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How to Create Shared Inbox Rules

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by

Ludovic Armand

December 15, 2022

· Updated on

April 8, 2025

Microsoft Outlook shared inbox rules are one of the oldest features of the software. They allow users to set certain rules and actions for new emails that land in the inbox. These rules can be used to delete certain emails, move them to a specified folder or reply to emails.

But creating rules for a shared mailbox in Outlook (part of Microsoft 365) isn’t the most straightforward process.

In this blog, we’ll take a look at how these rules can be set up, the most common problems with shared mailbox rules in Outlook and how can Missive could be a better alternative.

How to Create Rules for a Shared Mailbox in Outlook?

Create rules for shared mailbox in Outlook

Rules in a shared Outlook mailbox are a great way to allow your team to manage incoming emails in a team inbox.

You can create rules to send emails to the right folder to remove certain people from emails so they are only viewed by the right member of the team.

To create rules for a shared mailbox in Outlook, you will need to have full access to the mailbox and be able to log in to it.

If you don’t already have a shared mailbox, follow these instructions first to create one.

Creating Shared Mailbox Rules on Outlook on the Web

To create rules in Outlook on the web you’ll need to open a shared mailbox in a new browser’s window. To do so:

  1. Sign in to your Outlook 365 account on the web.
  2. Click on your name in the top right corner of the window.
  3. Click on Open another mailbox...
  4. Choose the shared mailbox in which you want to add rules by entering its email address.

With that shared mailbox opened you can set up a rule by doing as follow:

  1. In the setting menu ⚙️ located on the top right, select the  Inbox and sweep rules in the Mail > Automatic processing section.
  2. In the Inbox Rules window click on the + to create a new rule.
  3. Name your new rule.
  4. From there you can create your rule and set up the conditions, exceptions, and actions you want it to accomplish.
  5. When you’re done, click on Ok to save.

Creating Shared Mailbox Rules on PC and Mac

Outlook 365 on PC

  1. On your PC, open the Outlook app.
  2. In the menu bar click on File and then select Manage Rules & Alerts. You can also access this menu by clicking on Rules and Manage Rules & Alerts in the Outlook ribbon
  3. In the new window, select the shared mailbox from the menu named Apply changes to this folder.
  4. Create a rule by clicking on New Rule.

Outlook 365 on Mac

This menu is only available for managed accounts.

  1. On your Mac, open the Outlook app.
  2. From the menu bar, select Tools > Rules.
  3. In the new window, you’ll be able to select the shared account to which you would like to add a rule.
  4. You can then select the type of information you want, such as From, Recipients, or Subject, by clicking on the arrows in the first box. Make sure to select all the conditions for your rule.
  5. You can add terms by clicking on Add search terms. Add each term you want to the search list.

Can Microsoft Outlook or Office 365 Rules Be Shared?

Microsoft Outlook and Office 365 (recently renamed Microsoft 365) individual rules can be shared with other users in your organization. To do this, you can use the "Rule Sharing" feature in Outlook, which allows you to share your rules with other users in your organization.

On the other hand, rules created for shared mailboxes are already shared among all team members as they are assigned to the specific mailbox. The rules can be created, modified, and deleted by any member of the mailbox as long as they have Full Access permission.

Rules to Manage Your Outlook Team’s Shared Mailbox More Easily

Note: These rules are applicable to those running the old Outlook. The new Outlook removed certain functionality, including rules that customized sounds and printed emails.

1. Send Automatic Replies to Emails

Setting up a rule to automatically reply to certain incoming emails can help you and your team. It can be especially useful to set up for a support inbox as it will let know your customer that you’ve received their messages and that you’ll get back to them as soon as possible.

To do so:

  1. In the Microsoft 365 portal, click on Groups and then Shared mailboxes.
  2. Select the shared mailbox you want to set up an auto-reply to.
  3. On the right of the menu, click on Automatic replies.
  4. Write the reply you want to be sent automatically.

2. Filter emails coming to a shared email alias in folders

Some shared email aliases are really general and broad. It can be useful to filter incoming emails into categorized folders to improve your team's efficiency.

To do so:

  1. Create a new rule by following the steps above.
  2. As the condition select Move messages with specific words in the subject to a folder as the template and click on Next.
  3. Next, select the condition you want to be met for this rule to apply. For example: with specific words in the subject. Once selected click on Next.
  4. Next, we want to select the action the rule will perform. This time let's select: with specific words in the subject. Click Next.
  5. Lastly, you can select an exception when you don’t want to apply. If you don’t want an exception, click on Finish without any options selected.

3. Automatically Filter out These Annoying Outreach Emails

Like almost anyone at this point, your inbox is probably bombarded with unwanted or annoying outreach emails

There are a few different approaches you can take to automatically filter them out. The most commonly used is to use a spam filter, which can automatically identify and move spam emails to a separate folder or mark them as spam. Most email providers, like Outlook, include one built-in.

