Message filters let you to fix Thunderbird to organize your messages automatically. Each account has its own set of filters. Filters can move messages to folders, delete them, frontwards them to other email addresses, and more than.

Tabular array of Contents

1 When practice filters execute?
2 What folders are filtered?
3 Create a new filter
four Example filters
- 4.1 Add together a star
- iv.ii Move to a folder
5 See also

When do filters execute?

When you receive new mail - This is when Getting New Post is selected (the default). Filters are applied to new mail in the inbox. This can occur either before Thunderbird does its assessment of the post as junk, or after. If you accept difficulty with filtering the message trunk, select after nomenclature.

When you send mail - This is when you select After Sending. These filters merely apply to an email beingness sent.

When you archive email - This is when you select Archiving and applies to all mail service included in the archive action.

Filters are executed in the order they appear in the list of filters, except when that club is not possible, in which example you volition run across the message Note: Filter actions volition be run in a different gild, and the link Come across execution order . If you click the link, y'all will see which order is used. For case: If you have a filter that moves a message to another folder, and then further down the list a filter that replies, the reply filter volition non work because the message is gone from the folder. In this instance, Thunderbird volition change the order, and so the reply filter volition be executed earlier the move filter.

filter order warning

What folders are filtered?

When you select to run a filter manually you tin apply the filter to a specific folder. This is non possible for the automatic execution of filters.

Automatically practical filters are applied only to the inbox, with the exception of Archive and after ship filters, which utilise only to the mails involved in the action to send or archive. Other folder types are not affected.

Create a new filter

1. Click the Application menu button New Fx Menu and so followed by .

2. Click New. A Filter Rules dialog box will appear.

iii. In the "Filter Name" field, type a name for your filter.

4. Under "Apply filter when", check ane of the options or both.

Note: In most cases, you won't want to change from the default "Getting New Post" and "Manually Run" options.

v. In the "Getting New Mail: " dropdown menu, cull either Filter before Junk Classification or Filter after Junk Classification.

6. Choose a property, a examination and a value for each rule y'all desire to apply:

A belongings is a message element or characteristic such equally "Subject field" or "From"
A test is a cheque on the property, such as "contains" or "is in my address book"
A value completes the test with a specific item, such as an e-mail accost or keyword

7. Choose one or more deportment for messages that meet those criteria.

Elements of a new Filter Rules dialog-updated

Note: To add some other rule, click Add a new rule + at the cease of the last rule. To delete a rule, click Remove this dominion –.

8. Click OK.

nine. In the Message Filters dialog box, at the top line, select the account (from the dropdown list) that the filters are to apply to

10. Click Run Now if you want the new filter to be applied to messages you've already received. The filter will automatically be applied to all new letters after it'south saved.

Example filters

Add a star

You might want to automatically add a star to all messages from your workplace domain, making them stand up out from the rest of your Inbox messages. You could create this filter:

Filter example, add Star

Tip: Y'all can create a filter using a sender'southward email address straight from 1 of that sender's messages. In the message header, right-click on the sender's accost and click on "Create Filter From." By default, the new filter begins with the rule From | Is | (sender's e-mail accost).

Move to a folder

You lot may like to filter out lower-priority letters from your Inbox to reduce clutter. For example you may have chosen to receive notifications from businesses you patronize, but like to keep them in a separate folder.

First, create a binder called "Promotions" (or something similar) past clicking . You could so create a filter similar this:

Filter example, move to "Promotions" folder

Because you lot selected the "Friction match whatever of the following option", all messages that meet any 1 of these criteria volition be automatically exist moved from the Inbox to the Promotions folder:

Are from the address sales@software.biz, or
Take "discount" in the subject line, or
Take the give-and-take "customer" somewhere in the address or display proper noun ("customer.service", "Customer Support" etc.)

Note: While you can also use filters to catch and dispose of junk email – that is, promotions you DIDN'T sign upwardly for – information technology's non recommended. Instead, consider using Thunderbird'southward junk mail service controls, which were specially designed for this purpose.

Tip: If you have trouble with one of your filters, endeavour starting minor and working your mode up. For example, you lot might accept written a filter to move certain new letters to a dissimilar folder and it doesn't seem to practise anything. Modify the message filter to make it add a star to all new letters. If that works, modify the filter to add the star only for those messages that yous want to move to a folder. If that works, modify the filter to move the messages instead of calculation a star.

Run across also

Quick Filter Toolbar
Using Saved Searches

Coomes Brines

How to Mass Upload a Filter in Thunderbird

Organize Your Letters past Using Filters