How to Automatically Forward Emails in Outlook (and Why It Stops Working)
You want your Outlook mail to arrive at another address too, either all of it or only mail from certain people. Outlook has two ways to do this, and which one you can use depends on your version and your account. If nothing arrives, the cause is often a block you can’t see in your settings.
In short: to forward everything, open Settings (the gear) in new Outlook or Outlook on the web, go to Mail > Forwarding (on Outlook.com, Email > Forwarding and IMAP), turn on Enable forwarding, type the address, tick Keep a copy of forwarded messages, and select Save. To forward only some mail, create a rule under Settings > Mail > Rules > Add rule. Classic Outlook for Windows has no forwarding setting, so you use a rule in Manage Rules & Alerts. Work and school accounts often can’t forward outside the organization at all: the forwarded copy bounces with error 5.7.520, and only IT can change that.
Forwarding Setting vs Forwarding Rule
Microsoft describes both in Turn automatic forwarding on or off in Outlook and Use rules to automatically forward messages.
| Forwarding setting | Forwarding rule | |
|---|---|---|
| What it sends | All incoming mail, to one address | All mail or only mail that matches your conditions, to one or more addresses |
| Copy in your mailbox | Only if you tick Keep a copy of forwarded messages | Yes, always |
| Who replies go to | You (Microsoft states this for Outlook.com) | Forward: you. Redirect: the original sender |
| Where it runs | On Microsoft’s servers, as a setting on your mailbox. It works with Outlook closed | Microsoft’s servers, except classic Outlook rules marked client-only, which run only while Outlook is open |
| New Outlook for Windows | Yes | Yes, not for Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud accounts |
| Outlook on the web and Outlook.com | Yes | Yes |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | No. Use a rule, or set it on the web | Yes |
| Outlook for Mac, iPhone and Android | No steps from Microsoft. Use the web | Mac has rules; no forwarding steps for phones |
How to Auto Forward All Email in New Outlook and Outlook on the Web
These steps cover new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web with a work or school account:
- Select Settings (the gear) at the top of the window.
- Select Mail > Forwarding. If Outlook asks you to sign in, do so; the forwarding options appear after that.
- Turn on Enable forwarding and type the address that should receive your mail.
- Tick Keep a copy of forwarded messages if you want the mail to stay in this mailbox too.
- Select Save.
Without the copy, your mail doesn’t stay in this mailbox. If these steps don’t match your screen in Windows, you are probably in classic Outlook.
How to Forward Outlook.com Email to Another Address
With a personal account (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live), sign in at Outlook.com:
- Select Settings (the gear).
- Select Email > Forwarding and IMAP.
- Turn on Enable forwarding and enter the address under Forward my email to.
- Tick Keep a copy of forwarded messages so your mail also stays in Outlook.com, then select Save.
Microsoft says you may be asked to sign in again before the forwarding options appear. Its Outlook.com forwarding article adds that if two-step verification isn’t on for your Microsoft account, you’ll be asked to turn it on when you switch forwarding on; if it is on, you’ll be asked to confirm your identity. The same article says forwarded messages come from your account, so replies come back to you, not to the original sender. For replies to reach the sender, use a Redirect to rule instead.
How to Forward Only Some Emails With a Rule
In new Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com:
- Select Settings, then Mail > Rules, then Add rule.
- Name the rule.
- Add a condition, such as who the mail is from. To send everything, choose Apply to all messages.
- Add an action: Forward to, Redirect to or Forward as attachment, and enter the address.
- Tick Stop processing more rules if later rules shouldn’t touch these messages, then select Save.
Which action to pick:
- Forward to: the message arrives as forwarded from you, and replies come back to you.
- Redirect to: the message keeps the original sender, and replies go to that sender.
- Forward as attachment: sends the original as an attachment to a message from you.
Microsoft notes that a rule acts on mail arriving after you create it. In new Outlook, rules don’t work for Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud accounts you have added; set up forwarding with that email provider instead.
How to Auto Forward Emails in Classic Outlook
In classic Outlook for Windows, Microsoft’s steps for forwarding use a rule:
- On the File tab, select Manage Rules & Alerts (or Home > More commands (...) > Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts).
- With several accounts, set Apply changes to this folder on the Email Rules tab to the account you want to forward from.
- Select New Rule. Under Start from a blank rule, select Apply rule on messages I receive, then Next.
- To forward everything, tick no conditions, select Next, and select Yes when Outlook asks whether the rule should apply to every message. To forward only some mail, tick the conditions you want.
- Under Step 1: Select action(s), tick redirect it to people or public group, forward it to people or public group or forward it to people or public group as an attachment.
