Outlook Rules not working

Question

Outlook Rules not working

james Sigmn 0

I have an end user with Outlook 365, and the rules stopped working with the group mailbox. Tried the following.

1: Recreate the rules. No go.

2: export from another user to another user whose rule was working. No GI

3: Help

3 answers

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Answer 1

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Answer 2

Vergil-V 1,955 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @james Sigmn
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum!
Based on your description, I understand that the inbox rule you've set up in Outlook is no longer functioning as expected with your group mailbox.

To investigate this further, I’ve conducted a test using an inbox rule with a Microsoft 365 group in Outlook on the web (OWA), and it worked as expected. Here's an example of the rule I used:

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To better assist you, could you please share the specific inbox rule you've configured for your group mailbox in Outlook on the web (OWA)?

Since rules created in OWA are server-side, they tend to be more reliable and take effect before syncing to your devices.

Before sharing, kindly ensure that any personal or sensitive information (such as your email address, organization domain name, etc.) is removed to protect your privacy and to ensure your reply is valid.

If I’ve misunderstood any part of your situation, or if you have further questions or updates, please don’t hesitate to reply

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Vergil-V 1,955 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-04T08:54:54.44+00:00

Hi @james Sigmn
I just wanted to kindly follow up to see if you’ve had a chance to review my previous response.
We would greatly appreciate any updates you may be able to provide, particularly regarding the usefulness of the information we shared. Your feedback is essential to our ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of our support.
Thanks again for your time, and we look forward to hearing from you
James Sigmon 0 Reputation points

2025-08-04T13:42:54.2433333+00:00

Here is a screenshot of the old Rule.
James Sigmon 0 Reputation points

2025-08-04T14:16:06.4833333+00:00

Below is the ticket:

We tried to set up an Outlook email rule that will forward the emails that are SENT from the ******@company.com SHARED mailbox to the INOBX folder of the ******@company.com mailbox. However, we cannot select the INBOX folder of the ******@company.com SHARED mailbox.

Removed the CO's name and just added company.com
James Sigmon 0 Reputation points

2025-08-05T14:50:22.78+00:00

Any help on this would be great we have ticket open to MS but not getting the help.
Vergil-V 1,955 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-06T10:10:55.38+00:00

Hi @James Sigmon
Thank you for your follow-up.
***Please understand that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your image to cover your organization domain name in the description. Please notice to hide these personal or organization information next time you post error or some information to protect personal data. ***

My sincere apologies for the delayed response. I wanted to take the time to conduct thorough testing and research to ensure I could provide you with the most helpful and accurate information.

Findings on Transport Rule Limitations
I attempted to replicate your scenario and encountered an error when trying to set up a redirect to a Microsoft 365 Group. This behavior aligns with a known limitation, as documented here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/security-and-compliance/mail-flow-rules/mail-flow-rule-actions#actions-for-mail-flow-rules-in-exchange-online Additionally, based on the logic in the image and this article: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/security-and-compliance/mail-flow-rules/conditions-and-exceptions#recipients, we can conclude that the "Redirect the message to" action is currently not supported for Microsoft 365 Groups.

Testing and Workaround
As I mentioned in my previous testing, the "Redirect to" action does work with inbox rules. However, based on the additional context you provided, I found that this approach doesn’t fully meet the intended outcome. In my test environment, the email was redirected to the user’s mailbox instead of the M365 Group, resulting in duplicate messages.

To better align with your goal of having external emails forwarded to the M365 Group inbox, I conducted some testing based on the transport rule you shared. Here is the setup I used.

Step 1: A transport rule was created to send a BCC email to a user who is a member of the M365 Group when the sender is external.

Step 2: Email forwarding was enabled from that user’s mailbox to the M365 Group mailbox.
This can be configured through Outlook Web App.

Step 3: A test email was sent from an external sender
As a result, the M365 Group successfully received the forwarded email, and there were no duplicate messages.

Although my inbox rule did not work as expected, I would still like to share it in case it provides helpful context or works in your environment.

The first approach I tried was to create an inbox rule that redirects all emails except those from internal senders.

The second approach was to create a transport rule that adds the word "External" to the subject line when the sender is external. I then created a follow-up inbox rule to detect these emails and redirect them.

If you have a more effective approach or any suggestions, please feel free to share.
Thank you again for your patience and collaboration.
Vergil-V 1,955 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-08T10:56:22.5466667+00:00

Hi @James Sigmon
Hope you're having a good day.
May I ask if there have been any updates regarding the interaction between transport rules and Microsoft 365 groups?
Have you had a chance to review the responses shared so far?
I’d appreciate any updates you can provide, and please let me know if there’s anything further I can do to assist.
James Sigmon 0 Reputation points

2025-08-08T11:51:04.11+00:00

We are still having issues with the Rules and transport.
Vergil-V 1,955 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-11T06:23:06.4566667+00:00

Hi @James Sigmon
Thank you for your updates. I'm sorry to hear that the issue is still ongoing
Could you please confirm if you had a chance to try the workaround we discussed, which involved combining a transport rule with email forwarding?
If so, any details on the results or specific challenges you encountered would be greatly appreciated.
Your feedback will help us determine the next steps and find a working solution for you.

Answer 3

James Sigmon 0

The work around did not help. It created double emails in the person's personal email .

James Sigmon 0 Reputation points

2025-08-11T12:53:14.17+00:00

Now user has folder issued with in outlook not showing up.
Vergil-V 1,955 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-12T08:08:46.07+00:00

Hi @James Sigmon

Would it be possible for me to review the transport rule and email forwarding configuration on your end via private message? This would be more convenient for you, as it involves email addresses that shouldn't be shared publicly.

Understanding your current setup will help me better tailor my support and ensure everything is aligned correctly.

Thanks in advance, and please let me know if that works for you!
James Sigmon 0 Reputation points

2025-08-12T11:56:40.9033333+00:00

Sure that would be great

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Outlook Rules not working

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