Set up rules and automations in the Mail app on your Mac

Setting up rules and automations in the Mail app is only possible on the Mac. The iPhone and iPad also have a Mail app, but it is a bit simpler. That is why we will focus on the Mac in this tip.

What are rules and automations?

Apple officially calls the feature rules, but they are also automations. In short, you can have certain tasks performed when incoming or outgoing emails meet specific conditions. For example, you can mark messages from certain senders with a special color. Or you can have messages with certain content automatically deleted or forwarded.

As is often the case with automations, we recommend just taking a look at the possibilities. Whether it is useful for you can depend on very specific things. The same goes for automations in the Shortcuts app, for example. The most advanced rule you can set is an AppleScript.

How to set up rules in Mail

To set up rules or just explore the options, first open the Mail app on your Mac. Then follow these steps:

1. In the menu bar, go to Mail > Settings or use the key combination command + , (comma).
2. In the settings window, click Rules at the top.
3. Right click on Add Rule and give the rule a name.
4. You can now view all the options, starting with the condition(s) and followed by the action(s) to be performed.
5. Rules set? Click OK.

By default, there is already a set of rules active. It is called News from Apple. If you leave it active, emails from Apple will be highlighted in a different color. You can also deactivate it by unchecking the box in the Rules menu.

It is also good to know that the order of your actions matters. The actions you put at the top will also be executed first.

iCloud Mail Rules

Do you use multiple Macs? Your rules will sync as long as you have iCloud Drive enabled for Mail. The rules will run locally on the mailbox, whenever you open the Mail app on that Mac.

There are also Mail rules that apply to iCloud. You can only create these on your Mac in the browser that goes to iCloud.com. It is not possible to do this directly in the Mail app on your Mac. Here’s how it works:

1. On iCloud.com, go to the Mail section.
2. At the top of the mailbox list, click Settings > Settings > Rules > Add.
3. Enter a name for the new rule.
4. Specify which emails you want to select.
5. Select an action to be performed.
6. Click Add.

You can create up to 500 rules.

You can also add iCloud Mail rules in the Settings app on iPhone and iPad:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap your account name at the top of the screen.
3. Go to iCloud > Mail > iCloud Mail Rules.
4. Then tap Add Rule to create a new rule.

It’s not just the Mail app on Mac that has more advanced features. For example, check out our tip on editing multiple emails at once on iPhone.