Forum Discussion
Outlook rules not syncing across devices, am I missing something obvious ?
I am experiencing an issue with Outlook inbox rules not syncing across devices, and I'm trying to figure out if I'm missing out a key configuration or limitation.
This is the situation :
I have several inbox rules ( eg move messages from specific senders to folders, auto-forward certain emails) on my desktop Outlook client ( Windows, Microsoft 365 subscription). They work perfectly on that machine. But when I open Outlook on the web (OWA) or on my mobile devices, those rules don't show up completely or at times they don't run consistently...
Here's what I've checked ;
- 1. I'm using a Microsoft 365 Business standard account ( exchange online)
- 2. Rules were created in Outlook desktop app ( File > Manage Rules & Alerts)
- Cached Exchange Mode is enabled.
- The rules are client-only according to the UI, but I thought some rules could be server-side if basic enough?
- On OWA, when I go to Settings > Mail > Rules, it's either empty or doesn't show all the rules I created on desktop.
If I create rules in the desktop app shouldn't they sync to other clients ( OWA, mobile), or are they local by default ? What is the difference between client-side and server-side rules in terms of syncing and functionality ?
Here is the thing :
The rules that you created via Outlook Desktop ( Rules & Alerts ) are client-side by default,especially if they involve local folders, this is why they work fine on your desktop, but don't show or function in OWA or mobile apps.
You can create or re-create rules directly in OWA (Outlook Web App).- Go to Settings then Mail then Rules and create your rules there.
This are guaranteed to be server-side , and will sync across all clients.
5 Replies
Here is the thing :
The rules that you created via Outlook Desktop ( Rules & Alerts ) are client-side by default,especially if they involve local folders, this is why they work fine on your desktop, but don't show or function in OWA or mobile apps.
You can create or re-create rules directly in OWA (Outlook Web App).- Go to Settings then Mail then Rules and create your rules there.
This are guaranteed to be server-side , and will sync across all clients.
Thank you this helped.
Your current Outlook profile is not performing correctly. Add the rules to OWA and it will synch down to the desktop Outlook and phone much better. I stopped creating rules on desktop Outlook, performance is better with OWA. I had about 30 rules get corrupted last month so I deleted them all and started over.
Outlook rules created in the desktop app are often client-side, meaning they only run when Outlook is open on that device and don’t sync to Outlook Web or mobile. This is why you're not seeing them consistently across devices. To ensure rules sync and run everywhere, you need to create them in Outlook on the Web, where they are saved as server-side rules — these are managed by Exchange Online, run automatically, and are visible across all devices. There's no way to convert client-side rules to server-side; they must be recreated in OWA.
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Don't forget to mark as solution if my answer suits youWhen creating rules, check the box to keep a copy of the rules on the server, and log in to the same Exchange account to synchronize.
