Why are Outlook Rules Not Running Automatically? Top Solutions

Throughout this blog, we will provide solutions to solve the “Outlook Rules Not Running Automatically” issue. Moreover, we will discuss the common reasons that cause the problem. So read this article until the end to find out which solution best fits your criteria.

These are the common causes of why you may be dealing with your Outlook rules not working automatically. As we know, setting up Outlook rules helps in simplifying the inbox and improves efficiency. Therefore, troubleshooting common errors is necessary to fix the rules that aren’t working and to clean the inbox again.

1. Enable the Rules

If you’re facing the issue, then first and foremost, you must enable Outlook Rules. Here’s how to do that.

• Open the application.
• Navigate to Files >> Rules and Alerts.
• Check the boxes for the concerned rules in the Rules and Alerts dialogue box.
• Click OK.

So, these were the steps to enable the rules if your Outlook rules are not running automatically. Although if you already had the rules enabled, let us move on to the next solution.

2. Reset or Rename the SRS File

One of the reasons for the “Outlook rules not working automatically” issue to arise could be that your SRS file is damaged or corrupted. Thus, here are the steps for how to reset it.

• Follow the link provided below. It will lead you to the location.
  C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook
• Next, change the “Outlook.srs” file to “Outlook.srs.old” and restart the application. These steps will help recreate the SRS file.

3. Update Your Application to the Latest Version

Sometimes the “Outlook Rules not running automatically” issue arises because users have not updated their email client to the latest version. If you belong to this category of users, here are the steps to follow.

• Open the application. Click File >> Office Account.
• Then, click Update Options >> Update Now.

Note: If you do not see the “Update Now” option after clicking on “Update Options”, then your Outlook is already updated and there’s no need to update it.

4. Change Outlook Offline Settings

Your settings could be preventing messages from syncing offline, thus, changing offline settings could help in tackling the issue. Follow the given instructions to change the settings.

• Open Outlook. Click on File tab >> Account Information tab
• Click on Account Settings and then select Account Settings again from the dropdown menu.
• Next, in the Email tab, click Change.
• You’ll see a Mail to keep offline below the “Offline Settings”. Hold your slider through the mouse and drag it right side.
• Afterward, click “Next” and then click “OK”. Upon doing so, restart your Outlook.

If changing Outlook offline settings doesn’t help in Outlook rules not running automatically, then you could look at the following segment and try turning off the Exchange mode.

5. Turn Off the Exchange Mode

When connecting to your email account, a copy of your mailbox is saved on the computer. Thus, you can fix the “Outlook rules not working automatically” issue by turning on the Exchange Cache Mode. Here are the steps to accomplish that.

• Open Outlook. Click File >> Account Settings and then click Account Settings again from the dropdown menu.
• Then, in the Email tab, click Change.
• Now, from the Offline Settings section, check the box for “Use Cached Exchange Mode”. Then, proceed to restart Outlook.

6. Delete Old Rules

If your Outlook rules not running automatically even after trying all the above-mentioned solutions, then deleting your old Outlook rules could help solve the issue. Here is how to do that.

• Launch Outlook. Go to File >> Rules and Alerts.
• Select a rule that you wish to delete and click Delete.
• Then, restart the application and create a new rule by following the steps from the segment below.

7. Create New Rules

If any of the above methods do not work for you, then it is time you create new rules. Here is how to do that to solve the Outlook rules not running automatically issue.

• Open the control panel and go to User Account > Mail > Show Profiles.
• Then, click on “Add” and create a new profile.
• Upon creating a new profile, launch Outlook again, choose the newly created profile, and ensure that your rules are working correctly.

So, this was the last solution to resolve the “Outlook rules not working” issue. And with that, we are done with all the manual troubleshooting techniques.

So There You Have It

In this article on “Outlook Rules Not Running Automatically”, we discussed the top solutions one can use to tackle the issue. Whichever solution you choose is based solely on your requirements. However, as suggested by experts, you can also use the above-mentioned utility to back up your data in order to avoid such disruptions.