But some of them still manage to slip into the cracks. Another approach you can take is to create custom rules in Microsoft 365 to automatically move or delete emails that match certain criteria.

To do so:

  1. Create a new rule by following the steps above.
  2. As the condition select Move messages with specific words in the subject to a folder as the template and click on Next.
  3. Next, select the condition you want to be met for this rule to apply. For example: with specific words in the subject. Once selected click on Next.
  4. Next, we want to select the action the rule will perform. This time let's select: with specific words in the subject or body. Click Next.
  5. Enter the words you want to trigger the rule, such as "outreach" or "sales pitch".
  6. Lastly, you can select an exception when you don’t want to apply. If you don’t want an exception, click on Finish without any options selected.

Common Problems with Shared Mailbox Rules in Outlook

There are several common problems that users may encounter when working with rules in a shared mailbox in Microsoft Outlook.

The most common problems tend to be related to permissions and configuration, and can usually be resolved by an administrator with the appropriate knowledge and experience.

  1. Inability to create or modify rules: In some cases, users may not have sufficient permissions to create or modify rules in a shared mailbox. This can be due to the mailbox being set up with the wrong permissions, or the user not having the appropriate permissions.
  2. Rules not applying to all messages: If the user has created a rule that is supposed to apply to all messages in the mailbox, it may not be triggered for messages sent to a specific email address or folder. This can be due to a misconfiguration of the rule, or the mailbox not being set up properly.
  3. Rules not working properly: In some cases, rules may not work as intended, or may not be triggered at all. This can be due to a number of factors, such as incorrect settings or conflicting rules.
  4. Inability to customize rules for individual users: Shared mailbox rules are typically applied to all users, which may not be suitable for everyone.
  5. Potential for rule conflicts: Shared mailbox rules may overlap or conflict with each other, leading to unexpected behavior or incorrect application of rules.
  6. Not enough space: Outlook's inbox rules are limited to 256 KB in both the web and desktop apps. You will need space in your mailbox for each rule you create. The space limit only applies to enabled *inbox *rules.

Even if you’re following the shared mailbox best practices and setting up rules correctly in Microsoft 365, it can be hard to manage all your team inboxes in Outlook.

How Do Missive Rules Compare to Shared Mailbox Rules in Outlook?

Outlook rules are a good way to manage shared mailboxes, but they are not the most straightforward to set up and are, not to say the least, basic. When trying to manage a shared inbox, team collaboration and workflow efficiency is the key to success.

Missive rules are a powerful way to automate your team's workflows. They work the same way Outlook 365 rules and Gmail filters do. When the rule conditions are met, the automated actions defined on the rule are triggered.

However, as opposed to Microsoft 365 rules, they can be executed when any message, let it be an email, SMS, tweet, DM, Facebook message, WhatsApp, or Missive Live Chat comes in or out of your inbox. They can also be defined by some user actions like applying/removing a label, changing the status of a conversation (assigned/closed/reopened), or posting a new comment in a conversation.

In addition, Missive offers a powerful way to use rules for better teamwork and productivity. For example, you can:

  • Round-Robin assignment to only employees online: With rules, you can automatically assign conversations to selected coworkers on a cyclical basis. Incoming conversations are rotated to online team members in the order they are received.
Round-robin conversation assignment method
  • Make sure all emails get a reply on time: With time-based rules, you can respect your Service-level agreements (SLA). Rules can notify stakeholders when a message hasn’t been answered in the appropriate time and send auto-response messages to customers when the SLA has been breached.
Automatically apply labels to conversations
  • Automatically assign sent emails to authors: With rules, you can auto-assign emails to the author. It can be useful if many employees send cold emails to customers using a common shared email account. By doing this, if the recipient replies, only the author will receive it in their inbox.
Description Auto-assign sent emails
Conditions Email account is sales@mycompany.com
Actions Assign sender
  • Add special notes to communication: With a simple rule, you can automatically add a note to each email. People in the team can use this information to better meet the needs of that customer.
Automatically add notes to any conversation
   A big warning your employees won’t miss.

There’s also the possibility of creating custom rules to automate your workflow. We’ve compiled a list of 15 templates to help you get started.

Missive recently added AI to Rules—now, the possibilities are endless.

Two Real-World Examples of AI Rules

To show the range of Missive's AI Rules, we'll share a simple and complex example to spark your imagination.

  • Simple: Identify AI-written emails, label it, and remove it from your Inbox:
  • Complex: Identify if an email is about buying or selling. If buying, trigger a pre-defined set of actions (add a label, assign to certain people, generate tasks, and summarize the email in note):

We look forward to seeing what you come with using Missive Rules! 

Still have questions? Learn how Canny’s team is taking advantage of Missive’s rules to be more efficient with their inbox or book a demo!

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