![Automatic Forwarding Outlook Featured Image](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2022/12/automatic-forwarding-outlook-featured-image.jpg)
Outlook lets you automatically forward emails sent to your inbox to any other Outlook or email accounts, like Gmail, AOL, iCloud Mail, Yahoo!, etc. Depending on your device, you can either set up automatic forwarding using the forwarding section of Outlook’s settings or create an automatic forwarding rule using Outlook’s rules feature. This tutorial walks you through the steps.
Tip: going on a vacation soon? Set up an out-of-office message in your Outlook account to keep senders in the loop!
Set Up Auto Forwarding in New Outlook for Windows and Web
You can set up automatic forwarding for both personal and organizational Outlook accounts. Follow the steps below to do so in the Web version as well as the new Outlook app for Windows, which was released in September 2022 and is available for all Office Insiders.
- Sign in to your Outlook account.
- Click on the gear icon in the top right to open the settings menu.
![Gear icon in Outlook app for web.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-web-inbox.jpg)
- Click on “View all Outlook settings.”
!["View all Outlook settings" button in Outlook for web.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-web-settings-fly-out.jpg)
- Go to “Mail -> Forwarding” to change your account’s automatic forwarding settings.
![Forwarding section under Settings in Outlook for web.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-web-settings-window.jpg)
- Check the box for “Enable forwarding.”
!["Enable forwarding" section in Outlook for web.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-web-settings-forwarding.jpg)
- Type a forwarding email address and choose whether you want to keep a copy of forwarded emails.
![Adding email address for forwarding in Outlook for web.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-web-settings-forwarding-keep-copy.jpg)
- Click on “Save” at the bottom to apply your automatic forwarding settings.
![Saving forwarding settings in Outlook for web.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-web-settings-save.jpg)
Tip: you can also set up automatic forwarding in Gmail to forward emails to your Outlook and other email accounts.
Set Up Auto Forwarding Using Rules in Outlook for Windows and Web
Both legacy and new Outlook app versions for Windows allow you to create rules and set up email forwarding. The option is also available in the Web version of Outlook.
New Outlook App and Web
If you want to create an automatic forwarding rule using the new version of Outlook for Windows or the Web version, follow these instructions:
- Launch the new Outlook app for Windows.
- Click on the gear icon to open the Settings pop-up.
![Gear icon in new Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-new-windows.jpg)
- Click on “View all Outlook settings” at the bottom.
!["View all Outlook settings" option in new Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-new-windows-settings.jpg)
- In the Settings window, go to “Mail -> Rules -> Add new rule” to create a new rule.
!["Add a new rule" option in new Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-new-windows-settings-rules.jpg)
- Type a relevant rule name for easier rule management. Since you’re setting up automatic forwarding, use something like “Automatic Forwarding.”
![Naming a new rule in new Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-new-windows-rule-name.jpg)
- Add a condition. For example, if you want all emails that go into your inbox forwarded, select “Apply to all messages.”
![Adding a condition to new rule in new Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-new-windows-rule-condition.jpg)
- Select an action in “Add an action.” For automatic forwarding, select “Forward to.”
![Adding an action to rule in new Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-new-windows-rule-name-action.jpg)
- Type a forwarding address and click “Save.”
![Typing in a forwarding address in new Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-new-windows-rule-address.jpg)
- The forwarding rule you created should be on the list of “Rules” in the Outlook app.
![View new rule in new Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-new-windows-rule-added.jpg)
Legacy Version of Outlook for Windows
You can also create an automatic forwarding rule in the classic Outlook interface by following these steps:
- Launch the legacy version of the Outlook app for Windows.
- Click on “File” in the app window.
![File option menu in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-file.jpg)
- To create a rule, click on “Rules and Alerts.”
![Clicking on "Rules and Alerts" in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-and-alerts.jpg)
- Click on “New Rule.”
!["New rule" option in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-and-alerts-window.jpg)
- Select “Apply rule on messages I receive,” then click on “Next.”
!["Apply rule on messages I receive" option in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-wizard.jpg)
- Select a condition. If you want messages addressed only to your email to be forwarded, check the box beside “Sent only to me.”
