You can divide rules into two types – server-side and client-only. Server-side rules are handled entirely by the Exchange Server, independent of the state of the Outlook client. Client-only rules do not execute until the user who created the rule logs in to the Outlook client with the same profile used to create the rule.
Whether a rule is server-based or client-based depends on the exact conditions and actions for that rule.
Certain rules are always client-only – those that involve some element from the Outlook client that does not exist on the Exchange Server. The following table classifies these according to whether they depend on Outlook features, client files or the mail profile. The last group contains something of a surprise: A rule to copy to a public folder fires only when the client is logged in with the profile that created the rule.
TIP: Try forwarding the message to the public folder instead. That rule always fires on the server.
| Rule conditions or actions | Examples |
| Conditions using Outlook client features | With specific words in recipient’s address With specific words in sender’s address Flagged for action Assigned to category With specific words in the subject or message — if you specify multiple phrases |
Actions using Outlook client features | Notify me using a specific message |
Actions that use client files | Move it to the specified folder (in a .pst file) |
Actions dependent on the profile used to create the rule | Move it to the specified folder |
When you create a rule, the Rules Wizard stores the rule settings (conditions, actions, and exceptions) in a .rwz file with the same name as the user’s profile. For rules for incoming messages, it also stores that information in the Inbox folder itself, with an indicator of what profile created the rule. This means that the details of the rule are available to the server.
When a message arrives, the server compares it with the list of rules. If the server can execute the rule, it does so. If not, it places a deferred action message (DAM) in a hidden Deferred Action folder in the mailbox.
When the user runs Outlook, the client checks the Deferred Action folder and examines each DAM. If the rule was created with the current profile, Outlook carries out the actions indicated in the DAM. This helps explain why rules may fire in an order different from that listed in the Rules Wizard: If the user is not logged in, rules that run on the server execute first, while client-only rules don’t fire until the next time the user runs Outlook with the appropriate profile.
Note that if a mailbox is over its size limit, it cannot execute any rules that will send replies or forward items.
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Last reviewed on Sep 10, 2011
Hi There,
I was reading your blog with interest, and I have a question that I would be extremely grateful if you could answer.
I have lost my client only rules, because I answered ‘The Rules on this machine do not match the rules on your Exchange Server. Only one set of rules can be kept. You will usually want to keep the rules on the server. Which rules do you want to keep?’ incorrectly and have subsequently lost all my rules.
I should have answered the question ‘Server’ but instead answered ‘Client’ and have now lost all my rules. Is there any way I can re-trace them and restore them?
Regards,
Henry
Sorry, no. Once the rules are cleared the only way to recover is if you happened to export a copy of your rules.
trés bien l’information… j’ai a problem avec le rules de mon ordenadour aussi, especificament evec le servitour exchange. la solutios peut etré la creation de les rules nouvement…
I subscribe to a lot of mailing lists, and to be able to read my mail from my phone I have a server-based rule that moves all incoming list mails to a separate Exchange folder. This way my Inbox only contains mails adressed to me personally, and is thus usable also from the phone, for instance when I am travelling and my computer is not connected to Exchange.
However, I have limited space on my Exchange account, so I also have a further cllient-based rule that moves the mails from the Exchange list folder to a similar folder on my PST file. Thus the mail is first moved from Inbox to Exchange/List (even if computer is not connected), and then (when my computer is active) from the Exchange/List to my PST/List folder.
This has worked brilliantly for years, but now when switching to a new computer it suddenly stopped working. I noted that my client-based rules said “on another machine”, so I edited it to be “for this machine only”. What happens now is that the rules are sort of triggered, but the final move from Exchange/List to PST/List is now actually done as a copy, so mails are never moved from the Exchange/List folder. This is a pain in the …!
Why is this happening? As I said, it worked for years… I use Outlook 2003…
Hi again, forgot to say that if I manually run the client-side rules, the mails are actually moved, not copied. But when the rules trigger by themselves the mails are only coped…
Hi,
Can I delete server side outlook rules through some other client? Like thunderbird or some other mechanisms?
Thanks
No, you can’t use T-bird. You can delete them using OWA though.