How to set up iCloud and Mac Mail rules

The first mail rule most people write is “delete everything from this store.” It works until the store sends a refund confirmation. Good rules move mail somewhere you can glance at, and they live in the right place for the account they sort.

For iCloud email, create rules in iCloud (on iPhone or iCloud.com) so they run on Apple’s servers for every device. For other accounts or Mac-only actions, use Mail › Settings › Rules on a Mac. Start with a rule that moves one sender to a folder, test it, and only then consider deleting.

Two rule systems, and which to use

You want to	Use	Runs
Sort iCloud mail on every device	iCloud Mail rules	On Apple’s servers
Sort Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo mail	That service’s filters on its website	On that service’s servers
Highlight, run a script or act on several accounts on one Mac	Mail rules on Mac	In the Mail app on that Mac

An iCloud rule does not sort a Gmail account, even when both show up in Apple Mail. Mac rules run in the Mail app, so they generally sort mail only while Mail on that Mac is open and checking for mail.

Create an iCloud rule on iPhone

1. Open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud.
2. Below Saved to iCloud, tap Mail › iCloud Mail Rules › Add Rule.
3. Name the rule, for example “Store offers to Promotions”.
4. Next to Message, choose a condition, such as is from, and type the address.
5. Next to Action, choose Move to Folder and pick a folder.
6. Tap Add.

Apple says new or changed rules can take up to 15 minutes to affect incoming mail (Apple). Rules can move, delete, forward or mark mail as read.

Create an iCloud rule on iCloud.com

1. Go to icloud.com/mail and sign in.
2. Select the Settings button at the top of the Mailboxes list, then Settings.
3. Select Rules, then the Add button.
4. Set the condition below Message and the action below Action.
5. Select Add.

iCloud allows up to 500 rules (Apple). Rules apply in list order, so put the narrow ones (one sender) above the broad ones (a whole domain). Drag a rule up or down to reorder.

Create a Mail rule on a Mac

1. Open Mail and choose Mail › Settings, then click Rules.
2. Click Add Rule and name it.
3. Choose whether any or all conditions must be true.
4. Set the conditions, such as From contains an address.
5. Choose an action, such as Move Message to a mailbox.
6. Click OK. Mail asks whether to apply the rule to messages already in your mailboxes.

Choose Don’t Apply the first time, so you can see what the rule does with new mail before it touches years of old mail. Later, select some messages and choose Message › Apply Rules (Apple).

If you use iCloud Drive with Mail turned on, Mac rules are shared with your other Macs. Mail stops applying rules to a message after a Stop Evaluating Rules action, or when a server-side rule has already moved it.

Five rules worth having

Rule	Condition	Action
Receipts folder	Subject contains “receipt” or “order”	Move to Receipts
Newsletters	From a list you read weekly	Move to Read Later
Store offers	From a store’s marketing address	Move to Promotions
Notifications	From an app’s notification address	Mark as read and move
VIP	From your partner, boss or child’s school	Flag or highlight (Mac)

Use a sender’s exact address where you can. “From contains amazon” also catches order and delivery emails.

Test before you trust a rule

1. Find one email that should match and one that should not.
2. Wait for new mail, or apply the rule to those two on a Mac.
3. Check the destination folder, and that the second email stayed in the inbox.
4. Look at the folder daily for the first week.

If a rule forwards mail, check where it goes. Apple’s safety guide suggests reviewing any rule set to Forward to if you did not create it yourself (Apple).

Be careful with delete rules

A delete rule removes mail before you see it. Only use one when:

• The sender only ever sends mail you never want
• You have checked several weeks of its mail
• You know where deleted mail goes and how long it stays

Moving to a folder and clearing that folder monthly gets almost the same result with far less risk.

Keep rules tidy

• When you rename or delete a folder, update the rules that point to it. Apple notes rules cannot move mail into a folder that no longer exists.
• Turn off a rule (untick it on a Mac) before deleting it, and wait a week.
• Review your rules list during your weekly email review every few months.

When a rule is the wrong fix

A rule that hides a newsletter you never read keeps it using storage. Unsubscribing stops it. For deciding what to do with mail that needs action, use the inbox decision system. To clear old iCloud mail, see iCloud Mail bulk delete.

Using a different mail service too? See Gmail filters and labels and Outlook.com Sweep and rules.

Steps checked against Apple Support in November 2026. Menu names vary between iOS and macOS versions.

Sources

• Apple Support: Use iCloud Mail rules on iPhone
• Apple Support: Set up rules to filter email on iCloud.com
• Apple Support: Use rules to manage emails in Mail on Mac
• Apple Support: Review forwarding settings