- Under Step 2, select the underlined people or public group, type the address in the To box of the Rule Address dialog, and select OK.
- Select Next, add any exceptions, name the rule, and select Finish, then OK.
Rules made in new Outlook, on the web and on Outlook.com run on Microsoft’s servers. A classic Outlook rule can become client-only, and Microsoft warns that “certain rules will only run when Outlook is on.” Such a rule forwards nothing while Outlook is closed, and only catches up when you open it again. See client-only vs server-side rules to tell which kind you have.
Outlook for Mac, iPhone and Android
- Outlook for Mac: Microsoft’s forwarding articles have no Mac steps. Outlook for Mac has rules, but with a Microsoft 365, Exchange or Outlook.com account the simpler route is Outlook on the web and the steps above.
- iPhone and Android: Microsoft gives no steps for setting up forwarding in the Outlook app. Open Outlook on the web in your phone’s browser and use the forwarding setting or a rule there.
Why Outlook Auto Forwarding Isn’t Working
Your organization blocks forwarding outside it. Microsoft’s admin documentation explains that the outbound spam policy controls automatic forwarding to outside addresses. In 2021 the default changed to off for new organizations and for existing ones that weren’t using it. A blocked message comes back in a non-delivery report reading “5.7.520 Access denied, Your organization does not allow external forwarding.”
- Microsoft says that when it is off, Inbox rules and mailbox forwarding that send mail to outside addresses stop working.
- Forwarding to colleagues inside your organization isn’t affected by this policy.
- Admins can also block forwarding to some domains, or with mail flow rules. When one control allows it and another blocks it, the block usually wins.
- You can’t change this yourself. Ask IT, and check company policy before forwarding work mail to a personal address. To cover for a holiday, forward to a colleague instead, as the out-of-office guide describes.
The rule isn’t running.
- It is a classic Outlook client-only rule, and Outlook wasn’t open.
- It is turned off. In new Outlook and on the web, each rule has a toggle in Settings > Mail > Rules.
- An earlier rule with Stop processing more rules caught the message first.
- You expect it to forward mail you already had. Rules act on new mail.
Limits. Microsoft says the number of addresses in a forward or redirect rule may be limited by your account, and a rule with too many won’t work. In Microsoft 365 work accounts, the Exchange Online limits allow 10 recipients for a redirecting rule, and a message is redirected only once by Inbox rules: if the person you forward to also uses Microsoft 365 and has a rule forwarding it on, that second hop is dropped without a bounce. If your mailbox is over its storage limit, Microsoft says forwarding rules may stop until you delete enough mail.
The other address bounces or files it as junk. If the address is mistyped or no longer exists, look for bounce messages in your inbox and read the reason they give. Microsoft also suggests checking the Junk or Spam folder at the receiving address when you first test forwarding.
How to Turn Off Auto Forwarding in Outlook
- Forwarding setting: go back to Settings > Mail > Forwarding (Outlook.com: Email > Forwarding and IMAP), turn off Enable forwarding, and select Save.
- Rules: check Settings > Mail > Rules for any rule that forwards or redirects, and turn it off or delete it. In classic Outlook, look in File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
- Still forwarding? With a work account, an admin can also set forwarding on your mailbox (Microsoft calls it mailbox forwarding). Ask IT.
Turning off the setting doesn’t touch your rules, and the reverse is also true, so check both.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I automatically forward all my Outlook emails to another address?
In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, select Settings, then Mail > Forwarding (Email > Forwarding and IMAP on Outlook.com), turn on Enable forwarding, enter the address, tick Keep a copy of forwarded messages, and select Save. In classic Outlook, Microsoft’s steps use a rule with no conditions in Manage Rules & Alerts, or set forwarding on the web.
Can I forward only emails from certain senders?
Yes, with a rule. In new Outlook, on the web or on Outlook.com, go to Settings > Mail > Rules > Add rule, choose a condition such as who the mail is from, and choose Forward to, Redirect to or Forward as attachment. In classic Outlook, create the rule in Manage Rules & Alerts.
Why is my Outlook auto forward not working?
With a work or school account, your organization most likely blocks automatic forwarding to outside addresses, and forwarded copies bounce with error 5.7.520. Only IT can change that. Otherwise, check that the rule is on, that a classic Outlook client-only rule isn’t waiting for Outlook to open, that the receiving address is typed correctly, and that the mail isn’t in that address’s junk folder.
What is the difference between forward and redirect in Outlook?
A forwarded message arrives as forwarded from you, so replies come back to you. A redirected message keeps the original sender on the From line, so replies go to that sender. Both leave a copy in your mailbox when you use a rule.