Rules Help You Spend Less Time on Email

Rules and filters get you through your inbox quickly, so you have more time for what matters.

Reading email is something you do every day, which is why it should be an enjoyable (and a fast) experience! A constant stream of new messages, however, can create a big mess.

Fastmail lets you create rules that do something with your mail automatically so that your inbox is manageable. You can tackle your day with an organized inbox, and still have time to do what you love.

Rules manage mail to de-clutter your inbox

Newer emails at the top of your inbox tend to get the most attention, which is why this space is prime real estate. Spare this area from mail that doesn’t matter, and you’ll reach an empty inbox, aka “Inbox Zero,” by the end of the day!

Create rules to send anything that you don’t need to look at daily into folders, and use filters to get rid of junk mail. Keep your life organized by using folders to collect mail that is alike. Our customers use rules creatively to bring order to their inbox.

“I have a number of domains running through Fastmail. I use the rules to allocate email from each domain to their own folders.” —Stan M., Fastmail user

Create rules that highlight mail that matters

Rules that you create can bring attention to your most important mail. Mail that matters can be pinned, forwarded, set to send alerts, filed into a specific folder, or a combination of some of these.

Get alerts for the messages you’re always looking out for, such as messages from VIP contacts like your spouse, partner, teacher, or colleagues.

You can do more than one thing with important mail. For example, incoming mail from VIPs can also be pinned to the top of your inbox as soon as it arrives.

Filter out anything that slows you down

Filters work to get rid of mail that steals your time like spam or mail from blocked senders.

You can also create rules that put away mail that you do not need daily. It can be marked as read, archived, filed away in a folder, or deleted.

Rules catch all mail based on sender, subject line, or any other information you use to find mail. (Pro tip: You can now take the results of any search and turn it into a rule).

“My inbox is for unexpected emails, everything else is filtered and sorted in their own folders.” —@etixxx, Fastmail user

Customized for every area of your life

It’s difficult to function with an inbox that’s cluttered, but rules put mail in its place.

Create folders for the areas of your life or the things you like to read. For example, you can make folders called “Volunteering” and “Gardening newsletters.” Rules collect these messages together so you can read them at the right time.

Customize Fastmail to fit your unique needs. You’re the expert. We provide the tools to make it work best for you.