rules such as highlighting messages from particular people.
How To Set It Up In Classic Outlook
Classic Outlook gives you more control:
- Select View > View Settings.
- Click Conditional Formatting.
- Click Add and give your rule a name.
- Click Font and choose the colour, font or style you want Outlook to use.
- Click Condition and tell Outlook which emails should receive that formatting.
- Click OK to save your changes.
For example, you can highlight messages from a particular person or make emails containing certain words in the subject stand out automatically.
A Simple Way To Make Your Inbox Easier To Scan
Once configured, Outlook applies the formatting automatically whenever a matching email appears, helping important customers, projects or colleagues stand out without moving messages around or requiring you to remember to flag them manually.
Note: Conditional Formatting is available for work or school accounts with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription. The feature is more comprehensive in classic Outlook, so some of the more advanced options may not be available in new Outlook.