![Selecting a condition for rule in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-wizard-conditions.jpg)
- Select an action. For example, check the box beside “Forward it to people or public group,” then click on the underlined value to add forwarding addresses.
![Selecting an action for rule in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-wizard-actions-email.jpg)
- Add a forwarding email address, then click on “OK.”
![Add forwarding address in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-wizard-add-email.jpg)
- Once you get back to the previous window, check the forwarding address you added, then click on “Next.”
![Checking new rule in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-wizard-actions-1.jpg)
- Select exceptions. This step is optional. If you don’t need to add exceptions, click on “Next.”
![Add exceptions to rule in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-wizard-add-exception.jpg)
- Review the rule you created, then click on “Finish.”
![Finish creating new rule in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-wizard-review.jpg)
- After creating the rule, you should see it in the list of rules. If it’s there, click “Apply.”
![Rule view in legacy Outlook for Windows.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-legacy-windows-rules-and-alerts-added-apply.jpg)
Good to know: make sure your Mac is fully secure before sending out your emails and starting other tasks.
Set Up Auto Forwarding Using Rules in Outlook for Mac
If you’re using Outlook’s desktop app for Mac, you can set up automatic forwarding in Outlook using rules.
Note that the rules feature isn’t supported in the new version of Outlook for Mac. To create rules, you need to switch to the legacy version of Outlook by going to the menu bar and clicking on “Help -> Revert to Legacy Outlook.” To switch back to the new Outlook, just click on the toggle beside “New Outlook” at the top right of the Outlook app window on your Mac.
- Launch the Outlook app for Mac.
- From the menu bar, click on “Outlook,” then click on “Settings.” You can also press Command + ,.
![Clicking on the Settings option in Outlook for Mac.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-mac-menu.jpg)
- In the “Outlook Preferences” window, click on “Rules.”
![Clicking on "Rules" in Outlook for Mac.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/outlook-app-mac-preferences.jpg)
- Inside the “Rules” window, click on the plus icon at the bottom to add a new rule.
![Clicking the "Add" button under Rules in Outlook for Mac.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-app-mac-rules.jpg)
- Type a relevant rule name so that you can easily manage rules when you create more than one. In this case, you can use something like “Automatic Forwarding.”
![Naming the new rule in Outlook for Mac.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-app-mac-new-rule.jpg)
- Select a condition under “When a new message arrives that meets all these conditions.” This will filter messages you want to forward automatically. You can select “All Messages” to have all your emails forwarded or select a filter.
![Adding a "When a new message arrives" condition in Outlook for Mac.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-app-mac-new-rule-conditions.jpg)
- Select an action under “Do the following.” Since you’re setting up automatic forwarding, select “Forward To.”
![Adding a "Do the following" condition in Outlook for Mac.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-app-mac-new-rule-actions.jpg)
- Type a forwarding email address and click “OK.”
![Rule view in Outlook for Mac.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-app-mac-new-rule-address.jpg)
- You should see the new rule in the list in the “Rules” window.
![Outlook App Mac New Rule Added](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-app-mac-new-rule-added.jpg)
- Make sure to click on “Save” when prompted to apply the changes you made.
![Saving new rule in Outlook for Mac.](https://www.maketecheasier.com/assets/uploads/2023/01/outlook-app-mac-new-rule-save.jpg)
Tip: send out friendlier emails by using emoji in Microsoft Outlook for Windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set up automatic forwarding with more than one forwarding address?
You can add more than one forwarding email address if you set up automatic forwarding via Outlook’s rules feature. If you want to use the non-rule method, know that you can only add one forwarding email address.
Can I filter emails that'll be forwarded?
You can only filter emails that’ll be forwarded if you set up automatic forwarding using Outlook’s rules feature. Filters aren’t available if you enable automatic forwarding outside of Outlook’s rules section. To set up filters for the emails that will be forwarded, you need to access the “Rules” section as we showed you above.
Do I need a Microsoft 365 subscription to access Outlook's automatic forwarding features?
No. Moreover, additional automatic forwarding features won’t be unlocked with a Microsoft 365 subscription. If you want to check the benefits of having a Microsoft 365 subscription for your Outlook account, go to Microsoft’s support website.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Natalie dela Vega.
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