Tech Tip – Receive Only Your Important Notifications in Outlook

If you would like to save time by configuring Outlook to only send you alerts when important emails arrive, here’s how:

This involves setting up custom alert rules for specific people whose emails are particularly important to you e.g., the boss and other colleagues. To set up a custom alerting rule for a specific person:

– Open Outlook, find an email from someone for whom you want an alert.

– Right-click the email (or go to the Home tab of the ribbon at the top).

– Select Rules > Create Rule.

– Switch on the checkbox by the sender’s name.

– Choose “Display In The New Item Alert Window” and/or “Play A Selected Sound”.

– Choose the sound file to play for the alert. You can use the play button in the “Create Rule” window to hear the sound before making your choice.

– Click ‘OK’ to set the rule.

– Repeat the process for the other contacts you would like to receive alerts for.

To set up a custom rule for a whole domain:

– In the Home tab, click on Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts.

– Click “New Rule.”

– Select “Apply Rule On Messages I Receive” and click the “Next” button.

– Scroll down and select “With Specific Words In The Sender’s Address”.

– Click the underlined “Specific Words” (bottom panel).

– Add the domain you need to receive alerts for (@therequireddomain.co.uk) and click OK. The domain will replace “Specific Words”. Then click “Next”.

– Choose whether you require a sound played, an alert displayed, or both, and then click “Finish.”

– In “Rules and Alerts”, click “Apply” to turn on the rule.