Professional Email: How to Create Inbox Rules and Filters

Inbox rules and filters help you automatically organize incoming emails in Professional Email. You can create rules to move messages to specific folders, mark emails as read, star important messages, or filter emails from specific senders and domains. Rules can be created from an existing email or manually from your mailbox settings.

Log In to Professional Email Webmail

Option 1: Use the Login to Webmail Button

1. Log in to your Bluehost Portal.
2. From the left-hand navigation menu, click on the Email tab.
3. Optional: In Professional Email, if multiple plans are listed, click Manage for the plan you want to use.

   
    

4. You’ll be automatically redirected to the Email Management page, where you can manage your email settings and subscriptions.

5. Select the Login to Webmail button.
6. Enter your Professional Email username and password.

Option 2: Use the Direct Login Link

1. Go to the Professional Email login page.
2. Enter your Professional Email username and password.

Create a Rule From an Existing Email

Creating a rule from an existing email is the quickest way to automate how similar messages are handled.

1. In your webmail, open the email you want to create a rule for.
2. Click the More actions (…) menu, then select Create a rule.
3. Review the prefilled fields:
   • Name your rule
     • Enter a descriptive name for the rule.
   • When an incoming email meets the below conditions
     • From - Match emails from a specific sender.
     • Sent To - Match emails sent to a specific recipient.
     • Subject includes - Match emails containing specific text in the subject line.
     • Optional: Click Add a condition to include additional criteria.
       • CC to me - Match emails where your address is included in the CC field.
       • Subject/body includes - Match emails containing specific text in the subject line or message body.
       • Has attachment - Match emails that include attachments.
4. Modify any field as needed.

   Tip: You can combine multiple conditions to create more targeted rules. For example, you can create a rule that applies only to emails from a specific sender that contain certain words in the subject line.

5. Under Do the following, click Select an action and choose one of the following:

   Note: A single rule can include multiple actions. For example, you can automatically forward an email to another address and mark the message as read at the same time.

   
   • Move to - Move the email to a selected folder.
   • Forward to - Automatically forward the email to another email address.
   • Mark as read - Mark the email as read when it arrives.
   • Star it - Add a star to make the email easier to identify.
   • Apply labels - Apply a label to help organize and categorize emails.
6. Click Create Rule to save the rule.

The rule will automatically process future emails that meet the specified conditions.

Create a Rule From Scratch (Settings)

Use this method when creating a rule from scratch.

1. In your webmail, click the Settings (gear) icon.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Click Rules.
4. On the Rules page, click Create a New Rule.
5. Enter a descriptive name for the rule in the Name your rule field.
6. Select a condition under When an incoming email meets the below conditions, such as:
   • From - Match emails from a specific sender.
   • Sent To - Match emails sent to a specific recipient.
   • CC to me - Match emails where your address is included in the CC field.
   • Subject includes - Match emails containing specific text in the subject line.
   • Subject/body includes - Match emails containing specific text in the subject line or message body.
   • Has attachment - Match emails that include attachments.
7. Enter the value to match.
8. Optional: Add additional conditions to make the rule more specific.
9. Under Do the following, select one or more actions:
   • Move to - Move the email to a selected folder.
   • Forward to - Automatically forward the email to another email address.
   • Mark as read - Mark the email as read when it arrives.
   • Star it - Add a star to make the email easier to identify.
   • Apply labels - Apply a label to help organize and categorize emails.
10. Optional: Select Run this rule now on existing emails to apply the rule to messages already in your mailbox.
11. Click Create Rule.

Create a Domain-Based Rule

A domain-based rule applies to all emails received from a specific domain. For example, a rule created for example.com applies to emails from any sender using that domain, such as [email protected] or [email protected].

1. Follow the steps in Create a Rule from an Existing Email or Create a Rule from Scratch (Settings).
2. In the From condition, change the condition type from Email to Domain.
3. Enter the domain name (for example, example.com).
4. Follow the remaining steps in the selected procedure to configure the rule.
5. Click Create rule.

Edit or Delete a Rule

You can update or remove rules at any time.

1. Click Settings.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Click Rules.
4. Locate the rule you want to manage.
   • To edit the rule:
     1. Click the Edit icon.
     2. Make your changes and click Update Rule.
   • To delete the rule:
     1. Click the Trash icon.
     2. In the Delete rule pop-up, click Delete.

Test Your Rule

After creating a new rule:

1. Send a test email that meets the rule conditions.
2. Check the destination folder or mailbox behavior.
3. Confirm the email was processed as expected.
4. If necessary, edit the rule and test again.

Troubleshooting

Rule Is Not Moving Emails

Emails Are Going to the Wrong Folder

Too Many Emails Match the Rule

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Articles

• Create and Manage Folder
• Professional Email: How to Create an Email Signature
• Set Up Professional Email
• Professional Email: How to Block a Sender

Summary

Inbox rules and filters help automate email management in Professional Email by organizing incoming messages based on conditions you define. Create rules from an existing email or from the Rules settings page, apply one or more actions, and use domain-based rules to manage emails from an entire organization. Regularly review and update your rules to keep your inbox organized and ensure important emails are handled efficiently.