# How to set up rules (filters) in Apple Mail

> Rules in Apple Mail let you automatically sort incoming messages into folders based on conditions you define.

Source: https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/email-apple/how-to-setup-rules-filters-in-apple-mail
Updated: 2026-06-09

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Rules in Apple Mail are filters that automatically sort your incoming messages into folders based on conditions you set up.

## Creating a rule in Apple Mail

1. Open **Mail**, then go to **Mail > Settings** (or **Preferences** on older macOS versions) and select the **Rules** tab.

   ![](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/7c/b1/7cb13f89a8ec367ebbdb668baadc488a81241e4c.png)

2. Click **Add Rule**.

   ![](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/42/4e/424e6d5b87491d0b221e58e0930a835d9a9ed9d7.png)

3. Enter a **description** for the rule so you can identify it later.

   ![](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/6e/5f/6e5f688c9bb334aea137967b043143014741670f.png)

4. Choose whether the rule should trigger when **any** or **all** of the conditions are met.

   ![](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/9e/32/9e32e16fc94e2216017d964ca34679b9470d4528.png)

5. Set your condition. For example, the condition below matches any message whose subject contains the word "Test".

   ![](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/57/13/57138cce09180c91cd88f172525119bad9c9a035.png)

6. Click the **+** button to add further conditions if needed, then set the action to take when the conditions are met.

   ![](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/66/9a/669a4ae0a7e18a3eb10db89005c38bafbd55a0b2.png)

7. Configure the action - for example, moving matching messages to a specific mailbox such as "Support" - then click **OK**.

   ![](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/77/66/7766b7bf12105eb1768211f250adb89c01f9b096.png)

8. Click **Apply** to run the rule against messages already in your mailbox.

   ![](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/88/2c/882c2dc98521dfc35bc0544eda154f9c89bcb2a5.png)

:::tip
You can drag rules up and down in the Rules list to change the order in which they are applied. Mail processes rules from top to bottom.
:::

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_Source: Kualo Knowledgebase — https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/email-apple/how-to-setup-rules-filters-in-apple-mail · © Kualo Ltd._